Definitions that limit

Last month I attended a seminar on digital marketing . The audience comprised of folks from IT companies , media professionals , consultants , entrepreneurs operating a business primarily through the internet ( e.g portals ) . There was no one ( excepting yours truly ) from the textile / clothing business .

A fortnight ago I had the pleasure of attending a brilliant seminar by Siyahi on 'The Narrative in Indian textiles ' . It was a veritable voyage of discovery of beautiful aspects of India's textile heritage ( will share some of the experiences and insights in subsequent posts ) . The audience composition here was art / textile historians , free lance designers , writers (on the subject of India's textile heritage ) , design school representatives , (few) architects . With the exception of a furnishing manufacturer there was no real representation of folks from the textile / clothing business .

Both seminars were terrific in terms of content . And were of relevance (now more than ever ) to business in the textile and clothing category.

(The example of the textile and clothing business is a case in point . The analogy applies to various industries and businesses )

It was not as though these were secret events known only to a few .Both seminars were promoted on-line / advertised , featured in some publications . It's quite possible that many saw it and dismissed it because it did not fit into the (narrow) definition of their business or industry + attending seminars etc is axed by most corporates in troubled times . In the process passing up opportunities for learning and creation that would have a real impact on their business .