Networking Events April 2012 and June 2012

IITaV’s networking events have been growing from strength to strength. These events provide an opportunity for alumni to meet each other in an informal environment, build their network and pursue their professional goals. April event: Individual Contracting About fifteen members attended the event held on Thursday, 12 April 2012, at Riversdale Hotel, Hawthorn. The President of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), Rod Smith, also joined us for the evening. The theme was Individual Contracting (Freelancing). A member of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) – Albert Kalaja was invited as Guest Speaker. Albert Kalaja runs a well established, highly successful recruitment and contracting company – Paragon Recruitment – and he is also a Charter Member/Past President of TiE Melbourne. Albert shared his experiences, thoughts and advice on contracting. The message was quite clear: if you can accept the risks of contracting – uncertainty about the next assignment, possibly some travel, varying charging rates depending on the state of the economy – by all means go for it as it can be rewarding. However, if one is looking for a steady (perhaps lower) income to manage a mortgage, kids’ education and other commitments, it may be a good idea to look for a permanent (as can be in today’s economy) position. A couple of our members – Sanjiv Bhasin and Steve Bungay, who are entrepreneurs with established businesses in electronic instrumentation and software development respectively – also shared their experiences. Most attendees had something to share – ideas, experiences and anecdotes. The group dynamics worked well and it provided us a good opportunity to get to know each other and understand how we could help each other – a key purpose of networking. June event: Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age The networking event held on Thursday 14 June had all the right ingredients: a venue at Swinburne University of Technology arranged by Prof. Ajay Kapoor (IIT-BHU Alumni), a formal discussion titled Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age by Dr David Gilbert, Acting Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor & Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, RMIT and over 22 interested and lively attendees from IITaV, TIE and Telstra. Prof. Gilbert noted that in this digital age, the world of business has changed dramatically and entrepreneurs have to think of increasingly innovative ideas just to get noticed. In addition there is a significant shift from traditional businesses to grasp the online opportunity – these are established businesses that have a track record and greater access to capital and provide a competitive challenge. Moreover, it has become obvious that the traditional business model needs to adapt to online opportunities, not only by establishing websites but by exploring social media and e-commerce options. Our survey of attendees has helped us to identify and prioritise the following topics for future networking events: – Effective Marketing of Professional Services – Innovation at the Workplace – Dealing with Difficult Situations