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The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is gearing up for their upcoming Conference in NYC taking place in October – see here for details. I had a chance to catch up with the Lead Advisor of the conference, Mr. Ajay Gohil, regarding his journey with NetIP and all things about the conference. Ajay is a Health Care attorney based in Washington, D.C., who has worked with various Federal and State agencies. He is a graduate of Emory Law School and Duke University. He has served as a long standing member and officer for NetIP and SABA-NA (the South Asian Bar Association of North America). Check out my interview with Ajay below, and be sure to use Promo Code NETIP to get $50 OFF on your tickets!
Roopa: What made you want to get involved with NetIP, and are you happy with your decision to get involved?
Ajay: I have been involved with NetIP for the past decade, starting with the 2005 Conference in Atlanta. Through it, I’ve been fortunate to meet many amazing and remarkable people who are leaders in business, finance, politics, medicine, and civic life.
Roopa: How was your experience being the Lead Advisor for the conference and how hard has it been organizing such a large event?
Ajay: Organizing a national conference is fun, but requires a lot of hard work too. It involves many disparate parts – Programming, Marketing, Technology, Logistics, Registration, Finance, and Sponsorship – functioning together as a cohesive unit. As the Lead Advisor for this year’s Conference, I encouraged the Conference Chairs to focus on making the sessions and events more interactive and to help facilitate networking opportunities among the attendees. And I wanted each volunteer to realize they had a great deal to gain from helping make this a successful conference, be it via professional and personal growth, unlimited networking opportunities, or the satisfaction that comes with contributing and making a difference in the community.
Roopa: Why is the conference called “Begin Again”?
Ajay: The theme “Begin Again” signifies that no challenge is impossible to overcome and that one is only as strong as one’s next move. This year’s Conference aims to inspire and empower attendees to build relationships, explore new ideas, and move beyond traditional boundaries through thought provoking panels and workshops, inspirational and motivational speakers, professional development seminars, and networking opportunities.
Roopa: What are you hoping to achieve with the NetIP Conference this year?
Ajay: I decided to help with the Conference since this year marks the 25th anniversary of NetIP. The organization was founded in 1990, by Dr. Satish Chandra in Chicago. He actually started it in the basement of his home in a pre-Internet, pre-Facebook era. Since then, it has grown to 24 chapters in North America and reaches over 50,000 people with its activities and programs. One of the things I am proudest of is that I was able to connect with him and convince him to come to NYC for this year’s Conference. And I’m also very pleased that this year’s Conference will be supporting the Girl Rising Global India Fund, which is led by a former NetIP officer, Dr. Amita Vyas. In addition to having a screening of the new Bollywood version of the movie “Girl Rising“, the Conference Gala on Sunday night, October 11th (which also happens to be “International Day of the Girl”) will be raising money for the charity through a Silent Auction and Raffle. I t should be an entertaining and inspiring evening with emcee Nina Davuluri (Miss America 2014), a performance by the internationally acclaimed Bollywood dance spectacular Mystic India, a performance by the comedian Hari Kondabolu, and a Keynote Speech by U.S. attorney Preet Bharara.
Roopa: Why should people attend this particular NetIP Conference?
Ajay: This year’s Conference will truly offer something for everyone in this country’s premier city – from the Sunday Evening Charity Gala and the movie screening to dynamic sessions and speakers (on topics as diverse as Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing and the new film “Meet The Patels” and interactive classes on Cooking, Bartending Mixology, and Dance) to the Fast Pitch Startup Business Competition to a Health Fair organized by AAPI (the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) to social events such as a Casino Night, a Fashion Show, and a Comedy Show – there will be much to choose and gain from. And to accommodate people’s schedules, registration (click here) is possible for individual events and sessions for those who cannot attend the entire Conference.
Seems like it will be an interesting conference! Be sure to head to http://ny2015.netipconference.org/ for further details!
