News

The Future of SME Branding in a Post Covid Era

June 17, 2020 - A panel discussion on branding was organised by World Trade Center. Marketing experts from around the world joined to discuss ways to position SME brands globally. Panelists included - Andrew Canter, Global CEO-Branded Content Marketing Association from London, UK; Roger Casas, Founder and Director-El Canonazo from Barcelona, Spain; Rebecca Allen, Chief Commercial Officer, Codec from London, UK and Spero Patrocios, Founder and MD-Lunch Factory from Johannesberg, South Africa. Karnvir Mundrey, Founder and Chief Ideation Officer-Adharva Marcom from Bengaluru was the moderator.The panel opined that brands these days should be authentic to their clients and to the society. The power of collaboration needs to be tapped during uncertainties. Take time to understand the audience and customise products and services accordingly. Priority should be for survival. Beauty of branded content is that it provides companies the ability to engage with consumers through story-telling. Covid has in fact given a boost for branded content particularly digital media. As cash flow slows, clients turn choosy. Content marketing strategy also differs based on industry. The key is to provide value by informing, educating, entertaining and inspiring clients. Panellists also shared their rules of engaging with clients in their respective geography especially on limited budgets through case studies. SMEs across industries participated in this discussion which was the first webinar in the series on branding. Read More

WTC Kochi Commemorates World Environment Day

June 17, 2020 - The World Trade Center Kochi commemorated the World Environment Day on 5th June 2020. Saplings were planted by staff and tenants. Staff were also briefed on the importance of preserving the environment. All COVID 19 protection measures were also taken by the staff and participants. Read More

Frugal Approach to Technology Innovation

June 17, 2020 - ‘’Frugal innovation will happen when we realise the harsh reality and push ourselves. There are enough and more ideas floating around us but the challenge is to have the necessary bandwidth to qualify and nurture these’’ said Mr. Joseph Olassa, CEO-Ignitho Technologies. Mr. Olassa was speaking at a webinar organised by World Trade Centers Bengaluru, Kochi and Chennai in association with the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr. Olassa said frugal innovation is already happening around us and illustrated several scenarios with his experiences. He mentioned that for real innovation to happen, budget is not a constraint. Covid-19 is a perfect time to become a frugal innovator and make more with less. Mr.Vivek George-WTC and Mr.Akshay Agarwal- Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry spoke during the programme. The event had participation from companies in India and abroad. Representatives from member WTCs worldwide also participated. Read More

Corona to Karona

June 17, 2020 - ''The change Covid-19 brought about is permanent. Never in the history we have seen such a degree of uncertainty'' says Mr. Anand Pillai, MD-Leadership Matters and Former CLO, Reliance Industries. He was the speaker at a webinar ‘Corona to Karo-Na’ organised by World Trade Center. Mr. Pillai remarked that we need to overcome the viruses inside us first before we fight with Covid-19 pandemic. He explained his views on how to adapt to the new situation. It is important for everyone to take up responsibility. The thoroughly interactive session was attended by participants all around the country who utilised the forum to clarify their queries with the speaker. Dr. Bose Nair, Vice President WTC also spoke. Read More

Webinar on ''World as a Covid Village''

May 25, 2020 - A virtual live session ‘World as a COVID Village’ was organised by World Trade Center Kochi. Mr. Jacob Punnoose IPS, former State Police Chief and Member of Covid Special Taskforce,Kerala was the speaker. Mr. Punnoose through his inspirational talk spoke about tackling this pandemic and elaborated his views on moving forward. He expressed satisfaction on how the Kerala Government responded to this unprecedented situation and added that the fight has only begun. The programme had participants from other metro cities who interacted with the speaker and clarified their queries on lockdown and its relaxations. Read More

Business after Lockdown

May 25, 2020 - World Trade Center Kochi and Indo American Chamber of Commerce jointly organised a webinar on “Business after Lockdown”. Mr. Vijayaraghavan, Founder CEO – Technopark and Former Planning Board Member, GoK was the speaker. Vijayaraghavan remarked that the employers need to realise the fact that people are creative and productive before 9am and after 5pm. Productivity for knowledge workers is not measured in time, but in idea generation, relationship enhancement and competitive disruption. Indian companies will now have to look at countries like China and Japan to learn from creating the right economy in the changed environment. Read More

Webinar on COVID 19 – Impact on IT/ITeS companies

April 27, 2020 - The World Trade Center in association with Indo American Chamber of Commerce conducted a webinar on “COVID 19 – Impact on IT/ITeS companies”. Mr. Georgy Mathew, Senior Partner and Mr. K.P. Srinivas, Senior Partner, Varma & Varma were the speakers. This session was attended by IT/ITeS company representatives from across the country. The session also provided an opportunity for participants to clear their queries with the speakers. Mr. Sathyanarayanan, Committee Member, Indo American Chamber of Commerce and Mr. Vivek George, Manager, WTC Kochi and Chennai also spoke. Read More

Webinar on ‘’Covid 19: A Crisis or An Opportunity?

April 27, 2020 - World Trade Center partnered with TiE Kerala to host a virtual session on 'Covid 19: A Crisis or An Opportunity?'. Mr. MSA Kumar, Family Business Advisor and CEO Coach was the Speaker. The Session brought together entrepreneurs and business professionals across sectors and discussed on the various transformations required in behavioural and business aspects amidst the global COVID 19 spread. A Q&A session was also arranged for participants across the globe to clear their queries and concerns with the speaker. Read More

Meeting with Select USA

March 10, 2020 - SelectUSA is a U.S. Government-wide program led by the U.S. Department of Commerce to facilitate job-creating business investment into the United States. It helps international companies of all sizes find the information they need to make decisions, connect to the right people at the local level, and navigate the federal regulatory system. WTC Kochi arranged a series of B2B meetings for U.S. Commercial Services. Mr. Sham Shamsudeen – Commercial Specialist, U.S. Consulate, Chennai met with CEOs of companies looking to expand or invest in the U.S. Mr. Sham presented the U.S. Department of Commerce’s “SelectUSA” program and other trade opportunities. Representatives from sectors like – IT, Manufacturing and Education participated. Read More

Awareness session on the Coronavirus

March 10, 2020 - In the context of the rapid spread of Coronavirus, the World Trade Center Kochi organized an awareness session for the benefit of the companies in Infopark. Dr. Joseph Mathew, ENT and Allergy Specialist, Lisie Hospital was the Speaker. Dr. Joseph spoke about the symptoms of the disease and ways to prevent it. He stressed that personal hygiene and protection is utmost important to keep such diseases at bay. He also shared various statistics as per WHO reports. This was also an opportunity for company Admin heads and HR Managers to clear their doubts and share best practices adopted by them during this outbreak. Read More

Analysis of the Union Budget 2020-21

March 10, 2020 - World Trade Center Kochi together with Indo American Chamber of Commerce(IACC) organised a post budget talk on the Union Budget 2020-21. Dr. V.K. Vijayakumar, renowned Economist and Author delivered the keynote address. Mr. Raghunathan Parthasarathy Associate Partner, Tax & Regulatory services, BDO India LLP and Mr. Dinesh Kumar B. – Associate Partner, Indirect Tax, BDO India LLP provided detailed analyses. The programme had participants from various sectors such as - IT, manufacturing, consulting, finance, healthcare etc. Read More

Round table discussion on Opportunities for India

February 14, 2020 - The World Trade Center Kochi in association with London & Partners, Department of International Trade, U.K. and NASSCOM organized a round table meeting with the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Jeremy Pilmore - Bedford. The British Deputy High Commissioner was joined by Ms. Julie Chappell, Managing Director - International Markets, London & Partners and Ms. Divya Bajaj, Vice President, London & Partners. The programme had participants from sectors like IT, creative, consultants, fintech, healthcare, startups etc. The meeting held at the Infopark Board Room was an opportunity for the participants to interact with the representatives of the Department of International Trade regarding the benefits and opportunities in establishing businesses in London. Read More