Winning Through Service Excellence: Theory and Practice - Convergence 2020 at Jagdish Sheth School of Management

Conferences have meant different things to me at different times. Over a decade back, when my wife was working on her PhD, I was curious to know what is it that academicians and researchers travel across the world to speak and listen to, because I used to see her very excitedly prepare for such conferences. I was in the industry then, and my view was guided by  industry conferences  attended and organised. They were full of gloss - dazzling presentations, jargons being dropped and lapped up, dapper looking executives who were more found in the lobby than in the main hall, and the my-car-is-more-expensive-than-your-car glance that was noticed at the hotel entrance.It was my view then that it was only the travel and hospitality industry that gains from conferences!

Things took a different turn when I switched careers and crossed over to academia. While conferences retained the fun quotient, they became an interesting hot-spot to meet the real thought leaders. White background slide presentations in very ordinary font and style suddenly started appealing more to me than the colourful ones I was used to seeing for decades. The focus suddenly, shifted to the content!

Come December(18-19), there is an opportunity to attend another conference, very rich in content, and this time virtually. The scale is much bigger, and the theme and the speaker line-up are not very commonly seen in this part of the world, which makes it very interesting. I also realize that I am now on the organising side, so very fascinated by the diligence and detailing that's going into Convergence 2020, hosted by my institution- Jagdish Sheth School of Management (Previously, IFIM Business School).  The theme 'Winning Through Service Excellence: Theory and Practice', appears considerably intriguing because of the linkage between theory and practice, which, unfortunately, often seem to be evolving with a little disdain for each other!

The good part is that one can attend this event despite Covid, and without buying a ticket to the other side of the globe! So go ahead and register, while it is still open. In case of any queries, do reach out to my colleague, Dr Sangita Dutta Gupta, Conference Convener, or, leave a comment here.