The 9th Convention India Conclave by Indian Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) was recently inaugurated in New Delhi by Vinod Zutshi, secretary, Ministry of Tourism; Suman Billa, chairman, ICPB; Pooja Joshi, general manager, Delhi Tourism and Chander Mansharamani, vice chairman, ICPB. The theme of the conclave, Advantage India, is to market India as the next big convention destination and attract major MICE conventions to the country. Around 44 organisations and over 100 buyers and sellers will participate in the three-day event. At the inaugural ceremony, Mansharamani emphasised on the importance of proper research to tap the real potential of the sector. He informed, “The industry has not been able to track the growth of the sector due to lack of proper information and research. MICE is not just an industry, but an economic activity. There needs to be an effective public private partnership which can unite and aim for international conferences.”
Billa stated, “CIC offers an excellent platform for networking and also look at the outcome of the sector. The biggest problem currently is the attitude of the people. India is the largest receiver of foreign direct investment and people need to realise that there will be disruptive growth in the sector. In order to achieve two per cent of tourist arrivals by 2020, we cannot rely on leisure travellers alone. India has the required infrastructure, locations as well as facilities to host big conventions. We only need to connect the dots together and change the way we approach the industry.”
Addressing the audience, Zutshi opined. “We really need to focus on MICE as a niche product and gather all our resources to market India as the next big MICE destination. We look forward to a task force in place for MICE tourism, which will identify the opportunities and work on marketing strategy for the sector.”
The ministry has already proposed a single window clearance for organising meetings in India and soon hopes to get e-visa approved for business tourists.
The keynote address by Mike Williams, senior consultant, GainingEdge, focused on India position in the MICE market and how the country can attract more business travellers. He remarked, “India is a rising market and slowly gaining momentum on the ICCA chart of MICE activities. But at this point, it becomes important to focus on creating a brand and identity in the competitive market. The packaging and promotion of destinations along with the support of the associations can create vital support for the sector.”
