IIT 2013 Global Conference Ready to Leave a Mark in Houston

By Partha Sarathi Chatterjee

HOUSTON: IIT 2013 Global Conference will take place for the first time in the southern U.S. in Houston. IIT Alumni of Greater Houston(IITAGH) will be the host. Over 15 months of detailed planning and organization will finally culminate in an exciting event this weekend – December 6-8, in Hilton Americas.

Eyes of the Indian Diaspora will be on Houston. Conference, with a theme “Inspiring Innovation for Tomorrow”, has surpassed their projected numbers – over 1200 online registrants, 1500 total attendees, over 90 speakers, over 50 sponsors, over 50 hours of programming. From Nobel Prize winner to Miss America, the conference will have many highlights.

Final numbers reflect the tremendous excitement around a conference, designed to inspire innovation for the future. How do we build a better world for current and future generations? Witty Bindra, conference chair, said, “It has been an enthusiastic team effort, where everyone pitched in and went beyond their calling. Last few weeks have been truly hectic – but we are ready for the show”

A dedicated group of volunteers have been working for more than 15 months on every aspect of the conference – program, outreach, sponsorship, operations, exhibits, marketing, and business plan competition. Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, marketing and media chair, said, “Buzz is spreading; we have been inundated with requests from all corners and it points to the great job the entire conference team has done till now. We will await the final results after the conference.”

Mayor Annise Parker and P. Harish, Consul General of India, will inaugurate the conference. Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri will be part of the closing ceremony.

Over 70 international, national and local speakers and thought-leaders will participate throughout the weekend, including:

Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate Professor, Harvard University

Vicente Fox, Former President of Mexico

Renu Khator, President and Chancellor, University of Houston

Andrew Gould, Chairman, BG Group

Gene Krantz, Apollo 13 Mission Director(NASA)

Blake Irving, CEO, GoDaddy.com

Andrew Ng, Co-founder, Coursera; Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University

Anant Agarwal, President, edX

Ever-green entertainer – Usha Uthup  will be the  lead the entertainer. It will be a great opportunity to have fun and funda with friends. IIT 2013 conference is all set to leave an indelible mark and make all of us Houston proud.