Mumbai: ‘Father of Modern Networking’ Dr. Ivan Misner, the Founder & Chairman of BNI (the world’s largest business networking organization) and author of 12 books, will visit India for the first time ever to address the National Conference on Referral Marketing for SMEs and Micro-SMEs. On February 19, 2011, Dr. Misner will address 500 specially invited networking professionals in Mumbai on “Networking Like a Pro” — also the title of his best-selling book. Other eminent speakers accompanying Dr. Misner are Bob Urichuck speaking on “Buyers are everywhere: What are you doing to help them buy?” and Ron Kaufman on “Want to make more money, deliver more value… up your service!”

Niiraj R. Shah, BNI National Director, India and BNI Director of Business Affairs, Australasia, Middle East & Africa, says, “Dr. Ivan Misner will meets SMEs/ Micro-SME entrepreneurs and unveil the findings of the January 2011 BNI Business Index* report representing the first report published by BNIBusinessIndex.com. It was created to gauge the ever-changing economic state of business worldwide and based on quarterly global survey results, the BNI Business Index* report is the pulse of entrepreneurs around the world™.”

Dr. Ivan Misner says, “I’m headed to India this week to speak for BNI in Mumbai and Bangalore. I look forward to meeting many people and having the chance to help them increase their business through referrals. I’ve travelled to dozens of countries to speak and teach my philosophy of Givers Gain® in business. This is my first time to visit this exotic country.”

Dr. Misner’s Ph.D. is from the University of Southern California. He is a New York Times Bestselling author who has written twelve books including his latest #1 bestseller ‘Networking Like a Pro’. He is a monthly columnist for Entrepreneur.com and is the Senior Partner for the Referral Institute – a referral training company with trainers around the world. In addition, he has taught business management and social capital courses at several universities throughout the United States. Called the “Father of Modern Networking” by CNN and the “Networking Guru” by Entrepreneur magazine, Dr. Misner is considered one of the world’s leading experts on business networking and has been a keynote speaker for major corporations and associations throughout the world. He has been featured in the L.A. Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times, as well as numerous TV and radio shows including CNN, CNBC, and the BBC in London. Dr. Misner is on the Board of Trustees for the University of La Verne. He is also the Founder of the BNI-Misner Foundation and was recently named “Humanitarian of the Year” by a Southern California newspaper. He is married and lives with his wife Elisabeth and their three children in Claremont, CA. He is also an amateur magician and a black belt in karate.