Band, Baaja, Baraat and Bride!

Yes! We are going to be talking all about ‘Wedding Planning’ and what it takes to become a wedding planner.

Planning somebody else's wedding is like directing a film. WEDDINGS in India are an event of a lifetime for every home.

A career as a wedding planner is all about time & commitment. Working at odd hours is something you should be prepared for at least in the beginning, you will need to put in extra hours to gain a good reputation and get yourself recognized in the industry.

As a wedding planner, you will spend most of the time with your clients; this will demand time, honesty and integrity. Some vendors will want to pay you a commission for promoting their services above others. In these situations, remember that you are working for your client, so you must ensure that the vendor you are recommending lines up with your client’s needs and expectations keeping their budget in mind.

In case you feel that, something which wasn’t expected has taken place, do not inform the bride or the family, there is a reason behind them hiring you, in that case you cannot redirect your problems to them.

Sensitivity plays an important role when being a wedding planner. You have to be sensitive for the minutest of issues, family needs etc. You should understand that a mix of emotions (tears, laughter, and anxiety) is prevailing among each family member at that time.

As a wedding planner will have to draw on your clients' ideas, tastes, and preferences and turn them into reality. Give your clients inspiration by sharing creative ideas for decorations, venues, themes. Be sure you have discussed every detail of the wedding with your client, and pay attention to his or her demands.

Main key points to keep in mind while planning someone else’s wedding are the following:

•          Choosing a venue
•          Deciding on the wedding cake
•          Purchasing that wedding dress
•         Venue arrangements
•          Making a guest list
•          Designing of invitations
•         Selecting a date, time & venues
•          Deciding on the budget
•          Choosing a caterer
•          Hiring a photographer

If the romance of wedding excites you and you are passionate about turning someone’s dream into reality, then a career in wedding planning could do wonders to your career.

At INLEAD, you can enroll yourself for a course in ‘Event Management’ wherein under 'Special Event Management, you will study 'Wedding Management' which is part of the syllabus.

All the best!

Event Management: A promising Career

Conferences, meetings, seminars, press conferences, trade fairs, theme parties, opening and closing ceremonies, product launches, board meetings, incentive travel meetings, weddings, birthdays, anniversary parties sums up the Event Industry.

Did you know India spends annually more than Rs. 5000 Cr. to entertain the public? And it’s not surprising to learn that this figure is fast growing.

Despite strict government regulations like high entertainment tax, 1 am club deadlines and harassment in licenses and permits; the event management industry has a great future.

The successful implementation of a particular type of an event has different departments working towards creating a success thus there are immense opportunities in terms of the placement.

Event Management is emerging as a top industry and is growing at the rate of 35% and is proving to be a lucrative and a rewarding career.

The popular events Jaipur Literary Festival (Jaipur), Sunburn (GOA), Formula 1 (Delhi), IPL have made the event industry flourish. A lot of international brands have recently held brand launches in India, brands like Audi, Rolex to mention. Film awards like IIFA have now become a part of the industry and have been great success.

If you want to be a part of this glam industry, a course in Event Management & Public Relations will help you achieve your goal.

Several courses are being offered for the study of event management. Diploma in event management course is of one year duration, and minimum eligibility for admission in this course is graduation in any stream. Post Graduate Diploma in Event Management course is also of one year duration, and the eligibility condition is also similar, i.e. graduation. INLEAD also offers an MBA Event Management and PR degree in this field and today with experience, you can find a job of your choice, or even start your own event management company.

Recently INLEADers actively participated in various types of events- Pepsi Indian Premiere League, Global Sound of Peace, Tata T1 Truck Racing, Sounds of Freedom, Devil’s Circuit, MTV XTREME to name a few.

To enroll yourself for a course in Event Management click here: https://www.eventavenue.com/attReglogin.do?eventId=EVT3870

Top 10 Benefits of an ‘International Internship’

How often do you question yourself on why should you intern abroad? OR Why an internship abroad is so valuable?
Here, we list top 10 reasons how you benefit by interning abroad:

1)  The ability to gain international experience along with the knowledge and skills you will learn on the job.
2)    Memorable and enjoyable experience
3)    Networking with professionals working in another country
4)    Great exposure in terms of the working culture
5)    Ability to learn a new language
6)    Personal life enrichment and fulfillment that will ultimately stay with you for the rest of your life.
7)    Fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons and to undergo a process of self-development
8)    Learn more about what it takes to be successful working in another country.
9)    Increases your marketability as an internship abroad adds great value on a resume.10)   High chances of getting a job offer working in another country

And you must remember and keep in mind that an international internship is more impressive to employers than one taken at home or in your residing country and if you’re planning to seek work abroad… well it might be just the start you need!

For great international placements, enroll yourself for a course at INLEAD today!

Overview of Retail Functions @ the ‘Aditya Birla Group – MORE Hypermarket, Gurgaon’

Agenda of the Industry Visit:  Overview of Retails Functions and Operations

What is More?
Aditya Birla Retail Limited is the retail arm of Aditya Birla Group, a $40 billion corporation. The company ventured into food and grocery retail sectors in 2007 with the acquisition of a south-based supermarket chain. Subsequently, Aditya Birla Retail Ltd expanded its presence across the country under the brand ― "more." with two formats ― Supermarket and Hypermarket.

“More” is a one-stop shopping destination for the entire family. Besides a wide range of products across fruits and vegetables, groceries, FMCG products, more also has a strong emphasis on general merchandise, apparels and CDIT.

On the 28^th of March 2014, students pursuing International Business Management from INLEAD visited Aditya Birla Group-More Hypermarket in Gurgaon.

Introduction:

Hypermarkets are what can be described as a complete destination shopping area, where one can enjoy a day out with the entire family because of a simple fact that hypermarket consists of variety of options under just one roof. The result is a very large retail facility which carries an enormous range of products like grocery, fruits & vegetables, general merchandise, electronics, computers, mobile phones, apparel, footwear sports and FMCG products, with national, international and house brands all under a single roof.

The visit ended with an interaction with the HR manager in More Hypermarket and helped students to become more aware of the retail operations.

INLEADers Speak:

Aditya, student pursuing International Business Management from INLEAD: Overall understanding of retail was great, learnt the practical aspects of Retail operation

Sarath, student pursuing International Business Management from INLEAD: Challenging to see the management and inventory of so much of detailed product line.

INLEAD’s Spokesperson

Ms. Rubi Khan, faculty of International Business Management at INLEAD said,” Students got an exposure of retail functions and operations. They understood the management and merchandising of close to 65,000 product lines.”

Keep watching this space fore more...

Dressing for Success? Here are tips and tricks you can refer to…

Remember one thing, in any interview you appear for, you are marketing yourself as a product and for that having the best image possible is highly recommended.

Interviews are a beauty parade? They’re not.  However, your clothes, hair, shoes etc. will be viewed as indicators of your status, self-confidence and self-worth.

Refer to the tips mentioned blow; they might help you while you sit for interviews.

1)      Ask what to wear: When approached by the training and placement division of INLEAD, students should be open enough to ask them what they would be expected to wear for the interview.  It’s ok to ask the attire before you appear for the interview. A conservative suit of a solid color for men and the women is usually recommended. In ad agencies, event management companies, fashion houses, there might not be a dress code in particular, well in that case just ask your mentor to find out what the usual dress code is in that particular organization.

2)      Save Money on Shopping: Instead of buying 7 different blazers for a week. Just buy 2 blazers, one of a lighter shade and the other of a darker shade. Based on what you are wearing you can switch between these two blazers. Instead of shopping from the high end stores, try and look for factory outlets.

3)      Make-up, jewelry and hair style should be subtle. Two inches of heels are just fine for the women, but remember you should be comfortable while walking.

4)      Look professional and polished. While your interview attire depends on what job you're applying for, no matter what the position, you should come in looking neat, tidy and well-dressed.

5)      Clean fingernails, fresh breath, well-polished shoes, deodorant are all essentials.

The first impression is the last impression as we all know and we are definitely sure that you'll want that first impression to be not just a good one, but, a great one. The candidate dressed in a suit and tie is going to make a much better impression than the candidate dressed in scruffy jeans and a t-shirt.

Dress your best for the interview, regardless of the dress code at the organization.

Women's Interview Attire

·         Solid color, conservative suit

·         2 inches heels

·         Limited accessory

·         Neat hairstyle

·         Light make-up & perfume

·         Manicured nails

Men's Interview Attire

·         Solid color, conservative suit

·         White long sleeve shirt

·         Tie

·         Black/ white colored socks and formal shoes

·         A watch/ No studs in the ears

·         Neat hairstyle

·         Neatly trimmed nails

You can always take a photo of your interview outfit and send it to a friend for a second opinion.

Your personal image will strongly influence an employer’s perceptions of your capabilities, your approach to work and how well you will fit in with their organization.

All the Best!

“LinkedIn not only for Professionals”, says Study

It’s a myth that professional social platforms are for professionals, service or business class individuals. Most of the recruiters nowadays scan the LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter profiles of the prospective candidate. LinkedIn is no more a job search website, therefore graduates and post graduate students should be little serious as to what they post on their profile whether it’s images or status updates.

In this article, today we will discuss about the important aspects on your LinkedIn profile page.

Points to Remember:

  

    1 )    E-mail Id: The e-mail Id that you use for professional networking should be professional. You CANNOT us coolguyamit@gmail.com, instead make use of your name or the initials for example: s.amit@gmail.com is the ideal id which you could use.

 
  2)    Profile Photo: Profile photo should be professional and not very professional. Avoid full length photos, a close up wearing a formal shirt with blazer is an ideal image for Linked In.

   
3)    Profile Headline: The headline should be eye catching and extremely appealing to the reader/ recruiter. Students can mention the college they’re studying in, the course they are pursuing and the year they are in. Remember that a profile headline is like your professional identity.

   
4)    Summary: another important feature in your profile is how well you have written your summary. Summary is the space box where the reader or recruiter can look into your name and profile headline. A brief write up about your work experience etc. should be highlighted.

   
5)    Experience: Highlight the internships and the work you were handling therein. Highlight the projects list the duration, the name of the organization etc. Mention any kind of social work that you must have handled in the past.

   
6)    Education: Under this section along with the qualification remember to fill in the Percentages/ grades. Mention any proficiency achieved in any subject.

   
7)    Personal Details:   It is highly recommended to mention your date of birth, marital status and contact details. Just incase a recruiter wants to contact you he/ she can do so.

   
8)    Recommendations:  ‘Recommendations’ means opinions written by your contacts about you and your work. The people who write recommendation to you may be your batch-mates, professors, teachers, professionals. Here it is very important to invite recommendations from those only with whom you have worked and know you.     

 
9)    Groups: Join as many relevant groups as you can. Relevant to your career, future goal, career etc.

 
10) Privacy Settings: Check your settings and make sure that your entire profile is visible to all. This ensures greater visibility in other networks.

Create your LinkedIn Profiles today!

INLEADers @ the ‘Signature Towers, Unitech Group’ Read about what they experienced!

The agenda of this industry visit was exposure to Technical Facility and Management Operations.

Introduction: Signature Towers is a commercial /office property, of over 6 lac sq. ft., managed by Unitech, with a substantially large team of technical staff, maintaining the 31 AHUs, 13 elevators & 16 fire staircases, as also the HVAC, fire systems & all other associated technical equipment.


Signature Towers is a landmark in the commercial space/ office area realm & is known for the quality of well managed facilities. Currently managed by Unitech, it is a 6lac plus site, with a system of well-placed fire hydrants along the landscaping.The towers are home to multiple brands & companies, each floor / office being serviced by an efficient facility team. The facility has 31 AHUs, 16 fire escapes & 13 elevators for the comfort & safety of its occupants, & a basement parking that is a revenue generating occupancy.

The students were welcomed by the senior site facility manager, who commenced the tour with a summary of the salient features of the building. Other members of the team, including the fire officer, HVAC operators, DG operators, also joined the tour to explain the actual working of the systems. Some of the features that the students examined in some detail were:

• HVAC
• AHU
• Transformers
• LT panels
• Fire pumps
• DG
• Cooling towers

INLEADers Speak:

1. Sandeep Jain, student of MBA in Infrastructure Management (Batch: Jan’14) says, “The visit to Signature Towers was highly informative. We were able to relate and apply our knowledge of the subject into practical experience.
2. Sumit Ranjan, student of MBA in Infrastructure Management (Batch: Jan’14) says,” The BMS was very impressive. It was a great visit. 3) Omika, student of Infrastructure Management (Batch: Jan’14) says, “I was able to get answers to a lot of practical questions”.The visit ended with an invitation to visit again for more insight into other services. Keep watching this space for more!