-->

MICA, Ahmedabad, gears up to host its first virtual International Communication Management Conference (ICMC 2021), commencing January 07, 2021. Spanning over three days, the conference based on the theme' Creativity & Culture for Management in a Changing World' will bring over 300 research scholars and industry experts to discuss and understand the newer narratives in a changing world. 

This year, ICMC will have Moody College of Communication, the University of Texas at Austin as its academic partner. 

With industry-led talks, business leaders' panels, and teach-in sessions with experts, the conference platform will provide insights into emerging trends, ideas, practices, and approaches towards building a more equal and empathetic tomorrow. 

The papers submitted for the conference are around the themes such as 'Communication Strategies During Pandemic', 'Culture, Online Privacy and Brands', 'Shifting Paradigms in Education', 'Evolution of Fintech Post Pandemic,' and many more. 

Some of the paper titles include the Role of Government Communication in a Healthcare Crisis Situation - A case of COVID pandemic in India, Destination Crisis Communication: Iceland Tourism during COVID-19 pandemic, How Digital Marketing Tools are helping start-ups to survive the COVID-19 pandemic? An empirical study Unlocking Employee Creativity While Working From Home During COVID-19 Lockdown, Virtual try-on technology in retail fashion: Reinventing consumers confidence in the post-COVID era, e-classrooms: - A study on the use of online platforms in different colleges of India during COVID-19, Impact of Change Communication on Readiness of the Employees – A study on COVID-19 WFH Scenario in the Indian Service sector, to name a few. 

ICMC conference co chairs Prof. Nitesh Mohanty and Prof. Kallol Das said, "MICA has always been at the forefront of interventions and engagements that shape the ongoing discourse. The 7th edition of ICMC offers a diverse set of talks, workshops, and panel discussions with some of the most renowned and prolific names from the world of academia and industry. The conference will also showcase an unprecedented line-up of 140 research presentations covering a varied spectrum of topics within our theme. We hope this three-day event will offer thought-provoking insights and definitive takeaways for the participants, enabling them to be future-ready."

Interestingly, ICMC 2021 will host two speaker sessions ~ 'Applying Mythology to Management and Creativity’ by Mythologist and author Devdutt Pattanaik, and 'Arthaparibhusana - Aesthetics and Business' by Dr. Shailendra Raj Mehta, President & Director, MICA. 

Dr. Preeti Shroff, Dean, MICA, said, "We are delighted to partner with the Moody College of Communication, the University of Texas at Austin - a leader in digital, new media, and creativity management studies. The conference will address post-COVID digital and business transformations, creative thinking, cultural strategy, and customer engagement."

Apart from the speaker sessions, the conference will host two workshops on ‘'The Inescapable Forces of Entropy' by Mr. Shekhar Badve, Founder Director, Lokusdesign, and 'Reading Cultural Texts for Marketing' by Ms. Hamsini Shivakumar, Director, Leapfrog Strategy Consulting, Co-founder, Semiofest.

Dr. Jay Bernhardt, Dean, Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin, will deliver the keynote address. The valedictory function's chief guest will be Mr. Ronnie Screwvala, Entrepreneur, Chairman and Co-founder, upGrad and Founder, Swades Foundation. 

ICMC 2021 will also have in-depth discussions on 'The Future of Consumption', 'Creativity & Culture Drives Bottom-Line, or Bottom-Line Drives Creativity & Culture?', 'Multi-disciplinary Challenges of Management in a Changing World,' 'Cultural Repositories for the Future' and 'Cultural Strategy for Innovation. 

To encourage research, MICA, Ahmedabad, has increased the prize money. The best paper will receive Rs. 3,75,000 (USD 5,000), the runner-up will receive Rs. 1,87,500 (USD 2,500) and the second runner-up will receive Rs. 75,000 (USD 1,000). There will be two consolation prizes of Rs. 52,500 (USD 700). The Journal of Business Research (an ABDC-A Category Journal) and the Journal of Creative Communications will consider the best papers for publication. 

Eminent speakers for the conference include: 

Ms. Guneet Monga, Film Producer, CEO and Founder, Sikhya Entertainment, Dr. Pradip Khandwalla Professor of Organizational Behaviour and former Director, IIM Ahmedabad, Mr. Amit Sharma, Director, Producer and Co-founder, Chrome Pictures, Ms. Anuradha Aggarwal, Former Cluster Head, Disney/Star India, Former Marketing Head, Marico, Asia Pacific, Vodafone, Mr. Abhay Mangaldas, Heritage and Design Entrepreneur and Founder Director, The House of MG, Dr. Daniel Miller, Professor of Anthropology, University College London, Ms. Laila Tyabji, Craft Designer, Writer and Chairperson, Dastkar and Dr. Russell W Belk, Professor of Marketing, Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto. 

Mr. Josy Paul, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur, Film Producer, Founder and MD, Roy Kapur Films, President, Producers Guild of India, Mr. Suraja Kishore CEO, BBDO India, Ms. Arundhati Ghosh, Executive Director, India Foundation for the Arts, Mr. Vaibhav Chauhan, Founding Secretary, Sahapedia, Prof. Sabu Padmadas, Professor of Demography & Global Health, University of Southampton, Mr. Amarjit Singh, CEO, India Business Group, UK, Dr. Jaywant Singh, Professor of Marketing, University of Southampton, Dr. Rob Angell, Director of Internationalization and Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Southampton, Dr. Paurav Shukla, Professor and Head - Digital and Data-Driven Marketing, University of Southampton. 

Ms. Avni Sethi, Founder and Curator, Conflictorium, Ahmedabad, Mr. Subodh Kerkar Founding Director, Museum of Goa, Mr. Ayaz Basrai, Founder, The BusRide Design Studio, Ms. Mohor Ray, Co-founder, CoDesign, Mr. Ayush Chauhan, Managing Partner and Co-founder, Quicksand, Co-founder, UnBox, Ms. Maya Madhusoodan, Managing Director, Space Doctors, APAC, Dr. Rodney WJ Collins, SVP, Director, McCann Worldgroup Truth Central, Mr. Scott Smith, Founder and Managing Partner, Changeist, Writer, Speaker, Mr. Bikram Bindra, Vice-President, McCann Worldgroup. 

For more details: Click on https://www.mica.ac.in/icmc/icmc-2021

Stay informed, Stay ahead and stay inspired with MBA Rendezvous