TravTalk India Online Magazine
India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) has planned a line-up of interesting initiatives including the 12th Conventions India Conclave in Kochi. The association also plans to open two more State Chapters.
Manas Dwivedi
Organising a productive international roadshow with 118 MiCE buyers in Europe covering Paris, Brussels, Geneva and Zurich in 2018 was quite an achievement in promoting India as a popular MiCE destination, feels Chander Mansharamani, Vice Chairman, India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB). He says, “2018 has been very fruitful with year-long activities organised by the bureau. The 11th Convention India Conclave in Kolkata was a successful event as we not only had a good number of foreign buyers but also Indian buyers from various segments of corporate and associations. The proud moment was to launch our first ICPB state chapter in Kolkata.”
“We are also pleased to inform the substantial increase in our membership in the last one year. The one-time membership of nine state governments has not only given us the financial benefits but also enhanced the status of ICPB as we can now call ourselves a pan-India bureau. The other initiatives we have taken is to have a planner on the convention facilities in India which will be ready by the middle of May 2019,” he further adds.
Moving forward, the association has planned a calendar of activities throughout 2019. “We have planned an interactive session with our members for providing legal guidance and answer queries related to issues pertaining to GST on April 25. We are also organising the International Residential Training Programme with International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) on July 26-27 at Vivanta Surajkund where eminent international speakers will share their knowledge and experience on three most relevant topics — How to maximise ROI during exhibitions and trade shows, marketing of conference: sponsorship generation and delegates acquisition, research and bidding for international conferences,” informs Mansharamani.
The 12th Conventions India Conclave will be held in Kochi from August 29-31 at Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty on the theme ‘Mapping the Sustainable MiCE Future of India’. Sharing more information, he says, “We have already initiated the process to organise the conclave with Kerala government. The theme is in line with the importance of MiCE and its economic and social impact on the industry. We have chosen Kochi keeping in view the growing upcoming MiCE infrastructure in South India. I believe that Kochi is also emerging as a preferred MiCE destination in the country.”
ICPB is also planning to conduct a roadshow in Bhubaneswar in July and an international roadshow in the UK and Europe towards the end of September 2019. The bureau is also looking at greater participation at world trade shows such as IMEX Frankfurt, IMEX Las Vegas, EIBTM, AIME and CONFEX London.
