Two day MARCON 2017 conference, titled ‘Breaking Barriers,’ concluded on Tuesday after seven elaborate sessions on the issues, challenges and opportunities existing in the marketing field and the economy.
Notable personalities from all over the world and belonging to a varied mix of business sectors took part in the conference and shared their experiences and expectations. The conference was chaired by Nasir J Chowdhry and the welcome address was delivered by the Secretary General MARCON Amer Salam.
The inaugural session of the conference featured an insightful talk delivered by Chairman DESCON Ltd. and former Commerce Minister Abdul Razzaq Dawood. Pointing out the unwillingness of the Pakistani corporate sector to move out of its comfort zone, he accentuated that taking up challenges is a necessity for sustainable growth. Setting the tone for the conference as the means and ways for the country’s economy to move forward and get integrated into the world economy, he pointed out flaws and room for opportunity in the economic dynamics of Pakistan. Drawing examples from countries like Indonesia and Nepal, he reiterated that the growth of the economy necessitates the expansion of Pakistani brands on the international platforms.
Other notable attendees of the conference included Marketing Head Coca-Cola Export Corporation Abbas Arsalan who shed light on the success story of Coke Studio. CEO Telenor Pakistan Ltd. gave a talk on ‘Welcome to a new Marketing Revolution,’ drawing his own experiences and learning into the session. CEO Atlas Honda Ltd Saqib H Shirazi spoke on ‘Taming the Dragon’ while Vice President Customer Development Unilever (Pakistan) Ltd. shared his thoughts under the discussion titled ‘Art of Paradoxical Marketing.’ Group CEO Ogilvy and Mather(Malaysia) David Mayo, Head Marketing and Sales Ahah Abdullah Economic City (Saudi Arabia) Runaas Deheem, and University Professor (Turkey) and Author Semih Yalman were among the foreign delegates for the conference.
An entire session of the conference was dedicated to China Pakistan Economic Corridor, in order to discuss and evaluate the positive and negative perceptions regarding the new project. Federal Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal and CEO JS Global Capital Ltd. brought into light both sides of the argument and allowed an in-depth analysis of the potential benefits of the project and risks of ignoring certain key factors as the project progresses.
Social activist Reham Khan delivered an address in the concluding session followed by the certificates and plaques distribution ceremony.
