Amid suspension of trade shows, events and seminars due to Covid-19 lockdown, the industry bodies in Gujarat are exploring ICT tools to reach out to key stakeholders. Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) is going digital to connect with industry players in Surat and southern part of the state.

Since the annoucement of lockdown, the state industry apex body has organised four e-seminars on various topics, including Corona effects: expectations from banking; Role of voluntary organisations in the present times; Opportunities and challenges in corona times and unlimited power within you. According to senior executives, gradually industry players have started showing interest in format.

According to Ketan Desai, president, SGCCI, the idea of e-seminar and webinar came from a few of our members who are experts in information technology (IT) to connect the stakeholders. The apex body took the challenges and organised the first webinar on Corona effects: expectations from banking

“The first webinar on trail basis had witnessed only 100 participants and a time-duration of merely 40-minutes. However, we decided to purchase a licensed webinar software from the webinar vendor where we can connect with more than 500 participants at a time with unlimited access. We are now planning to expedite the interaction process through digital platforms in the coming days,” TNN quoted Desai as saying.

The four seminars collectively witnessed more than 1,000 participants, informed the apex body. Dinesh Navadiya, vice-president, SGCCI, informed that during the lockdown, the SGCCI is taking help the virtual platform to reach-out all stakeholders for communications. Also, in line with work from home concept, we are organizing meetings with our staff on a daily basis through the webinar.