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New Delhi, October 17, 2024: “We look at India to be positioned as a hub for global gaming and a preferred destination for global gaming developers and publishers. We want to position India as a global leader in content creation, innovation and intellectual property. Our country is a harmonious blend of multiple languages, and it is this diversity which is going to be our key strength when it comes to exploiting the entire AVGC XR segment, including the games,” said Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, during a special address titled “Examining the AVGC Growth Story of India” at the second edition of the Indian Gaming Convention (IGC). The two-day convention is being organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India, on October 14-15, at the Taj Palace, New Delhi.

Speaking about mainstreaming gaming Shri Jaju said, “I just keep saying that we are making a lot of efforts to ensure that this segment is mainstreamed, it is not used in a negative sense and bring dignity to this entire segment, because this is actually the fastest growing segment.”

“On behalf of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, I would like to urge all of you, all the stakeholders like large corporations to small time innovators to educational institutions and to people like us, it is time for us to come together and collaborate. And we will all require this as a collective effort. Our individual efforts will take us some steps up but if we have to achieve this larger outcome will have to march together,” he added.

The theme for IGC 2024 – India—the Next Superpower in Gaming, reflects India’s journey to being a global leader in gaming. Meta is the Title Partner of the convention.

Speaking about the growth of the gaming sector, he stated, “The gaming sector has been witnessing explosive growth. From being limited to PCs and console games in the early 2000s, now mobile gaming has become the mainstay. And in our country alone we have more than 500 billion gamers. When we have so much consumption, we also have huge possibilities to lead in the digital content creation. AVGC XR segment is currently a size of 3 billion, and we expect this to become 10 times in the next 4 to 5 years and close to a 30 billion dollar industry. Close to about three lakh professionals are involved and we expect this segment to create employment opportunities, direct employment opportunities for more than 20 lakh professionals in the next five to seven years.”

Talking of government initiatives, he added, “The government has announced a centre of excellence called the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies to be set up in Mumbai. This will be an apex institution which will not just help address the skill gaps but will also help us spawn new companies, provide space for incubating new companies and create a supply chain of companies that thrive in this particular segment. Besides, the Create in India mission can help us take this entire effort through financial and non-financial support that might be required for the growth of this particular segment. The government also plans to launch The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in India in February 2025.”

Among major partners of IGC 2024 are, Gold Partners –Salesforce and Veve; Silver Partners – Google Cloud & Bureau; Lanyard partner – Moloco; GameTech Enabler – Singhtek, and Knowledge Partner – PWC.

The pandemic has brought about significant change in the office design scenario. Hybrid is what companies are now working within, which often is referred to as “return to office.” Therefore, innovative and adaptable office designs are needed more than ever before. Creating a vibe that shifts alongside the employee’s current workspace demands is more than just maintaining good looks; this is a growing concern for business owners. As organizations increasingly become responsive to change, their structures would also change such that they are more employee-centric than before, based on health and work output. Today’s office culture emphasizes an employee’s – health before anything else.

This can be seen through the creation of wellness areas at the workplace. In such places, employees at work can renew their energy using facilities such as fitness equipment, meditation rooms, or simply relaxation spaces in their respective offices. In addition, having ergonomic furniture and standing desks demonstrates how much physical health should matter. They ease movement and alleviate some of the pressure caused by sitting for long hours typical of conventional offices. Consequently, both physical and mental well-being enhance motivation among workers thus increasing business productivity levels.

A leading designer and manufacturer in the ergonomic office furniture industry in Delhi is Harmony Systems.

Their innovative product lineup, internal development capabilities coupled with product quality as well as fast service such as after-sales support has kept them ahead of the pack. The office aim is to encourage community and facilitate collaboration. Cafeteria, game room and open lounge areas are now common sights in modern office design. With this, one can tell that times are changing.

Essentially, these areas are meant to create an environment in which workers can communicate freely with one another hence promoting informal meetings as well as team building. By creating comfortable furniture for such spaces where employees get to interact and work together outside their normal working stations, companies can boost creativity and innovation. These unrestricted places encourage unplanned discussions that eventually might result in fresh perceptions or answers.

Also, the hybrid work model has revolutionized the need for hybrid-friendly space that accommodates both on-site and virtual employees seamlessly. Such spaces may comprise video conferencing technologies oriented meeting rooms, silent zones for personal work, and common areas for face-to-face interactions respectively. The aim is to recognise a workplace that caters different working styles and make furniture accordingly. A console would be ideal for modern businesses that depend on robust internet and updated audiovisual technology systems all the time.

To sum up, the global pandemic and hybrid work models have caused a shift in office designs from mere physical appearances to creating environments that prioritize the well-being of employees, while fostering community spirit and collaboration among them, supporting flexible working styles as well as allowing for inclusion. Furniture should be incorporated in these new designs for easy turning of the places one wishes to work from, plus they will encourage diversity. For optimum comfort as well as working conditions, furniture equipment ranging from adjustable table spaces suitable for various occupations to chairs that will match for longer periods is chosen.

Bengaluru, May, 2024: Avtar Group, India’s leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Solutions firm, hosted the myAvtar Career Conference (MACC) at Karnataka Trade Promotion Organization (KTPO), Bengaluru today.

myAvtar Career Conference (MACC), the career extravaganza brought together inclusive companies and a vast pool of women talent from the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) under one roof. Participating Companies included, Aditya Birla Group, Publicis Sapient, Broadridge Financial Solutions India Limited, Moody’s, Renault Nisan Tech, IBM India, Google Cloud, HDFC ERGO, ACT, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Gallagher, Happiest Minds Technologies Limited, Stryker, Verisk, AKJ Somaiya Institute Of Management, among many others.

Tailored for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), MACC offered a unique platform to connect, collaborate, and converse with like-minded professionals, industry-leading companies, and renowned experts in the industry. The conclave was an ecosystem designed to foster learning, sharing, and networking for women in the STEM field; an opportunity to explore new horizons in the STEM field, to grow personally and professionally, and to unlock a world of possibilities. The conference witnessed a large gathering of students, educators, professionals, and industry leaders who shared their knowledge, experiences, and insights.

Avtar Group also announced the winners of their inaugural “Women in STEM” Awards. This Awards recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements of women who are making significant strides in the STEM fields. In STEM Icons 15 plus years of work experience category, Vaijayanthi Srinivasa Raghavan Senior Director, UPS India Technology Centre, Priya Kanduri, CTO, SVP – Cyber Security Services, HappiestMinds Technologies Limited, Deepti Singh, Deputy General Manager- Head of Department System Installation, Renault Nissan Tech have received top 3 awards. In STEM Divas 8-15 years of work experience category, Subbulakshmi Ramkumar, Deputy Manager, RNTBCI, Yogita Bhanwaria, Senior Manager, Biocon Biologics Limited, MuthuSusithra Devarajan, Team Manager, Broadridge Financial Solutions have received top 3 awards. In STEM Stars 2-8 years of work experience category, Nishtha Mahendru, Consultant, Applied Innovation Exchange, Capgemini, Nidhi Raut, Sr. Engineer, Renault Nissan Technology Business Centre India (RNTBCI), Indujaa Thangavel, Broadridge Financial Solutions have received top 3 awards.

“One of the key sectors that has the potential to boost women’s workforce participation, is the STEM industry. While 43%of STEM graduates are women, they make up only 28% of the STEM workforce. Moreover, women drop out of the workplace due to childbirth, childcare and elder care. Consequently, only 3 percent of women hold CEO posts in the STEM Industry. While research has established that improving women’s workforce participation can boost India’s GDP by 27%, more women in STEM would set the stage for inclusive innovation and solution designs that are equitable for all. Women have historically been underrepresented in STEM, yet they bring invaluable perspectives and ideas to these fields. MACC awards recognizes the exceptional talent, the brilliance, and diverse perspectives of women in STEM,” said Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Founder – President, Avtar Group announcing the awards at the myAvtar Career Conference today in Bengaluru.

“Through MACC, we are acknowledging the remarkable work being done by women in STEM and also addressing the systemic barriers they face. Our goal is to create an environment where every individual, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to thrive and drive progress,” added Dr Saundarya.

At the conference, three organizations with the “Best Programs for enabling women in STEM” – Biocon Biologics Pvt Ltd, Kyndryl and Molecular Connections Pvt Ltd were also recognized.

In addition to the awards, the myAvtar Career Conferences hosted a series of panel discussions, skilling tracks conducted by IBM, Google Cloud, Johnson & Johnson and Publicis Sapient exclusively for women. The event also provided a platform for knowledge exchange, mentorship, collaboration, further strengthening the presence and influence of women in the STEM field.

The conference hosted in the hybrid mode –saw an attendance of over 3000 women at the on-ground event, while there were over 2000 attendees virtually. Companies opened up jobs from entry-level to senior-level positions across India – Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Madurai and Coimbatore.