IISM Partners with CII for Sports Summit 2017 as Academic Partners

International Institute of Sports Management (IISM, Mumbai) has undertaken a revolutionary redesign in management education through innovative academic methodology and delivery systems for students to take complete advantage of the exceptionally rigorous and demanding nature of the customized curriculum.

With its collaborative arrangements with the Sports Industry and global sporting industry icons as its advisers, IISM is the embodiment of underlying philosophy of ‘Global Mindset, Indian Roots’.

Partnering with CII for its second edition of “Sports And Entertainment Summit 2017” as “Academic Partners” is also an extension of its efforts to provide students with un-matched exposure from the industry and contribute towards Development of Sports in our nation.

The event that was held at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai on 29th November 2017, commenced with an opening address by Mr. Shrinivas Dempo (Summit Chair & Chairman & MD, Dempo Shipbuilding & Engineering).

Followed by an exclusive interactive session by Mr.Ayaz Memon (Indian sports writer & journalist) with none other than Mr. VVS Laxman (Former Cricketer & Current Cricket Commentator).

“Development at the grassroots level, a must for Sports to grow in India,” said Laxman who affirmed how it is vital to have a good mentor along with a good infrastructure.

Further, the event also had Founder-Director of IISM, Mr. Nilesh Kulkarni along with an illustrious panel of speakers that included Mr.Yannick Colaco (VP & MD, NBA India) , Ms.Vita Dani (Co-owner, Chennaiyin, ISL franchisee and Chairperson, 11even Sports, Table Tennis League) and Mr. Indranil Das Blah (Chief Operating Officer, Kwan Entertainment & Marketing Solutions) discussed about the “Role of Academia and Government in boosting Sports”, chaired by Mr. Ayaz Memon.

Also Read: All You Need to Know about a Career in Sports Management

On being asked about how working at the grassroots level is looked at by students, Mr. Nilesh Kulkarni said that it was surprising for them to know that every student wished to and was passionate about working at grassroots level.

As the discussion unfolded, all present got some more insights on the integration of school curriculum, grassroot level challenges and how can the right infrastructure be built.

Kulkarni further highlighted that IISM has carved a path by building and developing a lot more case-studies and reports that will help in making better decisions.

Adding to this, Mr. Das quoted that more and more institutes like IISM should come up to promote sports and sports management education in the country so that one could at least reach to a level where the country can also have a dedicated IIM in sports management.

Mr. Vinit Karnik (Business Head-Entertainment, Sports & Live Events, GroupM), Mr. Charu Sharma (Director, Pro Kabaddi League), Ms. Vita Dani, Mr. Joy Bhattacharya (Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup) and Mr. Sandip Tarkas (Former CEO - Sports, media & special projects, Future Group & CEO, Bengal Tigers Kabaddi) were also present to discuss about the “New Sports Leagues and Innovative Marketing techniques” and how it is taking off significantly in India.

Sports unlike other areas of CSR provides companies far more visibility. Sports is one of the cheapest real estate for visibility in CSR due to the media coverage. Mr. Viren Rasquinha (CEO, Olympic Gold Quest), Naghma Mulla (COO, EdelGive Foundation ), Ashwini Saxena (CEO, JSW Foundation) and Deepthi Bopaiah (Executive Director, Go Sports Foundation) shared some interesting facts about the Investment Opportunities that prevail in Sports through CSR Funding.

Implementation of healthy leisure activities with low cost but high social benefit ventures will go on to create a healthy and peaceful community. The active participation in sports improves community health and productivity, reduces medical expenses, imbibes discipline in character and enhances social cohesion.

The next session dissected “How can we develop a Culture of sports in a larger society?” with Mr. Dempo, Mr.Yajurvindra Singh Bilkha (Former cricketer), Anil Singh (MD, Procam), Mr.Rohan Vyavaharkar (Deputy MD, Stepathlon) and Mr. Jitendra Joshi (Founder & CEO, Sports Consultz)

And last but not the least it was time to discuss the most neglected elements in the Indian Sports fraternity and initiate a dialogue within the arena of sports nutritional science and have focused discussions, which in turn would have a long-term influence on the sports ecosystem in India along with Mr. Prasanna Chaudhuri (Joint MD, Nutra Supplements), Mr. John Gloster (Sports Science Head, Go Sports), Dr. G.L Khanna (Director- Projects, Indian Institute of Sports Science & Research, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports) and Ms. Aradhana Sharma (Head of Sports Performance Nutrition Army Sports Institute)

This mega event that had the presence of the Who’s-Who of the industry was a perfect learning platform for IISM students and helped them broaden their perspective. It’s through such partnerships and collaboration, that IISM wishes to contribute towards the development of sports in our nation.