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In a panel discussion “Conventions getting more focussed and sectoral” at the maiden edition of ET MICE & Wedding Tourism Summit & Awards on the evolving landscape of conventions in India, the industry experts including the hoteliers highlighted the country’s increasing focus on hosting large-scale events and the potential for growth in the sector. The major emphasis was shifted to this industry’s contributions to tourism and how the tables can be turned with better infrastructure and consistent hand holding by the government. The conversation, moderated by Navneet Mendiratta, Editor of ETTravelWorld, included insightful contributions from Seshasaye Kanthamraju, CEO of Ramoji Film City; Pratima Badhwar, Head of Commercial India & South Asia at Accor India Pvt. Ltd; and Rashmi Kamboj, Director Sales – MICE at Hilton Bengaluru.
Sharing the journey of Ramoji Film City, which initially aimed to provide a dedicated space for filmmakers, Kanthamraju said that over the years, it has transformed into a thriving destination for conventions, weddings, and tourism. Terming it as the ‘accidental theme park’, Kanthamraju informed that with over 2600 films hosted to date, Ramoji Film City’s unique offerings have garnered significant popularity.
“Once the tourists started trickling in, we set up about five hotels. And after those hotels commenced operations, we also realised there is also a lot of interest from the MICE and weddings sector. Also, we saw a tremendous potential in the weddings and Ramoji thought of giving the dramatic touch to the big day by hosting thematic weddings,” he said, adding that a particular Mughal Garden at Ramoji can accommodate about 10,000 plus people.
Shifting the focus to the hospitality sector, Badhwar discussed Accor’s commitment to hosting large conventions across its 60 hotels in India.
“With the opening of a new hotel and convention facility in Jaipur expected this year and a diverse range of meeting facilities catering to various scales of events, Accor aims to capitalise on the projected 20 per cent growth in the MICE industry,” she stated.
“This growth trend is encouraging news for the hoteliers and gives us enough and more opportunities to explore the segments of MICE, weddings, pharma and more,” Badhwar added.
She further emphasised the significance of domestic business as a driving force, especially in the post-pandemic scenario, while also preparing for international MICE opportunities.
To attract international conferences, Kamboj said, “Venues are no longer just the venues; they need to be endorsed as destinations. It is key to make a pitch when it comes to taking MICE a notch higher in India. In Bangalore, though we do not have Delhi’s Aerocity kind of a setup, we do have all the amenities and hotels to cater to the demands of domestic conferences. Here, the promotion of the uniqueness of destination will play a pivotal role.”
She also suggested that having support from the government, initiating dialogues with the Tourism Ministry to enhance the facilities for luring outbound MICE traffic can definitely add to the experience.
Speaking about Hilton’s expansion plans that go along with the growth of MICE in India, Kamboj highlighted that the hotel brand aims to have 75 hotels by 2026. She underscored the growth of MICE in India, citing a positive response from meeting organisers and an increase in demand for domestic conferences.
The panel also collectively discussed the changing trends between domestic and international business in the MICE industry. Kanthamraju noted that Ramoji Film City primarily focuses on domestic business due to the higher return on investment, with corporate interest and team-building activities being prominent.
Badhwar, on the other hand, emphasised the strength of domestic business and the need to build infrastructure to cater to larger international conferences, making the domestic market crucial in the interim.
“For India to be able to cater to larger and international scale conferences, we still need to build that kind of infrastructure. In MICE, there is still a lot of work to be done in India.”
Industry experts gathered at the 1st edition of ET MICE & Wedding Tourism Summit & Awards to discuss the potential of India’s events and MICE industry. The panel, comprising experts from different fields, stressed the need for effective marketing, a positive perception of India as a MICE destination and comprehensive policies. Collaboration, technology, and government support were identified as key factors for growth.
Regarding sustainability, all speakers acknowledged its growing importance. Kanthamraju highlighted how Ramoji Film City has over the years shown longstanding commitment to sustainability, while Badhwar mentioned the increasing interest among partners to adopt sustainable practices in events and meetings.
Speaking in detail about the brand’s initiatives, Kamboj emphasised Hilton’s strong focus on sustainability, showcasing significant reductions in carbon emissions and food waste management. “Through our Meet with Purpose programme, we educate our customers and enable them to offset their event’s carbon emissions and customers have the ability to offset their event’s carbon emissions . We also have the Meeting Impact Calculator which allows guests to choose to make their meetings carbon neutral,” she said.
Reflecting on India’s hosting of the G20 meetings across 60 destinations in India throughout the year, the panelists expressed their enthusiasm about the country’s ability to showcase its meeting and MICE infrastructure.
“Over 200 meetings in various cities served as a platform to demonstrate India’s capabilities and expertise in hosting large conferences,” Badhwar stated.
“The concept has been interesting, because just two weeks back, we were in Srinagar at the G20 Tourism Meeting for a Film Tourism conference. And the conversation there was purely about how each of these destinations where films are shot, have suddenly helped local tourism in a big way and the overall ecosystem has benefited. So we brought back key learnings from there and we are happy to share that through this platform, a lot of states expressed interest in emulating the Ramoji model at their respective destinations,” added Kanthamraju.
Besides, the need for continued investment in infrastructure and government support to fully harness the potential of the MICE industry, was also brought to light.
The deliberations concluded on an optimistic note, with a shared belief in India’s ability to further develop its conventions industry, capitalise on the domestic market, attract international conferences with enhanced facilities, and embrace sustainability for a longer run.
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