Theme : *“Building the Digital State: Fostering the ecosystem”*.

*The focus of Connect 2016 was on "How Digital Infrastructure would play a major role in the of " Digital Tamil Nadu, Smart Cities & Skill India" and its contribution to the entire World as a whole, Policies and frameworks needed for ensuring the consistent growth of Digital Infrastructure.*

**Programmes** :

Day I : 27 September 2016

• Inaugural Session
• Panel Discussion on "Digital Strategy - A Beacon of light"
• Panel Discussion on "Digitally Inspired - The rise of the startup age"
• Panel Discussion on "Tamil Nadu" - The Land of immense possibilities

Day II : 28 September 2016 *

• Panel Discussion on "Strengthening and Sustaining Digital Capabilities"
• Panel Discussion on "Policies and Frameworks for start-up success in the State "
• Valedictory Session
• Connect Awards

**Highlights of CONNECT 2016**:

• Power Packed Sessions on both days
• Live streaming of the plenary sessions
• IT and ICT Exhibition
• Product Launches
• Business to Business (B2B) Meetings
• Business to Government (B2G) Meetings
• Hackathon - First ever initiative of CII Tamil Nadu

*Sessions at CONNECT 2016:*

*Plenary Session 1 - Panel Discussion on ‘Digital Strategy – A beacon of light’*

*Technology is taking centre stage and disrupting customers’ perception of service and organizations are increasingly looking up to IT to transform their businesses. IT has now transformed itself from being looked upon as just a support function to being a strategic driver. How have organizations and the public sector effectively made use of IT to deliver faster, better

and cheaper services to customers/ citizens? How has technology / social media been adopted / accepted by consumers and what are the key insights for business houses to use to make effective use of this digital wave? The discussions will focus on the roles of private sector, public sector and technology’s impact on consumer behaviour.*

*Plenary Session 2 - Panel Discussion on ‘Digitally inspired – The rise of startup age’*

*The startup space in India is witnessing a ‘David vs Goliath’ Story all over again. New born companies are challenging established and mature organizations and constantly unearthing innovative ways to reach customers whether it be for products or services. Young entrepreneurs are using technology and analytics to eat away the market share of their bigger competitors. How has technology really inspired these young minds to take on such great responsibilities and what promises does technology hold for future, aspiring entrepreneurs?*

*Plenary Session 3 - Panel Discussion on “Tamil Nadu – The land of immense possibilities”*

*Tamil Nadu supports many young startups in their journey towards achieving glory. What are the support structures available currently (Govt., Investors and Industry Associations) that will ensure that TN becomes one of the leaders in creating new and innovative businesses that will be recognized worldwide?*

*Plenary Session 4 - Panel Discussion on ‘Strengthening and Sustaining Digital Capabilities’*

*With technology increasingly becoming omnipotent and pervasive everywhere, it is imperative that we make complete use of it to achieve maximum results. From simple user applications to solving complex governance issues, Technology has the potential to solve almost all problems. What is more important is how we continuously strengthen and further sustain our capabilities in the Digital space. Encouraging budding entrepreneurs and focusing on improving the digital competency in Universities will go a long way in enabling and sustaining young startups in the state.*

*Plenary Session 5 - Panel Discussion on ‘Policies and frameworks for start-up success in the state’*

*What are the policies, frameworks and checks that need to be placed to boost and encourage the startup sentiment in the state? How can we take these startups into confidence so that they establish their base in TN and grow exponentially with the support structure provided?*

**Speakers Invited**

• Dr M Manikandan,Hon'ble Minister for Information Technology, Government of Tamil Nadu
• Mr K Pandiarajan, Hon'ble Minister for School Education, Archaeology, Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Government of Tamil Nadu
• Mr T K Ramachandran, IAS, Principal Secretary - IT, Government of Tamil Nadu
• Mr S Krishnan, IAS., Principal Secretary, Planning & Development, Government of Tamil Nadu
• Dr Omkar Rai, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India
• Dr Rajendra Kumar, IAS., Managing Director, ELCOT
• Mr N Chandrasekaran, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Consultancy Services
• Mr R Seshasayee, Past President, CII and Non-Executive Chairman of the Board, Infosys
• Mr Kris Gopalakrishnan, Past President, CII & Executive Vice Chairman, Infosys
• Mr S Mahalingam, Past Chairman, CII(SR) & Former Executive Director & CFO, Tata Consultancy Services Limited
• Mr Dinesh Malkani, Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Telecom & Broadband & President (India and SAARC), Cisco Systems (I) Private Limited
• Mr N Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice Chairman, Cognizant
• Mr Vijay K Thadani, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, NIIT
• Ms Seetoh, Vice President & Chief Architect, Jurong
• Mr Karthik Krishnaswami, President - India Operations, SCIO Health Analytics
• Mr Satya Prabhakar, Chief Executive Officer, Sulekha.com
• Mr Kathir Kamathan, Chief Executive Officer, Chella Software (P) Ltd
• Mr Rohit Mathur, Chief Strategy Officer, Ramco Systems
• Mr K Ananth Krishnan,Chief Technology Officer,Tata Consultancy Services Ltd
• Mr Rajiv Lochan, Managing Director and CEO, The Hindu
• Dr Pradyumna Vyas,Director,National Institute of Design

*Target Audience*

*CONNECT 2016* will bring together more than 800 industry leaders, Senior Government officials, Technologists, Infrastructure providers and the relevant stakeholders.

For more information about *‘CONNECT 2016’* kindly contact Mylius Kalapati (mylius.kalapati@cii.in) Mobile: 9042536435

*Delegate Fee per participant: (**inclusive of 15% Service tax)* CII Members - Rs.2300/- per delegate CII Non Members - Rs.3450/- per delegate CII Institutional / Yi / IGBC / IWN Members - Rs.1725/- per delegate

Please find below the link for registration:

http://www.cii.in/OnlineRegistration.aspx?Event_ID=E000027461