JBIMS-Mumbai Organizes Entrepreneurial Event, "Marketing Maestro"

JBIMS-Mumbai Organizes Entrepreneurial Event, "Marketing Maestro"

An exhilarating and enlivening journey to entrepreneurship began on the morning of November 3, 2008 at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) when the Entrepreneurship Cell (E-Cell) of JBIMS organized an Entrepreneurial Event, "Marketing Maestro", which focused on stimulating students to become 'Master Marketers'

and get an exposure to real aspects of entrepreneurship.

The event required students to set-up a trading enterprise with a unique brand name. This enterprise had to create its own portfolio by sourcing NGO products strategically from E-Cell and subsequently selling them in the market in a stipulated time period. E-Cell had procured the products from the NGOs Mouth & Foot Painting Association (MFPA), National Association for the Blind (NAB), Doorstep School and OM Creations. The main goal of the venture was maximizing the profits which would be donated back to the respective NGOs.

The main sponsor for Marketing Maestro was Gammon India Ltd., a well known name in the construction business. The first prize was sponsored by Mr. Arun Sehgal & Mrs. Chhaya Sehgal, the founders of Winning Edge and esteemed alumni of JBIMS. The Chief Guest for the event was Mr. Harshid Rajan, Director, Gammon India.

The teams devised their own strategies to sell the various products to maximize their profits and Return on Investment (ROI). According to Shriram Parthasarathy, one of the participants, the event was very exciting and an amazing experience for their enterprise. A remarkable achievement of his team was that they could win a long-term contract for an NGO product through their negotiating skills. Straddling the length and breadth of the Mumbai, the students explored various opportunities and applied the learnt theories and concepts of marketing. The students adopted different strategies for different set of customers.

In the evening, the teams once again assembled in the institute to present their strategies and share their experiences before the panel of esteemed judges - Mrs. Chhaya Sehgal, Prof. Kavita Laghate & Prof. Smita Shukla, the faculty coordinators for E-Cell. The teams were evaluated on ROI, profits and total sales. There were prizes for the most effective strategy, innovative enterprise name, and the most exciting experience.

The winning teams were beaming with joy and Devina Jaca from the winning team expressed, "It was our first sales experience and we were actually amazed by the way we convinced our prospective clients. In all, the Marketing Maestro was a fun event, filled with varied experiences I would cherish for long!" According to Chandan Roy, whose team was the first runner up, "The marketing maestro not only taught me the ABC of marketing but also how to use the perfect blend of attitude, body language and confidence to deliver when it matters the most. And since I intend to specialize in marketing, it was a great learning experience in all aspects."

Marketing Maestro inculcated in the students a sense of social entrepreneurship. The event was a phenomenal success and helped the students bridge the gap between classroom concepts and market realities; thus, providing them with insights into extremely challenging but exciting world of entrepreneurship.

Concluded.

Contributed by -
The Corporate Relations Committee,
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.

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