Houston, Texas – The ongoing preparations for the IIT 2013 Global Conference got a shot in the arm at its latest preparatory review on February 23 in Houston, Texas, the venue for the upcoming annual global conference organized by the alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology.
Since the day Witty Bindra, Chair of the IIT 2013 Conference accepted the baton on the last day of the PanIIT Global Conference 2012 in Kolkata, the preparations for the current year conference kicked off and the list of speakers already boasts, among others: Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of the Western Indian State of Goa; VP Agarwal, Chairman, Airports Authority of India; Annise D. Parker, Mayor of Houston and Daniella Ballou-Aares, the Senior Advisor for Development to the US Secretary of State.
“I was blown away by the enthusiasm, preparation and leadership in Houston. Their commitment to deliver a conference that exceeds anything we have done previously is impressive,” said Suresh Shenoy, Chair of Conference Advisory Committee.
Commending the already completed work, Shenoy, who flew in from Washington, DC, told India America Today, “They have done a great job of including the community, garnering major sponsors, lining up marquee speakers, and mobilizing a large volunteer group. I am confident this event marking the 10th anniversary of the first PANIIT conference will be memorable.”
Ashok Rao, current chairman of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Global and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi told India America Today, “I am delighted that PanIIT Conference is coming to Houston, my home town.”
Urging the IITians and others to attend, Rao said, “I am looking forward to welcoming a whole bunch of IITians to Houston and am sure we will be putting together a program that will delight you, entertain you, educate you and inform you. See you in December!”
Coming all the way from Centennial, Colorado, Arjun Sen, Vice President of PanIIT and a doyen of the marketing industry, praised the efforts of the Houston team, saying, “Seeing the accomplishments and the energized team behind them made me proud. Looking forward to a great conference in December.”
Giving a tour of the facilities at the Hilton Americas, venue of the conference in December, Tapan Das, Chair of the Operations Committee, walked the team, including dozens of volunteers, through the banquet halls, exhibit halls, and meeting rooms to be used for the conference, and addressed all the technical concerns of the IIT engineers with regard to sound and light systems, in addition to seating arrangements.
With dozens of volunteers and officials converging from across the US, the Saturday event at Hilton Americas was preceded by a dinner at Chairman Witty Bindra’s residence and a great golf event at the top-rated Club at Carlton Woods.
“Incredible conference kickoff put together by Witty, Pratish (Kanani, Vice-Chair) and the team and they have raised the enthusiasm level quantum fold within the extended community,” said Sundy Srinivasan, advisor to the present organizing committee and a long-time visionary for PanIIT events.
“That cooperation, friendly advice and sense of team spirit is what stood out for me. The nuggets and lessons you shared were, in one word, priceless!” quipped Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, head of the marketing team, at the end of the event.