IT&CM India is an international MICE business, education and networking event that advances opportunities of “Promoting India to the World and the World to India”
The first official business day of IT&CM India opened with the event’s keynote address by veteran industry speaker Mr. Martin Sirk, the CEO of International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Mr. Sirk addressed a packed house and spoke about competitiveness in the international MICE space and about how a nascent market like India needs to up its game to compete effectively.
He urged destinations and companies to leverage the power of teams, develop their service touch points and technology, harness their intellectual talent and use creativity to truly compete on an international level.
The keynote address was followed by the Joint Official Press Conference by IT&CM India and CIC. Mr. Chander Mansharamani, Vice Chairman of ICPB, in his speech, expressed high positivity about the future of India MICE. He said, “The Ministry of Tourism is aware of the opportunity in MICE tourism and has taken a number of initiatives to make India a preferred MICE destination.” Addressing the hot topic of the Indian visa application process, he said, “The government has taken many proactive steps to make it easier for many countries to obtain visas on arrival. These changes will be put into effect very soon.”
Mr. Darren Ng, Managing Director of TTG Asia Media shared in his address, that IT&CM India 2012 has attracted quality delegates from 57 countries. He attributed the quality of the delegates to a combination of working with key associations as well as to the stringent validation measures adopted by the hosting committee. Talking about the event, Mr. Ng said, “The event is small this year, with a focus on quality. Our exhibitors are in an enviable position of being able to make up to a hundred appointments over the two business days.”
ICPB is a non-profit organisation sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, India, in close co-ordination and consultation with the tourism and conference industry. It is the only MICE industry grouping in India that is well-represented across all sectors, with members from hotels, airlines, tour operators, travel agents, professional conference organisers, event managers, educational institutions, central and state governments, media and more. ICPB’s main objective is to propagate India’s ability to hold conventions and conferences of all sizes.
After a fulfilling Sellers-Meet-Buyers (SMB) session the day before, that saw Exhibitors satisfied with packed business schedules, appointment scheduling continued with the Buyers-Meet-Sellers (BMS) session before business discussions went into full gear on the exhibition floor.
Over 5.000 business appointments are expected to take place. These business appointments exclude any additional leads that may be generated with some 300 local Conventions India Conclave (CIC) buyers and suppliers attending the exhibition.
Commenting on the inaugural IT&CM India Exhibition, Ms. Sangeeta Taluja, Director of International Conference & Exhibition Services (ICES) believes that the showcase is an excellent platform to raise the awareness of India MICE services available. With 56 appointments lined up over two days, she is optimistic that the business prospects obtained at IT&CM India would contribute to about 25% of her expected turnover.
Another local exhibitor Mr. Rajiv Pande, Associate Vice President of Plan It! – the meetings wing of Creative Travels hopes to find suitable partnerships with inbound and outbound travel buyers as well as incentive travel buyers here at IT&CM India. Incentive travel in particular comprises a significant portion of the company’s turnover.
Buyers are also thrilled at the opportunity of sourcing for new suppliers. Said international buyer Ms. Sara Pattemore, Senior Program Manager of Global Tracks, “We’ve been working with one DMC in India for a long time and wanted to shop around for others. I’ve met with some really high quality exhibitors like ITH and Travelite. As we work with universities and MBA programmes, we would love to see more educational institutes exhibit at the event.” This sentiment mirrors that of other buyers who are hopeful of an even bigger show next year.
Other business activities taking place today include the media briefings by Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau and Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Indonesia. Partner sessions, Fundamentals of Business Travel ManagementTM Course – Associate Level by Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum also commence today. The GBTA certification programme is the internationally renowned course’s first foray into India’s corporate travel market and will see eight participants from Shell (Hazira LNG Pvt Ltd), Amdocs Development Center India Pvt Ltd., Cognizant and Lovely Group complete the one day course.
Buyers and Media will also be treated to luncheons and dinners hosted by Meetings & Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK) and Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy Indonesia respectively at Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort today.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
