EVENT

Predictions abound regarding the increasing contribution of populations in the emerging markets (EMs) to global consumption. Over the next few decades, household spending from emerging markets could potentially constitute two-thirds of the total global household spend, moving up from the current one-third. While growth in the twentieth century has been mainly driven by the developed countries, in a “dramatic paradigm shift”, the EMs are set to take the lead in this century, owing to an average annual GDP growth rate roughly about 50 percent higher than that of the developed markets, as per the International Monetary Fund. It is expected that the emerging markets, comprising specific countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, are set to grow much faster than the leading markets in Europe and in North America. In sum, the global economy is set to witness consumption patterns that are significantly different from those prevailing a decade ago.

This conference aims to provide a platform for a distinguished group of speakers and participants who will discuss, debate and share their insights in furthering understanding on marketing theory and practice to listen and understand consumer voice in the context of Ems and reach consumers in EM’s. Such a group includes leading academic researchers from business schools as well as experts from the world of marketing practice. In consonance with the growing opportunities available to consumers for expressing their opinions, and for firms to track consumer engagements, this conference sets an agenda for “Reaching Consumers of Emerging Markets.”

The objectives of the Conference are:

• To provide a platform where marketing practitioners and academicians share and discuss the contemporary marketing issues and challenges in the changing consumer context in emerging economies.
• To share scholarly research on emerging opportunities and threats in the changing market context in emerging economies.
• To analyze and understand the underlying behavioral changes among consumer communities leading to the emergence of more demanding and savvy customers in emerging economies.