India’s most awaited gaming tournament, the Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup, sets the stage for a thrilling clash of DOTA 2 titans

India’s most awaited gaming tournament, the Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup, sets the stage for a thrilling clash of DOTA 2 titans

After two extremely successful editions in the last two years, Taiwan Excellence in India announced the third

stint of their inimitable gaming tournament – theTaiwan Excellence Gaming Cup (TEGC). The worldwide championship that has stupendous fan-following across the world is back this year on a much larger stage thanks to the overwhelming response for itspreviouseditions.

This year, four more cities have been added to its itinerary and the TEGC will now be hosting elimination rounds in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, in addition to Mumbai and Delhi. The tournament will challenge DOTA 2 gamers to battle for the revered cup and winners will take home a cumulative cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. The tournament is divided into two rounds for each city - Eliminations and a Grand Finale – with the former being conducted from select offline venues as per a pre-set schedule.

The Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup is a venture by the Taiwan Excellence -- an initiative of Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, MOEA and executed by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). It represents the innovative and technological image of Taiwan’s most competitive industries and is a symbol of reliability, innovation and tremendous value.

 To participate in the contest, enthusiasts can register on http://www.tegamingcup.com/#Schedule. However, it should be noted that registering online does not mean a team slot is confirmed. Participants will have to be present with their teams at the venue between

10 am and 12 pm on the first and second day of the event to get a registered slot confirmed. Registrations will close on the second day of the event once the slots are full.

Speaking about the TEGC, Mr. Michael Lin, Director of the Taipei World Trade Centre Liaison Office in Mumbai said, “We have had an incredible response for the TEGC in the past two years. Gamers from across the country have converged on this one platform to display their skills and it has been an action-packed gaming carnival. This year, we are bringing out a bigger edition of the event. There is a lot more in store for enthusiastic gamers from significant cash prizes to a championship title to some other amazing goodies. I hope the teams are ready to battle it out with their dynamic strategies.”

In its last two editions, the TEGC outdid most other contests on the popularity meter and garnered tremendous brand association. This year too, it has attracted several new brands as sponsors including Acer, Adata, Asus, D-Link, Genius, Gigabyte, InWin, MSI, Optoma, Thermaltex, Transcend,andZyxel.

There will be a hi-tech exhibit of some of the latest products from Taiwan Excellence, including gaming laptops andgaming peripherals during the Grand Finale. It’s the best chance to experience Taiwanese gaming technology.

The TEGC is one of the few gaming tournaments in the country that utlizes these uber-cool brands to form a partnership and collaborate to bring something special for the players. With big names endorsing the Cup, passionate gamers indeed have a lot to look forward to.

The gala challenge will see games like DOTA 2 (Steam version), Competition method: 5 versus 5 (team play, 5 players per team); and Game Mode: Captains Mode (CM) being played.

This year, elimination rounds will be held first in Delhi between July 29^th and 31^st followed by Hyderabad between August 5^th and 7^th. Then Mumbai between August 12^th and 14^th, Bangalore between August 19^th and 21^st, Chennai between August 26^th and 28^th, and Kolkata between September 2^nd and 4^th.

After the eliminations, 12 teams will qualify from the six locations to play in the Grand Finale that will also be streamed live on Twitch TV. The Grand Finale will be held on September 16^th and 17^th in Mumbai and will be a two-day long ‘League of Excellence’ festival open to all interested audiences at a central venue. The event will be streamlined live on Twitch TV.

The prize money too is bigger this year with a total cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh to be won. All 12 teams qualifying for the finale will win guaranteed cash prizes. The winning team will take home a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh. The team winning the second spot will get a cash prize of Rs. 80,000, while those winning the third and

fourth spots will take home Rs. 40,000 each. The fifth and the sixth spot winners will take home Rs. 25,000 each. The seventh and eighth spot winners will take home Rs. 20,000 each and the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth spot winners will take home Rs. 12,500 each .

TE Gaming cup website – http://www.tegamingcup.com

Follow us at: https://www.facebook.com/taiwanexcellence.in

Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/TEGamingCup_IN

Book Release of Dr. Phanikanta Mishra’s Felicitation Volume by His Excellency Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, the Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal at iLEAD

Book Release of Dr. Phanikanta Mishra’s Felicitation Volume by His Excellency Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, the Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal at iLEAD

iLEAD played host to the felicitation ceremony of Dr. Phanikanta Mishra, Regional Director, Archeological Survey of India, for the release of his book – Pratna Bharatam, by His Excellency Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, the Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal.

The iLEAD auditorium decked up for the grand felicitation ceremony, was graced by the presence of eminent dignitaries like Dr. Jeebankumar Patnaik (Editor of Pratna Bharatam and Superintending Archaeologist, Bhubaneswar Zone), Dr. Noor Bano Sattar  (Editor of Pratna Bharatam and Assistant Professor in Ancient Indian and World  History, The Sanskrit College & University, Government of West Bengal), Professor Rupendra Kumar Chattopadhyay, Paresh Chandra Chatterjee (Professor in History, Department of History, Presidency University, Kolkata), Prof D.J. Chakraborty, Department of History, St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, Shri Ajit Singh, Advocate, Rewa, MP.     

After the lighting of the lamp by the Chief Guest, Dr Phanikanta Mishra welcomed His Excellency with a Bouquet of Flowers, Uttariya, a Mithila Paag and a shawl made of a special Madhubani print.  After every guest (members of the Editorial Board) was honoured with a bouquet of flowers by students of iLEAD, Mr Tanmay Kumar Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor in Sahitya, Department of Traditional Oriental Learning, The Sanskrit College & University, recited the Mangalacharan that set the ambience for the event.

Following this, the Chairman of iLEAD, Mr. Pradip Chopra gave his welcome address where he spoke about heritage restoration and Dr Phanikanta Mishra’s contribution to archaeology. This was followed by Dr Noor Bano Sattar’s address on excavations, about the book Pratna Bharatam and its content that deals with the conservation, preservation and heritage management. 

Shri Gautam Halder, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, Kolkata Circle and Sri Krishnendu Bandopadhyay, Senior Correspondent, The Times Of India shared few thoughts about Dr Mishra.

This was followed by the release of the Felicitation Volume by His Excellency. He spoke about how archaeology is a tool to unfold the cultural past of our country and how Dr Mishra, a widely travelled man, follows a scientific methodology in all his works.

Dr. Phanikanta Mishra then graced the dais to share anecdotes from his career, some of his path-breaking archaeological discoveries, his life and research.  He also expressed his extreme gratitude for this launch, the felicitation by His Excellency and each and everyone who contributed to his works.

Pooja Mishra, daughter of Dr. Phanikanta Mishra, shared the wisdom of her father’s work-life balance and how it has inspired her too. Following this, Dr. Jeeban Kumar Patnaik gave his vote of thanks to the esteemed dignitaries.   

At the close of the event, all the dignitaries and the crowd stood up for the national anthem that concluded the ceremony. His Excellency and other dignitaries were escorted around the iLEAD campus before their departure.

iLEAD and Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development, University of Maryland Sign MOU for collaboration and cooperation

iLEAD and Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development, University of Maryland Sign MOU for collaboration and cooperation

iLEAD signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development, University of Maryland. This MOU will enable matters of mutual interest between the two institutes like exchange of academic, research and scholarly information, exchange of students and faculty members.

Students of iLEAD and Colvin Institute will also collaborate on joint projects, seminars, workshops, field trips, student convention and fests, training and internship programs.Through this framework for future collaboration, students of iLEAD will get wider exposure and also be able to broaden their horizons through the multicultural learning environment followed in US.

University Of Maryland:

The University of Maryland, College Park (often referred to as The University of Maryland, Maryland, UM, UMD, UMCP, or College Park) is a public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland. Founded in 1856, University of Maryland is the largest university in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also a member of the Association of American Universities and competes in athletics as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development:

The Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development supports the interdisciplinary approach of the MRED curriculum that comprehensively covers - finance and capital markets, law and public policy, structure and site design, construction management, property, portfolio and asset management as well as marketing and commercial leasing. MRED students benefit from the program enhancements supported by the Colvin Institute. Field work and site visits are an integral part of the curriculum, which includes study of vibrant development in the nation's capital and its suburbs, the redevelopment of the post-industrial port city of Baltimore, and the challenges of developing in the environmentally sensitive watershed of the Chesapeake Bay. The Colvin Institute supports guest lecture from prominent academics and professionals, conducts symposiums on topics of current interest to the development, design and planning communities.

iLEAD:

Rated the 4^th Best Media College in India by KPMG, iLEAD, The Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development affiliated to UGC recognized MaulanaAbulKalam Azad University of Technology, formerly known as West Bengal University of Technology offers degrees courses in Media and Management studies both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The institute also offers the first ever well-structured Real Estate Management Program in India in collaboration with Jadavpur University. Along with our degree courses, iLEAD offers various short term industry oriented courses to students and working professionals in Corporate Social Responsibility, Digital Film Making, Photography, Advertising, Events Management, Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship programs to name a few. 

Kolkata: a promising online furniture market

Kolkata: a promising online furniture market

Urban Ladder identifies emerging online furniture purchase trends in Kolkata

Urban Ladder, India’s leading online décor and furniture company, today unveiled interesting patterns of ‘online furniture purchase trends’ in Kolkata.The trends identified are an analysis of online furniture purchases and findings through customer interactions, from over 2000 users in Kolkata, over the last one year (July 2015 – June 2016)as Urban Ladder completes one year of operations in Kolkata.

As a rising metropolitan city, Kolkata has a substantial growing urban population.In a world where different generationsco-exist, Kolkata presents a perfect picture of modern India, with a hint of tradition and culture. A city dominated by several offline furniture retailers, people of Kolkata are increasingly seeing value in online furniture companies, and steadily getting onto the online furniture bandwagon. Focused on design, people in Kolkata look for aesthetically appealing furniture; they also pay close attention to quality and durability of furniture they purchase. Kolkata is among the top 7 cities for Urban Ladder.

South Kolkata contributes to 60% of furniture purchases made on Urban Ladder. The average age group of customers buying furniture online continues to be 25 – 34 years, which is the same core age of our target group in other cities.However, among the older populace, Urban Ladder has seen a steady increase in purchases made by customers in the 45+ agecategory, contributing to 44% of Kolkata’s revenue.

The three most popular spaces that people in Kolkata have furnished in the last year is their living room, followed by the dining room and then the bedroom. This is followed by kid’s furniture and outdoor furniture. 44% of customers in Kolkata buy furniture for the living room, followed by 23% for the dining room.  A city known for its rich literature and culture, it comes as no surprise that bookshelves and lighting are the highest purchased subcategories for the living room. 

Word of mouth is a strong component in the decision making process for the people of Kolkata. Decisions are strongly influenced by the opinion of family members.When buying furniture, the aesthetic appeal of a productis of higher priority in comparison to the functional need of furniture required. People in Kolkata are willing to spend more in exchange for quality, design and service. This is reflective in their ticket size, which is 5% above the average ticket size.

Commenting on the findings Kaustabh Chakraborty, Senior VP, Urban Ladder, said, “Since launch, we have witnessed a high furniture retail appetite in Kolkata. Furniture is a matter of pride for people living in this ‘city of joy’. Customers prioritise aesthetic appeal and quality of a product. Buyers in Kolkata relate well to our design philosophy, especially the quality of wood used. We are positive of growth in the region and will continue to cater to this growing market segment.”

Urban Ladder is a curated home destination with more than 4000 products across 35+ categories in furniture and home décor such as sofas, beds, dining tables, bookshelves, lamps and carpets.The company is working on design insights from across the country, including Kolkata to develop furniture range relevant to the city’s taste and preferences. Urban Ladder has its own operations and delivery team in every city its present in, including Kolkata.

About Urban Ladder
Urban Ladder was co-founded by Ashish Goel (CEO) and Rajiv Srivatsa (COO) in July 2012. The leading online furniture and home décor company provides a curated destination for home solutions, to help the Urban Indian build well-furnished, beautiful homes.

With over 5000 products and 35 categories such as wardrobes, sofas, beds, dining tables, storage shelves etc., Urban Ladder is India’s leading online furniture company. The furniture is closely curated with design inputs from Urban Ladder’s in-house team of experienced designers. At present, Urban Ladder delivers to 19 cities in India (Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi/NCR, Chennai, Goa, Pune, Hyderabad, Cochin Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Surat, Kolkata Mangalore, Jaipur & Baroda) and this number is expected to grow soon.

Please visit www.urbanladder.com  for more.