The India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) has outlined a strategic roadmap to strengthen India’s standing as a global business events hub during the 15th Convention India Conclave, held from August 19 to 21 at New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam.
Organised in partnership with the India Trade Promotion Organisation for the first time, the event convened 112 exhibitors alongside 112 domestic and 25 international buyers.
A central focus of the conclave was advancing key policy proposals currently under consideration by the Indian government to boost destination competitiveness. Chief among these is a proposed national corpus fund to assist state governments in securing international events.
“A proposal from the Ministry of Tourism has gone to the Ministry of Finance for the creation of a corpus fund, where if any state wants to bid for a conference, 50 per cent of the expense will be borne by the central government,” Chander Mansharamani, vice chairman of ICPB, stated at a press conference during the event.
Mansharamani also highlighted ongoing discussions around establishing a dedicated nodal agency to market India as a premier business events destination, evaluating whether to operate the entity under the Ministry of Tourism or expand ICPB’s independent funding capabilities.
Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism is assessing the revival of the Marketing Development Assistance scheme. The programme previously extended financial aid to approved service providers undertaking overseas marketing and participating in international tradeshows. Details on the scheme are expected to be finalised in the coming days.
