Rammohan Sundaram, Founder, NetworkPlay on iMedia Brand Summit

NetworkPlay boasts of being India's Largest Brand Ad-Network catering to the best in-class audience through its transactional exclusive partnerships such as Makemytrip, Bookmyshow, Timesjobs, Naaptol and several others. NetworkPlay has the credit of launching LinkedIn's advertising sales efforts in March 2009 and ran that mandate for 21 months before LinkedIn set up its team in India.Launched in October 2008, NetworkPlay, today claims to reach the most elite audiences on Internet, Mobile, DTH, Publishing and Events.

We, at YourStory caught up with Rammohan Sundaram, Founder, CEO and Managing Director at NetworkPlay to talk about the iMedia Brand Summit, a marketer-centered invite-only event, designed to help marketers formulate and implement their Digital strategy.

Ram has worked in leadership roles with Fortune 500s before turning into an entrepreneur. Companies he worked with include Yahoo India, Tribal DDB, Madison Communications, Jobsahead.com (Monster World Wide Company), Encore Events and Indian Express Group.

Ram has won many an award for his outstanding leadership including Digital Entrepreneur Of The Year by CMO ASIA & also at WATawards, CMO Council's Star Youth Achiever Of The Year, Innovative Startup Of The Year by CMO Asia in Singapore, Cannes Cyber Lion, Gold & Silver at Asia Pacific Advertising Festival to name a few.Here are excerpts from our conversation with him:

1. What is the idea behind iMedia Brand Summit?

With over 140 million active users in India, the Digital Advertising industry is poised to touch USD 850 million by March 2013.

As India takes to the online world, Marketers are focusing more and more on strategies for creating rich brand experiences in their digital plans. iMedia Brand Summit provides an ideal platform for Senior Brand Marketers in India with significant online budgets to collaborate with their peers and cutting edge digital solution providers. The summit aims to help marketers formulate and implement their Digital strategy and learn about important innovations that are reshaping the digital industry today.

2. What can delegates expect from iMedia Brand Summit this year?

The summit is an influential marketer focused platform to learn, share ideas, network, build lasting relationships and meet potential partners. We have lined up some of the best speakers as Keynotes; to start with, we have already announced Jeffery Hayzlett, a celebrity CMO and prolific speaker with loads of experience. Our format is also designed in a fashion so as to have a lot of exchange of ideas and we will kick-start the summit with our version of speed dating known as One Minute Match-up which will set the tone for the days to follow.

Apart from this, the summit will feature an array of breakout sessions like 10 minute innovation, round table discussions and snapshot presentations. On the other hand, we take fun seriously with a host of activities like cocktail receptions, pool party, volleyball etc planned to break away from the conference mode and facilitate networking in a way that deals are literally clinched over a cup of coffee or beside the pool.3. What impact do the 3 day long sessions aim to create?

We hope to align the brand's aspirations to scale heights with those of the publishers to provide the right fit and learning from the 3 day sessions which will enable them to ideate for the future and strengthen the ecosystem. It will witness the unveiling of best in-class technology innovations, be it on web, mobile or other engagement platforms which the publishers and technology vendors will showcase across the sessions and on one to one deliberations. So, it’s a great opportunity for publishing houses to impress the brand owners with breakthrough technologies and create engaging platforms on digital and it has far reaching impact in terms of resultant businesses which take place after the event.

4. Anything else you want to share with our readers?

Brands today are aware of the role digital media plays in engaging with their customers. They are always on the lookout for the next big innovative engagement opportunity. A platform like iMedia Brand Summit is an opportunity for start ups and innovative companies to share the stage with Senior Marketers, Agencies, Digital Solution Providers and Publishers, and showcase the innovative ideas and solutions that are reshaping the digital advertising industry today.

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