City-level convention bureaus must be formed to tap into MICE potential, says tourism official

The Hindu

3 days ago

Suman Billa, Director-General in the Union Ministry of Tourism, on Tuesday advocated for city-level convention bureaus across the country to tap into the cities' MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) potential.
While India was largely a venue-centric destination, he called for a shift to become an ecosystem-centric one, which brought together various stakeholders, offering single-window service, among others.
In his address on 'The Government's Vision for Bringing Global Events and Exhibitions to India' during the 'IEIA Connect-Focus South' event, organised by the Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA), Mr. Billa recalled that hosting the G20 Summit proved that the country did not just have the infrastructure but ability to hold such world-class events.
Advocating for an ecosystem centric system, Mr. Billa said instead of one organiser putting together the event, stakeholders — venue, hotels, caterers, audio-visual technicians, florists, among others — can come together to organise it, he said. 'This will significantly improve the efficiency of the way we do things. What we need to do is build institutional architecture that supports collaboration, simplifies processes, and proactively brings businesses to India,' he said.
'You will not be able to achieve this unless you have MICE city bureaus,' Mr. Billa said, and pointed to Singapore, Dubai, London, and Frankfurt, where such bureaus had been constituted. 'We should also do that if we want to have a realistic chance to succeed,' he said, adding that these bureaus would essentially function as aggregators of services, offering bundle packages and other services.
He said Chennai could focus on events around the automobile sector, while Bengaluru and Hyderabad could hold technology-related events. While Kochi could focus on events around wellness, Visakhapatnam could look at events involving maritime business and trade, he added.
IEIA president Sooraj Dhawan, IEIA Southern Region chairperson Srikanth T.G., Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Amrapali Kata, Karnataka Tourism Commissioner Rajendra, K.V., Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director T. Christuraj, Government of Andaman and Nicobar's Secretary Tourism Jyoti Kumari, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Sikha Surendran, CEO Hyderabad Convention Visitors Bureau Gary Khan, were among those present at the inaugural.