 Ladies and gentlemen it gives me great pleasure and joy to welcome on stage Mr. C.V.L. Srinivas, Country Manager India WPP to join us on stage and please deliver the welcome address. Ladies and gentlemen with a thunderous round of applause let's welcome Mr. C.V.L. Srinivas. Thank you. While opening the batting with someone like Anurag it's good to be at the non-striker's end because he's so good taking strike first up and really setting the context for an event like this and delighted to have you Mr. Gopichand with us today brings back memories of the Group M choreos event we had a few years ago where you were our chief guest and those inspiring words of yours we still remember to this day so lovely to see you again. Well we're delighted to partner Exchange for Media as Group M and WPP in bringing this platform Let's Play. Today is also a very special day because the Group M report which has been you know being published for ten years in a row now Sporting Nation in the making we're going to be doing a bit of a sneak peek today we're going to be revealing the cover of Sporting Nation in the making the actual report I believe is going to be released in the month of March so stay tuned for that obviously very very look forward to report. Anurag spoke about obviously the opportunities in the sporting business and the sporting industry we are extremely bullish as Group M and WPP when it comes to sport the you know reasons are pretty obvious but I think first and foremost we really owe it to the wonderful performance of our sports women and sports men over the last few years so let's first begin the day by giving them a huge round of applause because there's no there's no sports business if you don't have great sports women and sports men and India has shown over the last few years not just in domestic competitions but in global competitions we can really beat the best so that's really I think the biggest reason why we're bullish as far as this industry is concerned obviously when it comes to fans when it comes to the way we engage with sport the way we consume with sport it's gone through a sea change. Anurag and I perhaps are the same generation waking up early morning tuning on all India radio listening to the commentary figuring out whether Sunil Gavaskar is going to get that century to where we are today obviously massive change and that that's going to help and not to forget the role the government has played the constructive role over the last few years in terms of developing infrastructure and ensuring you know there are more professionals who are encouraged to get into sport and manage sport bodies you obviously need a lot more Pulela Gopichans across the country across different sports for us to truly emerge as a sporting nation that embraces all sport. I'm sure you're going to find the day very interesting lots of interesting speakers lots of interesting topics thank you once again for making it and thank you Anurag Naval and the E4M teams for the partnership thanks. Thank you so much sir for sharing your encouraging thoughts with us this morning I would like to request you to kindly join us on stage again may I invite Mr. Naval Ahuja co-founder exchange for media group to kindly join us on stage and present Mr. Srinivas with token of appreciation humble gratitude for joining us this morning ladies and gentlemen a big round of applause and with this I would like to hold you both back on stage for another couple of minutes because the special unveiling that you spoke about sir is scheduled for now and for the same may I please invite on stage our list of next few dignitaries may I please have the pleasure of having Mr. Pulela Gopichan chief national coach for Indian national badminton team to join us on stage big welcome to you here please welcome Mr. Prashant Kumar CEO for South Asia group M please welcome Dr. Anurag Bhattra Chairman and Editor-in-Chief BW Business World and founder exchange for media and lastly Mr. Vinit Karnik Head Sports Esports and Entertainment Group M South Asia welcome you sirs and now is the time for unveiling the cover of the 10th edition of Sporting Nation in Making and I would request the gentlemen on the stage to do the honors ladies and gentlemen the cover is being released here at the inaugural edition of the Sports Marketing Conclave 2023 in the hands of the gentlemen the dignitaries on the stage that's the cover and as Mr. Srinivas pointed out the magazine will be launched in the month of March thank you so much for doing the honors