Wednesday, 10 January 2018

An analysis of SNAP 2017 examination indicates that Quants and Verbal sections were easier


How the times change! After many generations of pen and paper testing, even in the most prestigious institutions, it is nowadays online assessment played out on computer screens. The fact that the youth can adjust so well and so quickly is a great advantage. Almost everybody would agree regarding the mighty advantages of the online testing system. Would any authority recommend the return to the pen and paper mode?

In any case, when have you attempted examinations and not found surprises? In spite of the transformation of the Symbiosis International Deemed University conducted SNAP to the online mode, one would have expected the format to be similar to the previous years.  Held as a two-hour examination from 2 pm to 4 pm on 17 December 2017, all over India. MBA is big business nowadays with most students wishing to obtain such a degree to enter the fastest promotion professional arena of business management. MBA admissions are decided by the SNAP performance with the cut off marks specific to gain admission to the fifteen Symbiosis business schools. Surprises were similarly found in CAT, IIFT, and MICAT too.

One of the surprises that examinations must bring was the Infographics in the Reasoning section. The Quants and Verbal sections were generally considered to be on a lower difficulty level in comparison to the previous years. Besides, Data Interpretation did not require excessive calculations.

The role of entrance examinations

They are nowadays taken more or less for granted. It is a certainty that you need to clear such examinations according to the required percentages in order to be eligible for admission. Is the system fair? Imagine the number of heartbreaks and failed attempts for those who do not succeed. Yet, no other viable system would provide the criteria for admission to the coveted highly competitive seats that like business management would lead to lustrous professional careers in good time. Some talk of the exam malpractices but one would expect online systems to be secure, though the results could be manipulated like lotteries are believed to be staged.

Innovative questions

Since exams accompany students almost from the cradle to the grave, they need to be creative and innovative too, or the purpose falls apart. Even after college is completed, professions and life itself are full of dire tests and battles. No wonder that life is often equated to a battlefield. Perhaps an examination hall would be a better analogy but the fingertips have taken the place of pens and pencils.

Amidst a sea of controversies, the academic trend indicates creative innovation but surprise questions often take the students through bitter nightmares. Confidence is easily eroded when something unfamiliar is encountered in examinations. On the other hand, most students study blindly, reading a lot more than is necessary. The idea is the more the better! The result may be waste of time, money and energy. The best preparation involves understanding the question paper rubric well with model papers and preparing in a focused manner.

In terms of length, it is a longer paper this year. SNAP 2017 had 150 questions that had to be answered in 120 minutes. That effectively means students get less than a minute for each question. According to several student responses, 

·         The Reasoning section was longer in comparison to the other sections.

·         Due to the increased length and difficulty level, more time was needed to submit the answers.
·         The Current Affairs in GK should be considered rather difficult since it focused on the happenings during the two years of 2016 and 2017, but that was revealed earlier.
·         In Speed, Logic and Analytical Skills, 2017 stressed on analytical skills since Infographics was introduced in Reasoning.

·         Conversely, Quants and Verbal were reasonably easy but some questions were lengthy too.
·         Data Interpretation did not present severe challenges for calculation with two easy sets that had to be solved.

·         Logical Reasoning did not follow expected analytical patterns but had data analytics based on calendars and clocks. Infographics was a test of interpretation and analysis.
This year did not contain Verbal Reasoning questions but had Game theory questions. The scoring related to basic blood relations, coding-decoding, mathematical operations and input-output based questions.

With an expected cut off around 65-70 for SIBM, 80-85 Questions should be considered effective enough.

According to another differing view, SNAP 2017 had a similar pattern to the 2016 version but the overall difficulty level was higher. Students found it convenient since there were no sectional cut-offs. Scores could be thus increased instead of struggling with difficult sections.

The bitter battle with admission exams continues into 2018. Negative marking was imposed on SNAP 2017 with 0.25 marks penalty. The two direct passages were rather long with six questions each. The vocabulary was tested hard but grammar was no problem.

#GIBS #MBA #PGDM #BBA #BCOM





Monday, 8 January 2018

Set sail on immensely potential business management careers at GIBS

Global Institute of Business Studies in Bannerghatta, Bangalore, in Karnataka, India, promises to take you on a ride in the right direction. Now that it is 50 years since management education commenced in India, it is certainly time for sincere stock taking. Much has changed over the half century and primarily the rise of computer technology that ushered in a sea change in every aspect of the human effort. Otherwise, globally, the same trends in business education and similar curricula are followed. It is usually the American and European business schools that launch the trends that Asian countries pick up and implement.
Indian standards of business education
If the syllabus is at par with the leading international business schools, why are the delivery and the educational experiences lagging in India? Why is it that 70% of business graduates are considered unemployable in the Indian market?
An exceptionally theoretical approach is often to blame with no connect with the real business situations. Besides, excessively busy executives will hardly find two years to complete full-time studies in management. In a world where immense quantities of valuable information flow through the internet daily, perhaps that may be considered sufficient.
The GIBS promise
Teaching practical approaches in sync with the business world heartbeat is a cherished dream at GIBS. Personality development to mold a manager who succeeds well in multicultural environments is very much on the agenda. Besides the appropriate knowledge, managers need the right attitudes and skills, insight and expertise to face challenges successfully out in the mega-corporate environments.
The global approach
Faculty from abroad along with students from many countries, exchange programs and sharing of knowledge and know-how, affiliations with institutes and universities abroad besides links with Bangalore University, GIBS has much to offer. It is a challenging scenario and student accomplishment across the dynamic semesters is worthy of emulation.
The recently concluded GIBS events like the Convocation and the Student of the Year programs once again reminded that training to become a successful business manager is no piece of cake. The two occasions and several other smaller events reminded of the galaxy of stars the institute holds and their potential for professional growth if provided the right opportunity. The chances to grow wings and fly are what every student desires but few are so lucky.
Successful internships with a string of top-notch companies and being recommended for excellent placements happen quite regularly at GIBS. A glance at the website and the prospectus reveals the wealth of companies that come knocking regularly. Every company is busy with diversifications and expansions, mergers and acquisitions and demand for outstanding managers will continue indefinitely. Is it not lucky that one of the top business schools has succeeded in creating powerful professionals who can hold their own in the corporate scenario of the 21st-century?
Specializations hold the key
Finance, Human Resources, and Marketing form the core areas of specialization for any enterprise. You have many more choices at GIBS. International Business would inspire many great careers. Why not opt for Healthcare, or Travel and Tourism, being vibrant careers in the present world scenario? Banking Finance and Insurance, Information Technology and Supply Chain Management are some more of those challenging careers. Startups and SMEs present mighty opportunities too.
The world business scenario in the 21st-century
Imagine the complexities of the international business scenario today. Along with mega businesses in telecommunications and hospitality for example, scams are common even though we have come far from 2008. Kingfisher, Toshiba, and Volkswagen are three examples of things going horribly wrong even in the highest business circles. Keeping the head high amidst world business environments requires great moral strength, skills, and ideas. Ethics is hardly found in that bitter world of business competition where materialistic desires often prevail.
A strong institutional background that promotes an international network of alumni provides an initial thrust to begin the professional flight successfully with internships and placements. As the years pass, it is a deep sea travel adventure, exposed to market trends and ever-changing conditions. Those who succeed are very few with some luck along with all the training that they received. An entrepreneurial spirit is supremely important, but backed up with numerous resources of mind, body, and spirit.

A new thrust on business analytics culture at GIBS for MBA and PGDM studies

Global Institute of Business Studies is located in Bannerghata, Bangalore, a most happening city after the IT boom. The garden city and pensioners’ paradise was suddenly transformed into a mighty world of business conglomerates that ranged from manufacture and assembly to pharmaceuticals, healthcare and hospitality. It is realized that such a setting favors not only business investment, but the growth of businesses too in terms of placements and internships. Student dreams have been fulfilled in great measure since the Goyal Educational Trust managed GIBS was launched in 2001.
Besides the flagship postgraduate courses MBA and PGDM that extend to two years each, the other courses are BBA and BCOM, meant for students completing Class 12. A one year PGDM is also taught for executives.

Affiliations and recognitions

Besides teaming up with several institutes and universities abroad, GIBS maintains close links with Bangalore University in Karnataka and Bharathiar University in Tamil Nadu. Bangalore University was established as far back as 1886 and Bharathiar University in 1982. Both are UGC recognized and recommended by the NAAC.

The Business Analytics component

‘Surrounded by measurable information in all directions’ is the apt definition of the current technological world. While most thinking refers to the present or planning for the future, it is true that much learning comes from the past like in history. So it is with information gathering in the mega world of business in order to gather lessons to apply to the present and the future. Data mining and Big Data are some of the terms appropriately used.
While information has always been gathered for generation and centuries, the technology-based recording and storage in software vastly speeded up the process. With a few clicks, the history of a company is known and facts and data displayed on the screen. Customer response, changing trends, manufacture and designing, construction and architecture, almost every area of enterprise is facilitated.
Since money, materials and workers are crucial to any business along with products and services, all the details may now be systematically recorded and managed. Each company has some such portfolio and sharing would facilitate learning for the sake of better management, predicting the future, exploring the unknown. Decision making, describing and prescribing would all be gloriously possible.

An intense Curriculum and dynamic training of business managers

Incorporating the comprehensive study of Business Analytics in the MBA and PGDM curriculum would boost the skills and understanding of the talented boys and girls in search of professional success. Successful business managers are a scarce commodity in the very crowded business management college scenario in India. While institutions are many, most suffer from serious maladies. While promises are plenty, good placements are few indeed.
GIBS has maintained a powerful profile among Indian business schools and has reached the top nationally and now looks to be setting up branches and international recognition. The foreign faculty members and students from countries abroad bring diverse campus cultures and valuable international exposure. The business management winds at GIBS are blowing in the right direction.

Saturday, 6 January 2018

GIBS Global Campus: Aim To Invite At Least 50 Startups in 2018 for Talk Series with Students


As effective multicultural education trains business managers to face global environments and put up with a sizzling pace in mega industries, technology and software assume a greater grip upon study and the various professions. More and more do we witness technology being relied upon to execute a number of services and in the designing and manufacturing process. Thus, the media is getting more and more crucial since development of software and the digital wonders happen at a rapid pace. Due to the fear of getting left behind, professionals need to be constantly on high alert and keep up with the day to day happenings.

Global Institute of Business Studies consists of a faculty that is forever on the alert. Knowledge and development, progress and novelty never halt, always in search of better and faster, cheaper and simpler ways of doing things. Tie-ups with foreign institutes and universities do help to gain a valuable international exposure and foreign faculty and students from several countries push the boundaries forward. 

The startup-rich culture of Bengaluru!

While a majority of GIBS students who pass out with the coveted MBAs and PGDMs are essentially looking for the best services with major companies to launch business careers, some are planning to set up business themselves. That would not be an easy process since it is always better to gain some working experience first to learn the professional culture. The greatest business that exists today essentially started as a startup. Whether it is luck or perseverance, clever marketing or big bucks, some of them have successfully reached the stars! Probably partnerships are responsible for the mighty achievements and the media is crowded with many such success stories that are difficult to believe. A global market easily accessed through the internet means so much and provides a mighty canvas and unlimited marketing potential.

Learning from startups!

Given a choice, would you rather work for somebody or launch a startup? A difficult question to answer, certainly, but some have the ideas and motivation, capital and endurance to begin, probably in twos and threes. Will it be possible to shoulder all the stresses and duties individually? Hardly.
Whether it is the IT business, apparel, biotechnology, fashion, digital marketing, manufacture of goods and dispensing services, startups deal with almost every enterprise under the sun. Among the three top centers for startup cultures in India, Bangalore is going great guns not only in IT but in applied technology with industries developing at full blast. Education is high on the Namma Bengaluru agenda and just looks at the proliferation of institutes teaching business management, besides medicine and engineering, the traditional professions. Healthcare and hospitality besides media and several other new age careers have great potential too. 

Media-based learning adventures at GIBS

Even within snug classrooms and nowadays commencing at the primary school, the media provides a challenging world of learning experiences, updated each day with new content! Similarly, the workshops, guest lectures and seminars conducted regularly at GIBS have an intimate relationship with the media that brings updated content from all over the world.

Even at the individual level, whether personally or professionally, you have access to global audiences through social media or specialized websites, profession-wise. You aim at specific audiences and that is what marketing is all about. The organization gains valuable exposure and publicity for the company news or announcements. Better profile building and reputations being managed well are left to the experts. Sway opinions and find a new dimension to your existence through the online vistas.

The 2018 Startup Talk Series with GIBS students

Guest lecturers and interactions with celebrities, workshops in quality management and media, soft skills, personality development besides multifarious clubs and committees are constantly helping to evolve learning experiences at GIBS. Besides the traditional sports and games, music, dance and literary occasions, a greater involvement in the business world is inculcated in the boys and girls. Rather than learn from businesses that were established half a century ago, don’t you think that the story of startups would provide better learning experiences?

Through a study of the present day business environment, some clever startups have identified a vacuum where a new service could provide a viable market. Some startups have offered food supply, counseling services or provided meeting grounds with a variety of services. As simple as that, but a beginning has to be made with careful market research to identify where the niche is available.
Besides organizing a Business Conference on an epic scale in 2018, the Startup Talk series where perhaps 50 startups will participate will provide a wealth of ideas for enterprising GIBS students who may have startup plans on their minds. Such a talk series would bring fertile hunting grounds to learn how successful startups found their motivation and how they reached close to the peak of success so soon. If you had such a choice, would you rather not start a successful business with all the advantages of the online media? Maybe the chance is coming in 2018.



Wednesday, 3 January 2018

How do you prepare for XAT? The Experts Speak


Now that a glorious New Year 2018 has dawned with positive vibes worldwide, let us hope for an excellent XAT 2018 performance. The qualifying scores would launch an academic career in MBA or PGDM in dozens of authentic institutions that would probably reward good performance with excellent internship training and placement facilities. While little time remains in terms of exam preparation, let us wrap up the essential features of a changed XAT 2018 with online testing for the first time ever. Enter the examination hall with positive thoughts, free from mental clutter, relaxed and well-nourished to fight the final battle!

Xavier Aptitude Test is a qualifying exam for management aspirant graduates. It is the second biggest such test that qualifies candidates for 11 member institutes and 125 associated institutes to join the 2018-2020 batch. Aim now to join the academic year 2018-19.

Presence of mind

Since XAT is an unconventional examination, in spite of all the laborious preparation, you need to be in an alert and positive frame of mind in the examination hall for the entire duration of the test. A lot of decision making is involved while writing the answers on the computer screen of course.

After 60 years of pen and paper testing, XAT finally decided to go online that calls for a different approach. Computerized testing should be an advantage but you need to get used to computer screens. Most youngsters possess digital computer skills nowadays. Each question requires some precise thinking to quickly arrive at the most relevant answer. Time is certainly important and working on rehearsed examinations with practice question papers must have made you familiar with the speed needed to complete all the questions. Yet, speed alone will not do since accuracy will count towards the higher scores. Beware of negative marking for wrong answers and unattempted questions.

Get familiar with the syllabus and exam pattern once again

In Part 1, you have 170 minutes to solve 24 questions in Verbal and Logical Ability, 21 questions in Decision Making and 27 questions in Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation. These scores contribute towards the XAT percentile.

In Part 2, the time given is 35 minutes. You need to answer 25 General Knowledge questions and write an essay on an abstract, current affairs or social topic.

Ample study materials would be available in the form of books and practice question papers, notes and training in tutorial institutes. Downloaded materials are plenty but make sure that you work at the right level with authentic study materials.

A strategy for preparation, followed by revision

You need a clear vision and focused approach with regular study hours. Keep all the study materials in files as a portfolio, avoiding mess and clutter in the study desk or corner. If you have your own room with a computer and an internet connection, that would be a great advantage. Study sessions should not be longer than an hour since you need breaks to refresh the mind. Avoid listening to music or watching video while studying since it distracts the mind. Early mornings are better for study rather than late nights with a tired brain. Have two trays so that you can conveniently place the finished lessons in one tray just like they have in offices.

In fact, official procedures need to be followed for any kind of sustained work and the XAT means a lot for the future. If you are attempting more than one entrance examination, the different syllabi and question patterns would be even more difficult to understand and remember. Yet, worry will not help and you need to get organized.

You should be taking up the examination topics, starting with those you find most difficult with ample practice with a timer. That is the only way, improving with practice with questions and referring doubts to a teacher or senior. More important than learning theories would be practical answers to questions that will be delivered in the examination hall. Get practical with applications rather than theories.

The media game

Play the media game whether for study or jobs! Life nowadays cannot be imagined without media influence. Follow the media until the examination date and try to understand the trends and currents of thoughts and ideas not only regionally but globally too. The highly developed technology-based media that we possess is one of the greatest blessings of the generation.

Get familiar with the XAT pattern changes in 2018

Become acquainted with the computerized pattern and understand how to proceed with work on the screen. The 4 sections containing MCQs and the descriptive essay writing would all be computerized. The total number of questions is 72 and the time extends to 3 and ½ hours (210 minutes). The percentile calculation will not consider the scores in General Awareness and Essay Writing.


Sectional time restrictions do not exist and sections may be attempted according to preferences. One mark is awarded for each correct answer. Negative marking extends to ¼ mark for each wrong answer. You can leave 12 questions unattempted without penalty. Further, 0.05 marks will be deducted as penalty for unattempted questions.

​GIBS's PGDM: Builds Dynamic Strategic HR Partners for Future Corporates


Global Institute for Business Studies in the Karnataka State Capital of Bangalore deals in dreams just like any other educational institution. Yet, it is different because the student dreams here come true with excellent internships and placements with some of the finest companies that have set up bases in India and in the city after the IT revolution. With the present year tapering down to end with festivities to welcome 2018, it is time to build another set of dreams with the new batches that will enroll for MBA and PGDM. Both are two-year postgraduate courses and you need to pass the three-year graduation degree in order to apply besides the management entrance examinations.

Approved by AICTE, Ministry of HRD and the Indian Government, PGDM offers dual specializations to increase the versatility of the professional business managers who can reach out to several sectors when they take up corporate appointments. Marketing, Finance, and Human Resources are three crucial aspects of any enterprise. Further choices are healthcare, IT, supply chain, international business, travel and tourism, banking finance and insurance, startups and SMEs.

The Human Resources challenge

With the dawn of the 21st century, amidst the mega industries and technological wonders that have eased many jobs, the Human Resources aspect has received greater attention than ever before. While workers were taken for granted as manual labor perhaps through much of history, it is now realized that they form the backbone of a company. Human Resources are crucial to company success. The changing scenario of HR is challenging indeed, especially for big businesses that have awesome company structures. While HR did not receive much attention earlier, it is now elevated to the highest ranks of company management.

The David Ulrich dream is coming true when he envisaged HR business partners as serving the high-level functions that set the company on the path to success. Theories may not be difficult to understand but imagine the extent of roles and functions that HR specialists serve. After all, it is humans who are still instrumental in all the achievements of a country's population though machines, computers, software, and robots seem to be slowly taking over work that people traditionally did.

HR management and development

The two terms may seem complementary but development indicates that the company should go a step further and ensure that workers are keeping up with the times. Besides appropriate payments, health facilities, safety, and welfare of staff, their further training and skill development should also be catered to. Much research has been done in this field and the conclusion is a strong thrust in favor of worker welfare as the building blocks of successful businesses that in turn mean national development.

The young Indian population at this point in history has a great future. The successes of certain countries like Japan and Germany after being ravaged during wars can be attributed to superior workforces. Tiny countries like Singapore and South Korea have succeeded so well with dedicated workers. India has a mighty successful future if superb Human Resources development can succeed in turning the company fortunes around. If each company improves productivity, it would be one vast elevation because there exist thousands of such companies.

Basically, it is the will and dedication, the discipline, ethics and moral responsibility, whatever be the worker level.  If workers are cared for by the company, they will work better. Several aspects contribute to worker wellbeing, including complex factors like the political climate and policy concerns.

The GIBS promise

Personality building, communication skills, soft skills, business leadership roles, besides all the technical knowledge, is some of the programs that GIBS will effectively impart. Decision making intense business situations requires courage and delicate understanding. A realistic understanding of the industry that they will enter after course completion would be achieved through faculty and guest lectures. Internships also take trainees on a ride through present day work situations.


While local environments matter so much, a global vision is needed to work successfully in multicultural surroundings. Imagine having to work with African or American labor! The impact of the internet has made it possible to apply worldwide for jobs and be interviewed and selected rather conveniently online. Coping up with international competition is not easily achieved but the GIBS training would help you succeed amidst global pressures. Building a global mindset is the first item on the agenda that does not happen overnight but in the course of the four semesters through a lot of rigmarole. Complex ideas and lessons take time to sink into the mind through practical lessons and DIY techniques. Participative learning and a range of clubs and committees besides all the seminars and workshops and classroom experiences ensure that you are on the right track to success.

GIBS to host the largest Business Meet of the New Year 2018 @ the global campus

Business summits do appear like grand parties and cuisine and beverages, furniture, lighting and conference facilities are necessary to promote corporate appetites. Global Institute of Business Studies deserves praise for being a superb training ground that propels business managers and motivates corporate performance. Established in 2001, GIBS in Bangalore has reached international limelight with dynamic training records along with excellent internship and placement records in leading companies. GIBS is working out plans to establish branches in India and abroad after their phenomenal success and recognitions and awards. 

Meanwhile, batches of MBA and PGDM besides BBA and BCom come and go. The New Year would mean another round of admissions and initiations, settling down to academic life and the flowering of youthful dreams. Each batch should reach higher in the quest and set their sights even bigger to achieve the impossible.

A Business Meeting of International Dimensions

As a result of the GIBS alumni spreading out across the world in their search for professional excellence, a rich network of business contacts now exists with major companies. Besides, GIBS maintains tie-ups with several institutes and universities abroad to step up research and generation of knowledge, sharing of responsibilities and teacher and student exchanges. Such an international exposure results in mutual benefit and shared values and concerns. When many such business leaders get together in 2018 @ the GIBS global campus, it would be time not only for learning but also the creating of business links. An impetus to industry and a growth of skills and knowledge would certainly transpire. Above all, it is the motivation to grow further as a result of joint efforts that is forthcoming at such a get-together.

What can business meets achieve?

Opening up to external influences is the secret recipe for business success. No enterprise has succeeded in remoteness and behind closed doors though confidentially in professional matters is recommended. Putting minds, heads, and hearts along with souls together helps the business to grow and reach for the stars! That give and take has become tremendously facilitated nowadays with the growth of the social media. You are never isolated nowadays even during lonely journeys. The world lies within a few taps on the smartphone virtual keyboard.

Conferences, workshops and seminars like the recent global business event in Hyderabad attended by Ivanka Trump point to what can be achieved when big business leaders converge together like a beehive. The results are not immediately apparent and it is true that many months and years may pass before the outcomes are really felt and seen. Rome certainly cannot be built so fast. Like the cake gradually rising in the baking process, businesses need a hibernating period to grow to perfection.
Agreements and the golden handshake lie at the heart of business mergers and acquisitions that are needed to launch large enterprises. Whether it is telecommunications or food delivery, app manufacture, logistics, electronics, social work etc., the heads come together and take crucial decisions that work like cement to amalgamate different elements. How do companies arrange for finance, office space, raw materials, manufacture of products or services being rendered, besides human resources and advertising? Such matters find quick solutions at those glittering events.

A galaxy of business venues available in Namma Bengaluru

Starry hotels and resorts, business centers and conference halls offer infinite facilities to streamline business meets. Not only do they offer state of the art facilities with lavish seating and cuisine, they offer all the media and software facilities that would take care of crucial issues. Whether it is the screening of films or large seating accommodation, air-conditioned well-decorated venues, it would be a pleasure to participate in such events that boost productivity. Professionalism has reached high levels in the face of globalization that has raised the standards of language and communication, ethics, and values, and opened up the mind and consciousness to international horizons.

The GIBS global campus is constantly busy with learning activities

It is obvious that study based on books alone behind the walls and closed doors of educational institutions would not suffice in the demanding 21st-century world. GIBS has the boys and girls constantly on their toes with learning activities that apply the lessons learned within the classroom walls. Quality improvement programs, placement training, and personality building, meeting with industry leaders and field visits to feel the pulse of corporations are very much on the agenda. Human Resources has taken on additional important meanings nowadays when it is realized that companies live and die according to the merits and achievements of the workforce. Clubs and committees provided another challenging avenue to realize the dreams of the young boys and girls who have set up their dreams in this mighty institute. If all goes well, courses end with encouraging placements as a first step of the professional ladder that may continue all lifelong.

Though 2018 is yet to be launched, the prospects of a mega business meet at the GIBS campus are truly stimulating. Like farmers in their fields and civil engineers amidst their constructions, business dreams are realized in factories and industries, services and start-ups. It is money, workers and raw materials that provide the basic thrust for a business to grow like food, clothing, and shelter in human life. Let us look forward to that mega business event that 2018 will make a vivid dream come true.