Event Management: Industry Expert Session (Mr. Ajay Sharma - VP, Momentum - MacCan World Group)

INLEAD conducted an Industry Expert Session for its April and October 2012 Event Management batches on 14^th December 2012. The session was conducted by Mr. Ajay Sharma, Vice President - Momentum - MacCan World Group. Mr. Sharma has over a decade of experience in the Communications Industry. He has successfully conceptualized various brand communication campaigns and has handled activation and event strategies for variety of clients across Industry. The topic of the session was Brand & Advertising and helped students to identify with the lifestyle of a communication professional and the qualities/skill set required for a successful career in this strong and competitive Communication Industry.

Mr. Sharma during his presentation touched upon the concept of brand equity and explained its importance for a brand owner. He discussed about various ways of measuring brand equity and is available in both qualitative and quantitative formats. He also described the strategic communication strategy that can only be built upon if a communication professional understand the nuances of the brand and the industry for which he is pitching for. In his presentation Mr. Sharma shared his 10 principles on brand communication strategy which he developed during his 15 years long career and are considered to be very effective from the consumer’s perspective. The session was pretty interactive and helped students to gain valuable insights about this exciting world of branding and advertisement. 

International Hotel Management: Industry Expert Session (Mr. Ajay Dhar)

INLEAD conducted an Industry Expert Session for July and October 2012 IHM batches on 4^th December 2012. The session was conducted by Mr. Ajay Dhar, Executive Housekeeper at Optus Sarovar Premier. Mr. Dhar has over a half a decade of experience in the Hotel Industry and has done his specialization in the housekeeping division. He has worked with some of the reputed organizations like Radisson Blu, Hayatt Regency, The Bristol and Bestech Hospitalities. He has successfully finished his Hotel Management from National Council of Hotel Management, IHM Jaipur. Mr. Dhar has an eye for detail and has received several accolades for his successfully setting up of housekeeping operations of various newly built properties.

The topic of the session was Scope of Housekeeping in Hospitality Industry and it helped students from both the batches in understanding the impact which the housekeeping department plays in any Hotel. Mr. Dhar briefly explained the departmental setup and the hierarchy that a housekeeping professional goes under. Mr. Dhar made the session pretty interactive which helped students to clear various myths regarding this department and also shared diverse growth opportunities which are present for the young professionals. He also explained Key Responsibility Area’s of a housekeeping professional and shared several interview preparation tips with the students.

Mr. Dhar’s presentation threw light on various processes that a housekeepingprofessional follows and how he needs to have multi tasking skills in order to triumph in this division. He explained the students on how to prepare forecasts and budgets for a business and gave a brief description of the expense control mechanism as well. He explained on how to propose methods to reduce costs and enhance value within a business. Overall Mr. Dhar’s session helped students to gain some valuable insights about the housekeeping department that plays a much greater significance in the Hotel Industry and will likely to have a profound effect on its success and well being.