NRP Summit 2008: Behind the Scenes

Mahmood Shaukat and his team are busy preparing for the first-ever summit of its kind for non-resident Pakistanis, in New York City, approximately 7,275 miles away from Pakistan.

The event is scheduled for August 22nd and 23rd, 2008, which means the NRP Summit team is only 10 days away from the big day. Therefore, no marks for guessing the state they are in!

Let’s take a sneak peek…

nrpglobal, as promised, reaches the NRP office in Manhattan for a first-hand account of event preparations. Mahmood (Max for many of us), Chairman of the NRP Summit, is busy with a flow chart. After exchanging pleasantries, he gladly informs, “The event is 90% sold out, and we shall be declaring in a day or two that we will not be able to accommodate any more guests.” His cell phone beeps. It is time to answer another summit-related request.

Meanwhile, Parvez Mahmood, Co-Chairman of the NRP Summit, is on another phone call, in his room.

Madeeha, Zam and Naheed finalize guest lists and handle other logistical details. Max enters the scene once again for a conversation with nrpglobal.

Sharmeen: How and why did you come up with the idea of an NRP Summit?

Max: It is a simple idea, but something like this has never been done before. The objective is to empower Pakistan and the NRPs. This is what NRIs are doing for India, and they are an inspiration; in fact, they should be an inspiration for us all. 50% of India’s growth is due to non-resident Indians and 75-80% of China’s growth is due to non-resident Chinese. Similarly, Vietnam that has just surpassed India and China as the most desirable place for investment, largely owes its development to the non-resident Vietnamese living in United States and Australia. Thus, this NRP Summit and all efforts in this regard are opportunities for Pakistan, so the decision-makers should capitalize on initiatives like these.

Sharmeen: What has had been the response to the summit?

Max: A large number of people are still registering for the summit, and we look forward to providing full value to people for their participation.

Sharmeen: When will the next summit be held?

Max: On a yearly basis, this summit will take place in North America, Middle East or Europe. This way, it will rotate every year. We are also going to have a winter summit, which will always take place in Pakistan, in the first or second week of January. This year, we are scheduled for January 7 and 8, 2009, in Lahore. Lahore Chamber of Commerce will be our host for the event.

Madeeha Halim enters the room to inform the addition of another guest to the already impressive list.

Good time to question Madeeha Halim and Zam Naqvi, two important members of the NRP Summit team, about the highs and lows of the NRP Summit organization.

The interesting element of being a part of this has been the uniqueness of the concept for Zam and Madeeha, which also brought its own set of challenges for the team. Since this concept was unheard of in the NRP community, it required immense explanation on their part.

Their efforts will show results in a few days.

Announcement: nrpglobal will cover the event exclusively. I will share all the details.