Services

MagicBricks today announced strong Q3 performance, posting an impressive growth of 43% on Rs. 37 crore of Q3 revenue. The company also reported YTD FY'17 revenues of Rs. 96.6 crore. The company stated that these figures are online revenues from operations and do not include any group company revenues.    "While there has been short-term pressure on the pace of growth post demonetisation, the impact was offset by a series of initiatives across product innovation, traffic growth, channel initiatives and partnership alliances," the company said in a statement. "The company further plans to grow by launching a series of new business lines around commercial real estate, the rental segment as well as by integrating products such as home loans, movers & packers and assisted-selling services on its platform." Basis the Q3 revenue figures, the company believes that it is now 25-30% bigger than its closest competitor, with a trend of continuous market share gains. As per comScore data, magicbricks had 41% traffic market share, by unique visitors, in the Jan-Nov'16 period. In this period, Magicbricks had 51% more unique visitors than the No.2 player. The quarter saw a slew of product innovations led by the launch of an innovative Experience Centre revamp of a popular pricing-discovery app called as PropWorth and launch of new B2B apps for the broker community among others. The company also attributed its strong Q3 performance to market-deepening initiatives led by a 'Dream Home Festival' conducted in the pre-Diwali festival season. Magicbricks and State Bank of India also recently announced a partnership to create India's largest Home Fest to be conducted in Feb.   

Magicbricks.com, Indias No. 1 property site, in association with the NGO, Uday Foundation, today kick-started a unique employee engagement initiative by distributing sleeping bags made from recycled flexes for the homeless in Delhi NCR. Magicbricks distributed Magic Bags- specially designed sleeping bag made by up scaling flex from old hoardings, at various locations in Delhi, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. Around 5000 MagicBags were distributed in the drive which was carried out by the employees of Magicbricks and volunteers of Uday Foundation at AIIMS, Okhla Railway Station, Noida Sector 44 and Faridabad Santosh Nagar. Having completed a decade of providing the best value to people for their home buying needs, the celebrations were extended by providing shelter for the homeless this winter. All the employees participated in this distribution drive to spread smiles and warmth amongst the people across various areas in Delhi NCR region. The brand celebrated the completion of 10 glorious years in the industry in its own unique way!

60% of the 660 professionals surveyed - research an organization before accepting their job offer. Further 35% of them rely on company review sites to do this research about the company, reveals JobBuzz.   Today’s professionals no longer look for jobs, they are looking for career development and long-term growth. With a host of information channels available to them, they carefully review any job opportunity by scanning company reviews to assess the reputation of the organization and the career growth offered.   Most professionals research companies online   In a recent study conducted by the recently revamped JobBuzz, (a company rating platform powered by TimesJobs) the clear majority of working professionals agreed that whether one is at the beginning of job search, preparing for an interview or contemplating a job offer, being armed with information about the prospective company is in one’s best interest. Among the 660 working professionals who participated in the study 60% of working admitted to checking up on the company before accepting a job offer.   Over 35% of professionals rely on company review platforms to check out and research a prospective company. About 30% them use web search and scan through articles, stories, media mentions and Wikipedia to gather insights about the organization they are looking to work with.   About 19% of the surveyed professionals rely on word-of-mouth to get an understanding about the work culture, leadership and other aspects of the organization and 16% scan the company website for relevant information.   “The quality of talent an organization is able to attract and retain is crucial to its success in today’s highly competitive environment. TimesJobs’ study clearly shows that companies that are active on employer review sites are able to engage with top talent and build their reputation as one of the best places to work – giving them the critical edge as an employer of choice,” says Nilanjan Roy, Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions.   Company Reviews help assess organizations candidly   Emphasizing the importance of company review platforms 35% professionals say that they could assess the company comprehensively - across multiple parameters. Nearly 30% feel they are a big benefit when you are unsure of which company to select, since they give you a lot of information and provide suggestions. Another 15% say they do not rely on only on company reviews, but seek out other sources as well while making career decisions. Interestingly 20% professionals felt that most reviews on such websites were planted or fake.   However, the significance of having a good number of positive reviews on a company rating website must not be discounted. This is further supported by the fact that 25% of professionals use company rating websites every time they get a job offer. About 45% say they use it sometimes, when they are not very knowledgeable about the company, while 20% say they rarely use it and 10% say they access other sources for company information. Incidentally besides reading reviews about future employers nearly 70% professionals also say that they also post their own reviews about their current & previous organizations.   Company Culture is the most important factor   TimesJobs Study also revealed the checklist of parameters on which professionals use to assess a potential employer. Among the factors mentioned, company culture is the most crucial factor for almost 40% professionals, for 35% of them work-life balance is their focus while checking company reviews. Nearly 30% professionals say salary scales are of high importance for them. Rewards and recognition is a decisive factor for another 30% professionals and 25% look at the learning & development opportunities critically.   Reviews impact Employee Perceptions   The impact of company reviews on a professional’s decision can be gauged by the fact that 90% of the surveyed professionals’ perceptions had been altered after reading a company review. For 50% professionals, it had positively impacted their decision to take up the job at a specific company, implying the review has created good impression about the company. For 40% professionals, it has negatively impacted their decision and created a bad impression about the company. Another 10% professionals said their career decisions were not impacted by reading reviews.   This JobBuzz study clearly reiterates that the days of indiscriminately applying to jobs through newspapers, or depending on friends and family for recommendations are passé. In today’s highly competitive business environment online and social media are the new modes of recruitment, the critical aspect is how effectively companies can engage and respond to past, present and future employees on these platforms.

Demand for senior professionals grew by over 30%, even as overall hiring posted a stable 1% rise in March 2017. The recruitment index has been steadily growing since February 2017.   India’s leading recruitment portal TimesJobs.com presents the ‘RecruiteX’ to give a consistent, realistic and reliable snapshot of the genuine state of hiring activity in India with a complete analysis of demand in relation to experience, sectors, functional areas and locations.   Key takeaways from the Latest Edition of RecruiteX –   ·       Demand up by over 30% for senior professionals ·       Healthcare sector reports an 8% rise in talent demand ·       Demand grew by 17% for doctors, nurses and medical professionals ·       Hyderabad and Ahmedabad posted a 21% rise in talent demand   Senior professionals in demand   The demand for senior professionals with over 20 years of experience reported a rise of over 30% during March 2017. Professionals with 10-20 years of experience also saw a 3% rise in demand, during the month. Those with 0-5 years of experience witnessed a rise of 3% in demand. Only demand for professionals with 5-10 years of experience registered a 4% drop in demand, during the month.   “Led by a business-friendly government and Corporate India’s expectation of policy stability over the next 10 years, organizations are gearing up for growth, which is reflected in the increased demand for senior managerial talent as reported by TimesJobs RecruiteX. Whenever organizations get ready for growth we have seen a marked increase in demand for senior managerial talent. We do not see such demand for senior profiles in the case of ordinary replacement hiring,” says Nilanjan Roy, Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions.   Healthcare top employment sector   Healthcare was the top hiring sector of the month, followed by consulting services and the real estate sector. The healthcare industry posted an 8% rise in talent demand in March 2017. The consulting services and real estate sectors, both, saw a 5% rise in talent demand during the month. Petrochemicals posted a 4% rise in demand while the IT & Telecom industries reported a 3% rise in talent demand during the month. The manufacturing sector also saw a 2% rise in talent demand. Among other key highlights, the retail and BFSI sectors saw a drop in demand of 5% and 4%, respectively.   Doctors and medical professionals in demand   Doctors, nurses and medical professionals saw a 17% rise in demand in March 2017. These professionals have witnessed an average rise of 2% in demand since January 2017. Hospitality professionals also posted a rise of 6% in demand, during the month. Engineers saw a demand of 5% in March 2017. IT & Telecom professionals witnessed a 3% rise in demand and business management, consultants and freelancers saw a rise of 2% in demand.   Hyderabad & Ahmedabad were the best performing locations   Hyderabad was the best performing location with 21% rise in talent demand. Ahmedabad also posted a 21% rise (21%) in talent demand, in March 2017. Indore also saw a rise of 16% in demand. Among metros, Chennai was the only city to report growth at 8% in talent demand, during the month. No other metro saw growth in hiring activity during the month with Delhi NCR posting the highest drop (-8%) in talent demand.   Download the Complete RecruiteX Report here - http://bit.ly/2oTT2S9

Talk of women empowerment and progression in India Inc. seems to have ignored the basics when it comes to providing meaningful career opportunities to its women employees, as most women professionals don’t consider their workplaces women friendly, reveals a TimesJobs study. As part of the celebrations for International Women’s Day last month, TimesJobs undertook an in-depth TJinsite study to gauge the pulse of working women in India with candid inputs from over 2,500 working women. This report reveals that though, most organizations claim to offer equal opportunities to men and women but their own women employees feel very differently, as nearly 90% women professionals say there isn’t much equality in their organization when it comes to career progression. Stating promotions, opportunities for leadership roles, salary increases and incentive programs are biased towards men. While rating the work aspects which directly or indirectly help in creating a women friendly workplace, 70% women disagreed that their own workplace was female friendly. Here is what they have to say on other key workplace aspects: Leadership opportunities Almost 95% respondents rated female representation in their organization’s top leadership as poor. Sadly, none of the surveyed women professionals rated women representation in top leadership at their organization as good. Career opportunities Over 75% women rated the management opportunities provided by their organization for female professionals as poor. In addition, 40% women professionals rated satisfaction with their salaries as poor, 50% as just average and only 10% rated it as good. Learning opportunities Given that role transition is now a routine part of working life, continued learning should be viewed as a necessity, but this clearly is not the case for many women professionals who feel they miss out on growth opportunities because of lack of proper training and upskilling initiatives. Almost 75% of women state that learning opportunities at their company is poor. Mentorship initiatives In addition, 80% women professionals rated sponsorship or mentorship initiatives at their organization as poor. This is surprising, considering corporate mentoring is on the rise with most Fortune 500 companies offering professional mentoring programs to their employees. Flexibility options Workplace flexibility remains one of the key reasons for people to join or leave a company. However, 70% women employees rate flexibility in their organization as poor. Almost 80% of these women professionals are even ready to forego promotions in favor of better work life balance. In addition, 60% women professionals rated the ability to telecommute for work as poor, and only 5% voted it as good in their organizations. Maternity provisions 35% women professionals rated maternity provisions at their workplace as poor, 55% voted them as average and only 10% agreed that these provisions were good. While the recent amendments to the maternity bill have given hope to women professionals, the ground reality is that these changes have not been adopted by many companies yet. “It is disturbing that even after decades of aggressive efforts to create a level field for women, inequity appears entrenched in Indian organizations. We hope this TimesJobs study is a clarion call for companies to acknowledge this gaping need - look at the problem areas highlighted and find practical solutions to help talented women professionals advance in their careers,” says Nilanjan Roy, Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions. Click here to download the complete TimesJobs TJinsite report - http://bit.ly/2ny3pYg About TimesJobs: TimesJobs, a flagship business of Times Business Solutions (TBS), is a platform to help competent professionals make smarter career decisions. With over 25 million registered jobseekers across the board and more than 60 million page views every month, it is fast becoming the most preferred career portal among the candidates.  TimesJobs is leading in the recruitment and employment space with its pioneering and dynamic divisions because it successfully meets all the needs of the jobseekers. Its major platforms include: TechGig: India’s biggest dais for tech professionals to help them Learn, Showcase & Compete in the IT industry. JobBuzz: A well-known portal that provides information & insights about different companies, job profiles and interview processes.  StepAhead: StepAhead offers Professional Resume writing and distribution services, career astrology, and resume improvement to help jobseekers accelerate their career. Also, TimesJobs has the largest collection of jobs in the market, which ensures that whenever and wherever there is a great opportunity, jobseekers will discover it on the platform. In the recruitment market as well, being the biggest platform for competent professionals who think of their careers first, TimesJobs has become the destination of choice for recruiters who seek to engage with the right talent. #####

A Clear Growth Path is Critical to Hiring Top Talent: TimesJobs Study TimesJobs highlights the key elements that attract highly skilled employees Attracting and hiring exceptional talent is among the key challenges faced by recruiting and HR managers. This has been corroborated by a TimesJobs study where nearly 39% employers state that attracting and finding quality talent is one of the most challenging aspects of HR. This is followed by benchmarking and offering competitive employee benefits (26%), engagement and retention (25%) and upskilling or training (10%). Social media and technology have helped on the technical aspects of recruitment but the softer aspects of engagement still need a lot of attention. With most of India Inc. planning to add nearly 10-15% more workforce in the next 12 months, it is time that the best ways to attract and hire top talent are revealed. Foresight Foremost Offering a clear career growth path is the best way to attract and hire top talent, say most HR managers and recruiters who participated in this TimesJobs study. “While interviewing talent, we have found that the best of them are looking for challenges, diverse opportunities and a clear growth path for the next 3 to 5 years. They evaluate job offers based on opportunities for advancement they are given during their tenure with the company. So organizations who offer clear career paths have a big advantage over competition, in hiring the best talent,” says Nilanjan Roy, VP and Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions. Over 50% of the 550 employers TimesJobs surveyed for this study believe that a clear career growth path is the most attractive job aspect. Clarity in what the position offers in terms of – a chance to develop new skills, a stepping stone to a position with more responsibilities or other incentives such as money, overseas projects, etc. is essential in attracting the best talent. Conversely, when recruiting managers are themselves not clear on career progression, they tend to lose a lot of good talent to the competition. Flex Appeal Flexible work hours, is the second most attractive job element for top talent feel about 40% of the surveyed employers. Furthermore, flexibility is attractive to both female and male employees, as reported in an earlier TimesJobs study. Money Matters Attractive salary is the third most attractive lure for candidates, say 30% employers. HR managers noted that with rising inflation and increasing cost of living employees are re-evaluating their priorities and most employees, across generations, prefer a higher ‘in-hand’ pay out compared to other components of the salary. In fact, 87% employees seek a customized pay plan which best suits their requirements. Leading with L&D Learning and development opportunities are seen a vital talent pull by 20% surveyed employers. Fast-paced work world requires people to upskill, frequently and thus organizations which offer good learning opportunities are preferred by the candidates. Post-retirement benefits and onsite opportunities are termed as crucial talent attraction components by 10% and 5% surveyed HR and recruiting managers, respectively. The Element of Experience According to the surveyed employers the elements of attraction varies for employees at different levels. While clear career growth path is more crucial to junior and middle level employees, salary, learning and development opportunities and onsite opportunities are more attractive to junior level employees than to a middle or senior level employee. However, flexible work hours are more vital for middle level employees and post-retirements benefits are comparatively more important at senior level. What are you good at? On asking how the employers rate themselves on all the key talent attractions listed by them, 45% of them rated themselves highest on offering attractive salary. Interestingly, while a clear career growth path was termed as the most crucial element in attracting good talent only 30% of the employers rated themselves high on this parameter. An equal percentage of employers ranked themselves highly on offering flexible work hours to employees. Nearly 20% felt they are good with onsite opportunities and post-retirement benefits.

Talent demand rises for freshers, sales roles, consumer durables and FMCG  TimesJobs RecruiteX Recruitment had been sluggish for the past three months, but February brought some relief to the jobs market with Sales professionals, FMCG and Consumer durables witnessing an 8% rise in demand reveals the latest RecruiteX, the recruitment index by TimesJobs. "Job creation growth both in volume and value terms is being driven by tier-2 cities. Consumer buying power in these cities is fueled tremendously by multiple family members earning in the same household. Businesses are expanding operations and moving into new geographies, leading to a rise in demand for fresh talent in non-metros. In addition, with the Union Budget’s focus on increasing consumers’ buying power, FMCG and consumer durables are increasing their sales teams, gearing up to service this growing demand, in February 2017.” says Nilanjan Roy, Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions. Key takeaways from TimesJobs RecruiteX Demand up by 8% for sales professionals Consumer durables/FMCG reported an 8% rise in talent demand Demand grew by 4% for entry level professionals Lucknow posted the highest rise in talent demand at 18% Sales professionals in demand With large scale business expansions, mergers and acquisitions in the corporate world, sales and business development roles have become crucial for business success and sustenance. These professionals saw an 8% rise in demand in February 2017 and had witnessed an average rise of 1% since December 2016, as per TimesJobs RecruiteX. Doctors, nurses and medical professionals also posted a significant rise (4%) in demand. Demand was up for hospitality and customer care professionals by 1%, as well during the month reports TimesJobs. Consumer durables/FMCG top hiring sectors followed by Retail The TimesJobs RecruiteX reports that consumer durables/FMCG industry posted an 8% rise in talent demand in February 2017. The Retail sector also saw a 7% rise in talent demand during the month. The Construction sector posted a 6% rise in demand while the Manufacturing industry reported a 4% rise in talent demand during the month. The BPO/ITeS sector saw stable talent demand, while IT/telecom industries registered a drop of 1% in hiring during February 2017. Demand up for freshers As per TimesJobs RecruiteX the demand for professionals with less than 2 years of experience reported a rise of 4% during February 2017. Professionals with 5-10 years of experience witnessed a rise of 1% in demand. Those with 10-20 years of experience also saw a 4% rise in demand, during the month. Senior Professionals with over 20 years of experience saw a 17% drop in demand. This is the first time since November 2016 that demand for senior professionals has declined. Talent demand rises in small cities Lucknow was the best performing location with an 18% rise in talent demand, followed by Ahmedabad at 13% in February 2017. Among metros, Chennai was the only metro city to report growth (6%) in talent demand. None of the other metros saw significant growth in hiring activity during the month. Among states, Kerala saw a rise of over 30% in talent demand, followed by Tamil Nadu with a 17% rise reports the TimesJobs RecruiteX. Download the Latest TimesJobs RecruiteX Report for Free – http://bit.ly/2lztLLz

Ranked among the top 1% of the universities in the world (QS Ranking); Deakin University, Australia has announced the Deakin University Vice Chancellor Meritorious Scholarships for Indian students. These scholarships are available for select scholars with meritorious academic background, outstanding skills and achievements in co-curricular activities. The high value scholarships are available as  tuition fee waivers ranging from 20% to 100% of the fee for the entire duration of studies at Deakin University in Australia. The scholarships are available both for coursework and higher degrees by research. Deakin University, Australia was the first international education provider to set up its office in 1994 and has since, diversified its operations in India beyond enrollments like in-country PhD programs, industry association, employability/internship services and mobility programs.  The Vice Chancellor Meritorious Scholarship Program is a part of an initiative of Deakin named 'Changing Lives'  with an objective to support deserving students with estimable academic history and holistic achievements with a view to give back to India the skills and experience which would make an impact to its growing society.  For it to create a deep impact, these high valued scholarships are offered with premier Indian partners in areas of importance to the community in order to amplify the reach to the remotest corners of India. Two of the premier partners of the scholarship program are NDTV and Rajasthan Royals.  The  NDTV - Deakin Scholarship, launched in 2015, offers three scholarships with 100% tuition fee waiver to students to pursue any course at Deakin University. 15 students have been awarded this meritorious scholarship so far. Visit  www.ndtv.com/scholarship for more details. The  Rajasthan Royals & Deakin University Scholarship Program offers one 100% Scholarship for an outstanding student to pursue any sports related course at Deakin University, Australia. Deakin's School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences is ranked #1 in the world and offers undergraduate and postgraduate sports related courses. So far, four students have been awarded this Scholarship. Visit  www.rajasthanroyals.com/deakin-scholarship for more details. Apart from undergraduate and postgraduate programs, Deakin University will also be announcing the  Deakin India Doctoral Scholarship worth AU$ 1.2 million for postgraduate research students to pursue PhD studies on-shore at Deakin University, Australia. This is aimed at supporting research projects that are focused on specified themes and help prepare a new generation of global leaders with the skills to address real and complex challenges facing the real world. The Doctoral Scholarship will be aimed at selecting students from the fields of sciences, information technology, arts, business and law, smart technologies, life sciences, health and engineering for full time on campus PhD program at Deakin. Scholars will receive funding (including tuition costs) for three years to pursue doctorate level degrees at Deakin, coupled with education in innovation, leadership and other curricula designed to advance scholars' capacity to drive ambitious change in an increasingly complex world. The eligibility criterion to apply for these scholarships and bursaries are based on academic and extra-curricular achievements while studying. Applicants need to demonstrate high level of academic merit and personality traits including communication skills. Selection for the Deakin Vice Chancellor Meritorious Scholarship Program is a rigorous process including group discussions, presentations and panel interviews.  Applications are now open for various scholarships and bursaries. To know more, email  southasia@deakin.edu.au or call  011-26544731 / 725 For more details on Deakin University, Australia please log on to  www.deakin.edu.au

Profitable businesses require a solid foundation of a credible brand, effective management systems, and sharp talent engagement. There is a common misconception that high-growth startups have already found a magic potion that takes them on a linear and self-sustainable path of success. As Brand Capital has discovered while generating accelerated growth for new business models, building enduring trust in the brand is key.  In addition, there are some practices that are critical for high growth start-ups as detailed in a maturity framework, in  Ajay Batra's book, "Startups and Beyond: Building Enduring Organizations". The ex-IIM husband and wife team of Tarun and Vandana have always been passionate about improving the quality of education. Two years ago, watching their own children struggle to grasp basic math and science concepts, they hit upon the idea of starting an online testing service named "Intellecta", that gives specific feedback to learners on topics that they are strong or weak at. The reports from this service are used for customizing teaching-learning plans in classrooms, and for providing constructive feedback to students and their parents. Their bootstrapped B2B solution has been deployed in over 20 private schools. "Intellecta" has a team of 10 IT professionals, 8 subject matter experts as consultants with the founders doing the bulk of marketing and sales. They would now like to expand and offer the same service to another 200 private schools in India, Singapore, and Malaysia. With growth and expansion on their mind, the founders understand that they need branding, financial (i.e. VC investment) and organizational systems to make their trajectory smooth and profitable. So what does it mean for "Intellecta"? It was looking for inputs to acquire and service customers well while paying attention to essential building blocks of the organization. It was concerned that without this emphasis on effectiveness, their ventures may expand beyond their capabilities too soon. They have since turned a five-maturity-level structured framework, which has enabled them to determine their current maturity and focus areas for continuous growth:   Organizational Structure: For effective management of growing ventures, a functional structure and role delineation are needed for business units and individuals, thus assigning clear responsibilities and establishing criteria for accountability. This sharpens the organization's ability to "listen", and act on, to the voice of its key stakeholders: customers, partners, and employees. Business planning: Define goals for expected business impact; develop strategies to achieve the goals; develop plans that translate strategies into actionable activities and tasks. These goals cover areas like formal competition-mapping, business modeling, brand-building, revenues, profits, employees, etc. Performance Tracking: Monitor progress of unit and organizational plans; collect quantitative and qualitative measures to track progress towards defined goals; use dashboards to collect and share progress status in the organization and demonstrate agility in taking preventive/corrective actions. Stakeholder Engagement: Gather customers' experience of engaging with the organization; analyze and act on the gathered feedback, and reach out to employees to understand their suggestions and concerns. Talent Management: Build channels for free-flowing internal communication; provide support to new team members; create systems to recruit/select the most appropriate talent, and support individuals in performing their responsibilities.   Brand Capital brings in the importance of credible branding and helps to share the risk of brand building. Earning trust of all stakeholders - the end consumer and influencers is critical for the Education industry as it is also seen as a 'noble' service. For sustainable growth, education brands need to position themselves over a period of time as centres of excellence. Whether its B2B or B2BC communication, driven founders seed confidence with stakeholders they meet one on one. However, for accelerated growth towards establishing themselves as centres of excellence, the same needs to be shared en masse with hundreds of potential partners (such as B2B partners for a business like 'Intellecta'). Visibility in credible mediums like print and consistent amplification through other mediums like TV, Radio and Digital work magically. It goes a long way to accelerate brand-building enabling the founders to reach  24 month milestones in 15-18 months. As long as the brand stays clear of overdoing their communication, a combination of working with a structured framework along with investment in brand values can transition a startup into a high growth venture. Some of the names (of people and organizations) in this article have been changed due to reasons of confidentiality. Brand Capital is the strategic arm of The Times of India group. To know more about Brand Capital, visit www.brandcapital.co.in / Follow on LinkedIn and  Twitter

Mumbai, 10th April 2018: TimesPro has partnered with SGPC's Guru Nanak Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, for a Post Graduate Business Management Program in Banking & Financial Services. As compared to other management programs, the PGDM offers an unparalleled advantage to students looking forward to a career in BFSI industry.  The Indian banking industry has the potential to become the 5th largest by 2022, states a KPMG-CII report and hence would require top notch professionals who understand its intricacies, especially in the wake of demonetization and advent of digital banking.  On the announcement, Anish Srikrishna, President - Times Professional Learning said, "BFSI sector is poised for unprecedented growth and challenges. I'm confident that this partnership will help create a pool of dynamic professionals, ready to reap the benefits and take challenges head on." This two-year PGDM (Banking and Financial Services) program, approved by AICTE, has TimesPro as the academic and employability partner, whereas the PGDM shall be conferred by SGPC's GNIMS. Director Dr. Dattajirao Patil, the spokesperson for GNIMS said, "We are proud to associate with TimesPro, an experienced and reputed training institute, with such a rich legacy and hope our students get the best out of it."  This program will be delivered by renowned industry practitioners using an industry-vetted curriculum including Harvard Business School Case Studies. It has the perfect blend of theoretical knowledge and practical learning. Besides rigorous classroom training, students have to go for field visits to various banks in the first year whereas in the second year they are exposed to experiential learning through full-time placement opportunities.  The program also delivers software-based learning in advanced BFSI software such as Finacle™ and ET Finpro™. They are also prepared for NISM and DBF certifications, which are well-recognized in the industry.  So it's not surprising then that students from earlier batches have been placed at some of the best banks and financial institutions in the country, such as DBS, HSBC, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Standard Chartered Securities, Tata Capital and Yes Bank to name a few.  About TimesPro TimesPro a part of Times Professional Learning (TPL) offer a variety of courses in sectors such as banking, management, analytics, digital marketing, decision science and many more.  As a professional skilling powerhouse for graduates and working professionals, we equip students with key skills that allows a student to kick start his or her professional career. Our vision is to ensure that we provide the Indian youth with tailor made and industry vetted educational courses that bridge the gap between the current formal education system and what the Industry requirements are, thereby making our Indian youth employable.  About GNIMS  SGPC's Guru Nanak Institute Of Management Studies was established by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which is a Sikh governing body. It is recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi and is also affiliated to University of Mumbai. The institute strives for excellence, producing not only successful professionals, managers and entrepreneurs; but also responsible human beings who care for core human values and ethics.  

This story is the journey of a business from the sleepy little town of Kota in Rajasthan to a nerve center and Mecca of coaching classes for IIT entrance examinations.  Like most of the path-breaking ideas and opportunities, Rao IIT was born out of misfortune and adversity. The first stroke of misfortune was when a young engineer called VK Bansal who worked at JK Synthetics in Kota, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy -  a rare disorder that weakened his limbs. With a condition that was deteriorating continuously, he started teaching part-time and helping the young minds from Kota realize their dreams of getting into the coveted IIT. The second stroke of misfortune was shutting down of JK Synthetics. BV Rao, General Manager of the company decided to join his former colleague VK Bansal, who by then had started his own coaching center. Rao's daughter Yamini saw an opportunity to grow and along with her husband, Vinay Kumar, a successful executive with a Norwegian shipping firm decided to take the classes out to other cities of India. They quickly expanded their footprint across the highly competitive markets of Mumbai and its suburbs. They also established their presence in the academic hub of Pune and the national capital, Delhi and are now looking to make Rao IIT a pan-India player. With a vision to build the number one brand in India for test prep, Rao IIT Academy partnered with Brand Capital, the strategic investment arm of The Times Group. Large, innovative formats of advertising like Times of India and Mumbai Mirror Jackets were used to create impact and drive brand imagery. Brand salience was created through sustained presence and a very high share of voice which also enabled them to amplify their students' achievements thereby establishing the success of their methodology consistently. Shaping a child's future by training them for academic excellence is nothing less than the task of parenting itself and that is where Rao IIT Academy distinguishes itself. Contrary to what the other coaching centres were doing, by showcasing the ranks of their students to attract more admissions, Rao IIT Academy focused on the personal touch. Their advertisements and creatives broke the clutter by appealing to the emotions of both the child and the parent in shaping the child's future. Some success mantras of Rao IIT: Adversity and misfortune are often opening chapters of a bestselling story. When the doors shut for Dr. Rao, he saw a window opening and went after it to create Rao IIT. It starts with hunger. And a dream. Rao IIT would have remained just another Kota school had it not been for Yamini's hunger to propel it to an all-India player. With hunger, dreams become bigger, actions get taken and growth follows. How are you different from everyone else? Rao IIT launched an integrated program that combined the college course with the preparation of IIT. Greatest test cricketers may not help you win one-day games. Rao IIT quickly figured that the skill set for the professors teaching the regular college courses was different from the ones teaching competitive exam syllabus. For IIT-type coaching, they sought out IIT graduates working in the industry which worked brilliantly. Doing business is easy, making profits is tough. Rao IIT ensured that they had a business plan, instituted systems and processes to ensure that revenues were growing while monitoring the costs and keeping the business profitable. Don't underestimate the time it takes to succeed. Rao IIT figured that it takes time to build faith and confidence, which will then translate into results. Be bullish, but realistic, about your ambitions and provide for adequate staying power.  Cock-a-doodle-do - why advertising works. Word of mouth is good, and testimonials are effective. But it is advertising that is truly powerful when you are looking to ramp-up. Advertising is a perception creator. It helps authenticate success and perform on a larger stage. The codfish lays 1000 eggs and the hen just lays one. But everyone talks of the hen - because while the codfish goes about its work quietly, the hen screams "cock-a-doodle-do". Innovate. Or die. Rao IIT is constantly innovating - digital content, testing methods, student interactions, motivation - constantly looking for newer ways to connect and serve the students better. 25-35% of the processes and workflows change every year. Standing still is not an option. Keep aiming higher. Rao IIT wants to be a billion-dollar valuation business by 2025. Not taking a risk is often the biggest risk. Rao IIT took a risk of moving out of Kota else they would have never grown the way they have today. Take calculated risks and tread cautiously. Excerpts of the story are from Prakash Iyer's book - You Too Can.  To know more about Brand Capital, visit www.brandcapital.co.in / Follow on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The recently concluded Times Education Icons witnessed participation from more than 120 schools and institutes. These institutions were recognized and felicitated at the event for their contribution in the field of education. Prominent educationists from Uttarakhand and Delhi/NCR were also part of the event. The Chief Guest on the occasion was Sh. Manoj Tiwari, BJP Chief, Delhi, Bhojpuri Actor and Singer. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Manoj Tiwari said: "It was honour to be a part of this noble cause. Education has always been the foremost priority in my life after singing. I extend my heartiest congratulations to the winners and wish them all the best in their future endeavours." Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were former national marathon champion, Sunita Godara, former heavyweight champion, Gaurav Sharma ,India's ace women rally driver, Bani Yadav, former IPS officer Dr. Vikram Singh and former veteran Army officer Maroof Raza. Garry Singh President , IIRIS Consulting hosted an enlightening session on ensuring the safety of students at schools. According to him, it was not only education that was at the centrestage in schools, safety was an equally important concern. He emphasized on the need of secure transportation systems as an integral part of safety measures. Mr. Vikas Kohli, CMO, VIVO Healthcare held a session on how to deal with medical emergencies at school. He said  "First aid and safety training is an essential life skill that is much needed in our community. Usually children are at home with their grandparents, if the child can recognize the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke and make a phone call many lives can be saved.  The schools have an opportunity to create safety cadets/prefects in every class room, this will imbibe the culture of safety in the community. I strongly recommend an Emergency Medical Technician to be hired as a Safety Officer in every School."  Some of the coveted educational institutions that made to the honour list are Roorkee Institute of Technology, Uttarakhand, Sardar Bhagwan Singh University, Uttarakhand, The Mother's International, New Delhi, Amity International School, Noida, Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, The Shriram School, Aravalli, Vasant Kunj, Pathways School, Gurgaon and the like. 

Times OOH has set up an automated real-time monitoring system to track the lighting of ad panels and state of emergency lights on 26 BQS (bus queue shelters) in Delhi. The monitoring system is managed through a mobile app and web URL.  The system facilitates the controlling of lighting on BQS media across all target locations. The monitoring also helps track the energy consumption data.  The system allows auto scheduling of media lighting as per a specific date and time in the bus shelters. Real-time status of lighting of Advertisement Panels & Emergency Lights can be shared with the controller/ administrator via notification. The controller/ administrator also receives the logs of Notifications/ Alerts on the web URL in case. The installation initiated in the month of January for a tenure of one year. As quoted by a Times OOH official, "We are proud to state that this pilot project has been successful. In keeping with our company values of transparency, integrity and customer centricity, we are able to track and report illumination status of these BQS and take immediate action in case of any deviations. Also, as a responsible corporate citizen, Times OOH is able to optimize the time for which the shelters are illuminated, reducing electricity wastage."

India is, today, among the top three global start-up ecosystems in the world with a significant rise in the number of first generation entrepreneurs. The growing number of investments in the start-up space has been the key driver behind this rise. Besides, there are various other macro and demographic trends like rise in consumption, rapid adoption of technology and increase in mobile penetration, which fuel the start-up wave.   While Eastern India does not come across as the obvious startup hub in the country, given the right push, it can be created into one. The region has the demographic backing in the form of access to human resources, untapped consuming population across the twelve eastern states along with developing infrastructure and continuously improving connectivity. With the support of government initiatives like Startup Bengal and an increasing concentration of ivy league institutions like IIM-C, IIT-KGP and XLRI, there is immense scope in the region to be explored. Not many of us are aware that thousands of start-ups germinate in the eastern region every year. They show appetite for domain-specific expert advice on crucial aspects of business related to finance, operations, distribution, marketing and compliance. The need of the hour is an all-encompassing platform where all stakeholders - be it budding entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts can synergize and collaborate to accelerate a startup into a successful and sustainable business.   The Times of India Group, India's largest media conglomerate along with partners - Sumedha Fiscal, Mayabious and Infinity have launched a new endeavor in Eastern India - "Brandshoots Ventures". It's the first-of-a-kind focused accelerator platform promoted by Brand Capital, the strategic investment arm of The Times of India group. The vision of Brandshoots Ventures is to unlock the entrepreneurial potential in the East and emerge as the first-choice destination for entrepreneurs looking to create a national brand.  Brandshoots Ventures nurtures start-ups through a structured, time-bound, merit-based 16-week program. It provides an opportunity to start-ups to reach out to a pan-India network of investors, connect with synergistic businesses and learn from a pool of mentors across India.   Brandshoots Ventures connects its portfolio companies with industry experts, mentors, investors to alleviate teething issues at an early stage.  It helps companies fine-tune the go-to-market strategy with guidance from domain experts. It assists in chalking out a sustainable business model to ensure organic growth. It enables scaling up and provides marketing currency to start-ups. In addition to this, it provides tech support for building the website, app, digital marketing inputs and non-tech support such as legal, compliance and taxation.   Brandshoots Ventures has a rigorous screening process. In each batch of Brandshoots, there are 8-10 start-ups in high-growth, high-impact verticals like Ed-Tech, Healthcare, e-Commerce, Green-Tech, Big Data, Mobility and Retail. Their selection criteria include companies with asset light and scalable business models with a strong focus on the founding team.   Each cohort of Brandshoots Ventures culminates in a demo day where its start-ups interact with financial and strategic investors to secure funding for the next stage of growth. It's current portfolio includes - Alfatek Systems, Bubble Blue, Dabadigo, Delybazar, Fincart, H-Spree, KnwAll and Scan It. Three of these companies have already raised their investments through Brandshoots Venture's network of investors. Another three are in the final stages of raising their seed funds.   At a recently concluded Demo Day of its first cohort, the investors felt that the region previously lacked cohesiveness and hence was overlooked by national and international investors. P C Balasubramanian, President and Executive Director, Matrix Business Services Pvt. Ltd. said "Entrepreneurial values must supersede personal values. Focusing on team-building, collaborating with experts from various backgrounds teamed with costumer-centricity goes a long way in ensuring long term success." Biswadeep Das, Head of Operations, Brandshoot Ventures commented "The vision of Brandshoot ventures is to impact both theoretical and practical knowledge to building entrepreneurs and creating an atmosphere conducive to robust commercial growth." Girish Shivani, Executive Director, YourNest Angel Fund highlighted "Kolkata accounts for less than 5% of our deal flow. Things will now hopefully change with Brandshoots Ventures". Digvijay Singh, COO, Indian Angel Network stressed "The East needs more angel investors. Brandshoots will attract a lot of attention from investors across the country". All investors unanimously felt that platforms like Brandshoots Ventures should continue investing time, money and energy in innovative and sustainable start-ups which will go on to becoming national brands in the future. To know more about Brand Capital, visit www.brandcapital.co.in / Follow on LinkedIn and  Twitter

New Delhi, 25 March 2018   Launched on 24 October 2017, the fifth edition of The Economic Times Power of Ideas concludes with a felicitation ceremony on 26 March in New Delhi. The Economic Times Power of Ideas has inspired and helped both dreamers and doers to translate their business idea into an enterprise. After a journey over five months and several rounds of mentoring and evaluation, 55 companies emerged at the top and have bagged seed funds and cash grants worth Rs 6.2 crore. The ceremony will be presided over by Suresh Prabhu, Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Govt. of India. The event will feature a keynote address, a panel discussion and an opportunity for the Power of Ideas finalists to learn, network and celebrate. The fifth edition of The Economic Times Power of Ideas is presented by Facebook, and partnered by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India and the Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE), IIM Ahmedabad. Facebook has been championing innovation and entrepreneurship worldwide. With this partnership, Facebook hopes to be able to work closely with India's huge pool of talent, and to create growth opportunities by providing access to expertise and mentoring through multiple programs. DST brings forth the government's strong impetus to foster entrepreneurial culture in India, and CIIE manages the entire value chain that runs the program by way of its wide and able network of mentors and investors who evaluate every single business idea received as part of the program.   The Economic Times is India's leading business newspaper, and covers news, views and insights on a wide variety of topics relevant to business people and working professionals. For further details, contact Akshant Dhruvraj, akshant.dhruvraj@timesgroup.com 

This is a story of five cousins bonded by a strong sense of camaraderie, shared hatred of studies and strong resistance to linear thinking. They were united by a single thought - 'Think Big, Think Different.' One silent cold night in Bengaluru, the penny dropped, and these cousins experienced the aha moment which led to the creation of a Rs. 1000 cr brand, ID Fresh Food. P C Mustafa, CEO and Co-Founder, ID Fresh Food, as a child assisted his father in his labour jobs after school and during weekends as they lived hand-to-mouth. Despite being poor in studies and failing in the 6th standard, he completed his engineering and his MBA from the prestigious IIM-Bangalore. Mustafa's cousins were the owners of Choice store, a local grocery store back in 2008 in the suburb of Tippasandra in Bengaluru. They always kept their ears to the ground. Their sales of the idli batter from a local vendor was growing but so were the number of complaints. This gave birth to the idea of creating one's own idli batter for sale. Keen to test their idea and prototype the business model, they started their idli batter venture with a small investment of Rs. 50,000. They rented a small 80 sqft room and installed a wet grinder, a weighing machine and a sealing machine. Their plan was to make batter and supply it to 20 stores, and target to sell 100 packets a day in 6 months' time. Today, ID Fresh has expanded its capacity to 1 million idlis per day with a plan to increase it to 10 million idlis per day. ID Fresh's objective was to provide consumers with a hygienic, branded, yet home-like tasty packaged version of dosa and idli batter in a largely unorganized market. They positioned the brand as "fresh and 100% natural" with the promise of being preservative-free, hygienic and convenient. They partnered with Brand Capital, the strategic investment arm of The Times of India and were able to create strong brand presence in their chosen markets and business growth with Times Group's 360-degree media properties. The brand targeted urban consumers and their focus being on working professionals in top metropolitan cities who did not have the time and inclination to prepare batter - which is a long and tedious process. They launched print campaigns in Times of India which was augmented by Times OOH to amplify their communication. Today, their brand has expanded to various new cities away from its home market of Bangalore as well as into new product formats like Malabar Parota, Wheat Parota, Ragi Idli, Dosa Batter and Vada Batter.   What were the success mantras which led to the creation of a Rs. 1000 cr. business? #1: Build your brand to build your business. ID Fresh branded their offering from day one. They came up with the name "ID" - acronym for Identity - which was short and unique. They had a great design and packaging to deliver a winning product. #2: No credit, only cash. This made the initial selling tough for ID Fresh Food but as the retailers got used to the idea, everyone seemed fine with it. #3: Stay focused. In the initial months, the founders of ID Fresh Food resisted the temptation to expand into other product categories and did not get distracted by newer ideas which could take them away from their original objective. #4: Be obsessed with quality. They bought the best raw material and increased prices. Customers pay a premium for quality. #5: Ensure company is profitable from Day 1. ID Fresh Food made Rs. 400 profit in the first month. Thinking one will eventually make profits is a poor way to build business. 'Eventually' is quite like tomorrow - it never comes. #6: Listen to your gut feel: It's good to take feedback from others, but one can't listen to all the people, all the time. One needs to decide for oneself, believe, and then just do it. Doing what others say only ensures that one has someone to blame when things go wrong. #7: One size does not fit all. Each market has its own unique challenges. It's important to do one's homework and never take success for granted. #8: Keep innovating new products. One should make sure one has a differentiated and value-added product.  #9: On-board the right investors. One must look beyond the price tag investors are putting on business. See value-add from investors and the comfort of working with them. #10: Customer is queen. One must develop a strong connect with customers and have a solid understanding of what role one's product or service plays in his/her life.   Excerpts of the story are from Prakash Iyer's book - You Too Can. To know more about Brand Capital, visit www.brandcapital.co.in / Follow on LinkedIn and Twitter

Brand Capital views entrepreneurial drive as the most positive force generating sustainable economic value and partnered recently with Babson College, USA for their 3rd India Symposium in Boston, Massachusetts. Babson College is the top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education and a recognized thought leader for "Entrepreneurship of All Kinds". Babson prepares next gen leaders with skills and the vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference and impact organizations of all sizes and types. Notable alumni include Akio Toyoda (President, Toyota Motor Corporation), Roger Enrico (Former Chairman, Pepsi) and Alberto Perlman (Founder, Zumba). Held on March 10th, 2018 the symposium brought together eminent speakers, students, alumni and faculty, to learn about new India and how to make a difference there, learn from motivating stories of individual and business growth, connect and build relationships. The theme - 'The Best of a Billion Minds' - was brought to life by a series of key note addresses and engaging panel discussions by thinkers and leaders from big business, start-ups, media and entertainment. Mr. Anupam Kher, actor, received a standing ovation on his moving talk on 'The Power of Failure' -  pragmatic and humorous stories to drive home personal lessons about resilience to the audience of over 200 Indian and international  students. Being fearless is his key to succeeding, he said, after all "a drenched man is never scared of rain". Interactive panels included a discussion on how Indian businesses can make a larger impact on the world stage with Mr. Prashant Prabhu (Ex-President, Michelin India-Africa-Middle East), Mr. Neville Taraporewalla (President, Brand Capital, Times Group), and Mr. Navjot Singh (Managing Partner, McKinsey, Boston). The panel raised the issues preventing the growth of Indian business and presented some clear and inspirational ideas for youth, specifically those who would helm family-run businesses, to become unstoppable. The discussion emphasized the need to take the high road, instead of giving into juagaad, setting examples of good civic responsibility and corporate governance, practicing values based management that is socially and culturally aware and equitable across ranks, placing customers and employees before profit. It raised the moot point of a culture shift being the need of the hour, accelerated by the arrival of MNCs coming to India at scale, and hence a movement towards businesses that generate wealth from actual effort, led by individuals who have knowledge and character, regulated by politics with humanity and producing commerce with ethics.   Best practices were cited so that students were inspired to be the change they wish to see and envision India as a land of opportunities where they can not only succeed but also change the status quo. The speakers in fact emphasized the virtues of thinking big - to become a global business, Indian businesses need to expand geographies and think globally.   Another panel with technology entrepreneurs and technology investors like Mr. Aditya Kurjekar (CEO, Let's Talk Payments), Ms. Lakshmi Nambiar (Partner, Anthill Ventures), Mr. Ahmed Naqvi (CEO & Co-founder, Gozoop), and Mr. Preetish Nijhawan (Co-Founder, Akamai Technologies and Partner, Cervin Ventures) discussed the secret sauce for successful entrepreneurs.   From their experiences with multiple start-ups, the panelists shared unique learnings that had great resonance with young entrepreneurs.      The third panel was made up of successful Babson Alumni who shared their learnings since graduating. The panel speakers included Mr. Dinesh Wadhwani (CEO & Founder, ThinkLite), Ms. Savitha Sridharan (Founder, Orora Global, Inc.) and Mr. Anant Chaturvedi (Vice-Chairman, UFlex Limited), all Babson graduates that have succeeded as entrepreneurs, social impactors and in their family businesses.   Ms. Malini Agarwal (Founder, MissMalini.com) shared her story of breaking conventions by dreaming big and following oen's passion to build an authentic brand. As a highlight, her talk also touched on the value of being kind on social media.     Other keynotes by Mr. Harsha V Agadi (Chairman, Crawford & Company and Quiznos) and Mr. Tarun Khanna (Author, Economic Strategist (Niti Aayog), and Professor) spoke about the power of the population in India, India as the land of opportunities, India's place in the world's future and the value of investing in India.   The event ended with a mesmerizing performance by a 6-member Berklee India Ensemble orchestra. The Ensemble has previously performed with AR Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan and many other leading musicians. The performance was the perfect ending for a day filled with discussions on India, and the musicians captivated the audience by playing traditional renditions of popular Indian music.     Brand Capital is the strategic investment arm of the Times of India group and offers media investment solutions that smoothen the exciting journey of entrepreneurs in India. To know more about Brand Capital, visit www.brandcapital.co.in / Follow on LinkedIn and Twitter  

Diners across India waited for and then celebrated the Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF) in 2018 for an entire month from 1st to 28th February. India's largest annual restaurant festival, GIRF 2018 saw 1 Million Indians eating out at the top restaurants in their city without burning a hole in their pockets. This year, the number of restaurants that offered diners a flat 50% off on food, alcohol or buffet, were 2,182, giving diners multiple options. A diner chose from top restaurants like Social, SodaBottleOpenerWala, Tamasha, FLYP@MTV, Yauatcha among many others. The festival gave diners access to the best of 5 star dining in their city, from The Ritz-Carlton in Bangalore to Westin in Gurgaon, from Hyatt Regency in Kolkata to Taj Deccan in Hyderabad and many others. Thanks to Dineout, February has now been branded as the official month for Foodies. With two years of the Great Indian Restaurant Festival, foodies across India's top 8 cities have started associating February as the month of experimenting with new cuisines and restaurants. A large number of diners tagged Dineout at the many office parties, birthdays as well as family reunions that were planned at festival restaurants in the month. Ankit Mehrotra, Co Founder & Business Head of Dineout added, 'We received an overwhelming response to the second edition of the Great Indian Restaurant Festival 2018. There was an extremely high percentage of diners who went out multiple times during the festival which truly is the best way to fully utilize the amazing offers available to a diner during February. Dineout consumers saved a whopping 45 Cr in discounts on restaurant bills.' This festival is proving to be a unique and beneficial initiative for India's F&B industry. When asked Ayush Madan, CEO at The Barbeque Company said, 'Last year, our association with the Great Indian Restaurant Festival was hugely successful and it has been so this year as well. Infact, GIRF has always helped us bring in more clientele and generate more leads for us. The festival also plays a huge role in marketing our outlet and we are sure that it'll indeed help us in the long run.' The Barbeque Company in New Delhi was one of the fastest selling outlets during the festival. Dineout drove more than 125 Cr INR worth of business for the participating restaurants. During GIRF 2018, diners were engaged on social media via a daily contest that made 28 lucky diners eat their way to owning a OnePlus 5T. Each day of February, saw one lucky winner who shared his/her dining images on Instagram & Facebook, win the much-coveted OnePlus 5T. This was a much talked about social contest and saw thousands of foodporn posts giving visibility to the participating restaurants. Apart from trending multiple times on Twitter, GIRF 2018 was the most talked about festival in February in the food blogging circles. The festival was presented by Airtel Payments Bank, with NRAI as the industry partner, William Lawson's CDs as the drinks partner and Pepsi as the food partner; all of whom played a huge role in the festival's success. Until next year's Great Indian Restaurant Festival, Dineout continues to offer great discounts to diners who make table reservations through them at the top restaurants in the city.

Enjoy flat 50% discount while dining at India's top 2000+ restaurants. Dineout, India's largest table reservation platform by Times Internet, is back with this country's largest online restaurant festival to suit the many tastes of India's food enthusiasts. Throughout February, people across India's 8 major cities- Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, can avail a flat 50% discount on menu prices at 2000+ premier restaurants, courtesy- the Great Indian Restaurant Festival. In Feb, 2017, Dineout organized India's first and largest restaurant festival. Owing to the popularity of the campaign and popular request, the team decided to host a second edition of the festival for an entire month, from 1st to 28th February 2018. This year, the amount of partnering restaurants will be double that of last year, to provide customers an even wider buffet of choices. "Eating out is one of India's biggest forms of entertainment, if not the biggest. So, it only made sense to create a festival where all of us foodies can have a month long party - eat the best food, discover new restaurants and have a good time.' said Ankit Mehrotra, Co-founder, Dineout. He continued 'All the big cities in the world have their own restaurant festivals, where locals as well as tourists, get an opportunity to sample different tastes and food experiences during the festival. Not only does it promote the eating out culture, it also gives an opportunity to the restauranteurs in the city to showcase their best and make more people fall in love with their restaurant's experience.' The National Restaurant Association of India are the official industry partners to GIRF 2018. Mr Rahul Singh, President, NRAI commented, ‘Dining out is no more limited to celebrations or festivals, it is an occasion by itself. Urban youth travels and eats out at least 5-6 times a month. Restaurant goers are looking out for novelty experiences and are more willing to experiment. It only made sense for National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) to partner with Dineout’s Great Indian Restaurant Festival. This initiative will give multi fold visibility to chain and standalone restaurants and is taking eating out to the next level.” More than 2000 restaurants will be participating in this unique festival, such as Social, Irish House, Sigree Global, Khandaani Rajdhani, JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Mainland China, OLive Bistro, Punjab Grill, Cafe Delhi Heights & many more. Airtel Payments Bank, the lead sponsor adds spice to the offering by providing additional 100% cashback on the booking fee to customers paying via Airtel Payments Bank on the Dineout app. In addition, customers who pay their restaurant bill through the Dineout app using Airtel Payments Bank will get an extra 10% cashback on top off the existing 20% cashback offer by Dineout. Speaking about the partnership with Dineout, A. Ganesh, Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Payments Bank said- "We are delighted to partner with Dineout for the Great Indian Restaurant Festival and look forward to offering visitors a host of discounts and offers launched by Airtel Payments Bank especially for the event." During this festival, William Lawson's are offering one free drink to each guest who has booked a deal at select restaurants in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Anshuman Goenka, Marketing Head, Bacardi India says 'We are delighted to associate William Lawson's with Dineout given their scale and diverse network of restaurants.' Pepsi is the official Food Category Partner and will offer 50% off the menu price of Pepsi at 400+ select GIRF participating restaurants that the festival will cover. Raj Rishi Singh-Director-Marketing Pepsi, PepsiCo India says 'Pepsi is delighted to be associated with Dineout. No food occasion is complete without a chilled bottle of Pepsi.' To use a 50% discount, one has to first download the Dineout app or visit www.dineout.co.in. After selecting a restaurant and offer of one's choice, one must buy the deal which will be nominally priced (such as Rs.50). On showing the confirmation message at the restaurant, the offer will can be redeemed.