MICE @ Kochi | Convention, Exhibitions and Meeting Centres

[mohammedirshad06]

Kochi, by its virtue as Gateway of Kerala and leading tourist destination in the country, is also a major MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) center. The city hosts several National and international expos, trade fairs, meetings etc. Numerous of Conventions are proposed or coming up in the city.

This thread is to discuss news, informations, pictures of existing and proposed convention/expo centers of the city as well as leading national and international expos held/to be held in the city.

[mohammedirshad06]

Le Meridien International Convention Centre- Kochi







Kochi's premier Convention destination, Le Meridien Convention Centre is part of Le Meridien Hotel. It was Kerala's first Convention centre and one of the largest in the country.

The largest Hall - Oman Hall features seating facility of 2500 people. The facility have 12 other halls, including board rooms, mid-sized conference facilities, party/wedding halls, 95,000 sq ft spread lawns, out-door amphitheaters and banquet halls.

Several events of international repute have been held in this venue.

[mohammedirshad06]

Sarovar Gokulam Park Convention Centre- Kochi











Part of 5 star Sarovar Gokulam Park, the Convention Centre, located in the heart of Kochi city features, a mega hall with seating facility of 1500 and 3 other halls apart from 2 conference rooms and a banquet hall.

[mohammedirshad06]

Upcoming Mega Project

Kochi International Exhibitions Centre- Kakkanad

KINFRA along with India's premier Trade Expo organization- Indian Trade Promotion Organization- ITPO, will be soon setting up a Mega Exhibition Centre and Convention Centre near IT Hub of Kakkanad.

The facility is coming up in 50 Acres of Land. 25 Acres will be used to set up Exhibition Centre which features a Convention centre, a covered exhibition area, open area for trade fairs, board rooms and conference facilities. Out of remaining 25 acres, Hotels, Multiplexes and restaurants etc will be featured as PPP Initiatives. The total cost of the project is 112.50 Crores

ITPO is a premier agency under Govt of India, which owns and manages India's celebrated exhibition facility, the Pragathi Maidan in New Delhi.

KOMET is proposing a Mega Business district in the vicinity of the city. Coupled along with it, the zone shall turn into Kerala's biggest entertainment, recreational-business and meeting area.

[mohammedirshad06]

Upcoming Mega Project

Grand Hyatt International Convention Resort- Bolgatty

Tentative/Unconfirmed designs

Part of Middle East largest Retail Conglomerate, Emke's Lulu Group along with Hyatt Group, is launching India's largest Convention Centre.

With a seat capacity of around 5000 PAX, it shall be one of the largest in Asia. Hyatt has announced its intention to establish a 250 room property under brand Grand Hyatt. Though its features and final design is not yet finalized, it reported to have a retail village, a signature spa, multiplexes and water bodies, all overlooking the Cochin Harbour, with an Iconic structure.

[mohammedirshad06]

Abad adds a new convention centre in Nucleus Mall

Leading Kochi based hospitality major- Abad group of Hotels added a state-of-art Corporate Convention Centre in its Nucleus Mall facility. Named as Symphony, this 30,000 sqft facility, located in 2nd floor of Nucleus Office Towers, features a 1000 seat capacity Hall, with dedicated guest room, lounge, superior audio-visual facilities and dedicated event management support services. The facility has been designed keeping in mind of rising number of conferences, product launch, seminars, get-togethers for corporate clients, apart from regular wedding functions and exhibitions.

[Malayaali]

ABAD's nucleus mall facility looks good. Flora airport has a decent facility for upto 500 people.

[mohammedirshad06]

Kochi to host Global Healthcare Summit

To help bring the best, most efficient and cost effective healthcare solutions to India, the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), a powerful body with over 65,000 members, will organise a health summit in Kochi next January.

Aimed at advancing the accessibility, affordability and the quality of world-class healthcare, the Jan 1-3 Indo-US Global Health Summit 2013 (GHS) will focus on prevention, diagnosis, treatment options and share ways to truly improve healthcare transcending global boundaries, the organisation announced Tuesday.

"AAPI USA has been actively engaged in harnessing the power of Indian diaspora," Narendra Kumar, president of AAPI, said.

"Providing a forum for innovative opportunities for learning, networking and giving back to our motherland" the summit has already received confirmation and endorsement from over 300 very prominent and talented physicians and surgeons, he said.

During the past four summits since the first Indo-US Healthcare Summit in 2006, AAPI has been instrumental in developing strategic alliances with various organizations.

The Summit, which is a public-private initiative between the Government of India and AAPI, is all about dedication and commitment of Indian-American physicians to improving healthcare in India, said Dr. Jayesh Shah, President-Elect of AAPI.

GHS 2013 will include a scientific programme developed by leading experts covering high priority areas like cardiology, maternal and child health, diabetes, oncology, surgery, mental health, immunology and lung health, he said.

Featuring plenary sessions, interactive roundtables, clinical practice workshops, and meet-the-expert sessions, the first ever scientific poster session will facilitate dissemination and exchange of best practices.
More than 100 opinion leaders and expert speakers representing major centres of excellence, institutions and professional associations from across the globe will present cutting-edge scientific findings related to clinical practice.
For the first time, a CEO Forum representing CEOs from around the world and from hospitals, teaching institutions and major healthcare sectors, including pharmaceutical, medical devices and technology, will join together to explore potential opportunities for collaboration, Kumar said.

An added attraction to the participating physicians is that the programme will enable them to obtain 14 hours of credit, has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

[mohammedirshad06]

If things move in right direction, Kochi definitely will emerge the biggest MICE Destination in the country, with numerous of convention/expo centers planned in our city. The following are the list of likely to come soon.

1. Grand Hyatt International ICC- Bolgatty will be India's largest and iconic, that is planned to rival Singapore's Suntech

2. Kochi International Expo Center, to be constructed by ITPO and KINFRA

3. A convention center planned in Business district of KOMET in Kakkanad

4. A convention center proposed in Science City by V Guard

5. International Convention Center proposed by Kerala Chamber of Commerce

6. Medical Convention Center by Aster Medcity in Chernanellor.

7. CIAL's Convention Center- Nedumbassery

There are misc proposals, for which clear image not yet made

1. A convention center in Water city (Where is this water city?)

2. GCDA's Marine Drive Convention center in Phase 2 (Will it get EIA?)

3. Abad's proposal to develop a 5 star spa-convention resort near Vaikom (still in drawing board and land finalization)

4. A convention center planned in Aluva.

[Malayaali]

India's biggest conference on HOSPITAL PLANNING, DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE in Kochi

[Malayaali]

TiEcon Kerala meet in Kochi next month

TiE Kerala will host the first TiEcon Kerala 2012, the largest gathering of entrepreneurs and professionals from across the country, here next month.

The two-day event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at Le Meridien Convention Centre on October 25. John K Paul, president, TiE Kerala, will preside over the function.

The keynote address will be delivered by Ashok Rao, chairman, TiE Global, in the presence of Kanwal Rekhi, founder chairman, TiE Global, and managing partner, Inventus Capital Partners.

Paul told the media here today that ‘TiEcon Kerala is being organised as a part of expanding activities of TiE Kerala Chapter. The conference, being held for the first time in a non-metro city, provides great opportunities for the new generation entrepreneurs to have pro-active interactions with renowned experts and successful entrepreneurs, he said.

The conference will discuss different aspects of entrepreneurship, opportunities and challenges it provides. About 1,000 delegates, including a large number of women and NRI entrepreneurs, will participate in the two-day conference.

TiE Kerala, he said, has submitted its final proposals to the State Government on Entrepreneurship following workshops and roundtable conferences organised earlier. The growing interest in entrepreneurship has prompted the State Government to support and participate in TiEcon Kerala 2012, he said.

The two-day conference will have more than 20 sessions, run concurrently in four tracks and will focus on entrepreneurship, services, manufacturing and mentoring.

Prominent speakers from India and abroad to address the conference include Sam Pitroda, chairman of National Innovation Council, Sramana Mitra, internationally reputed mentor and author of ‘1 Million x 1 Million Programme’ and K.M. Chandrashekar, vice-chairman of State Planning Board.

Further details can be had from www.tieconkerala.org

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), founded in Silicon Valley, US, is a global network of entrepreneurs engaged in promoting entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking and education.

[KMC]

AEON Hotels and Resorts Pvt.Ltd proposes to develop a World Class Trade & Exhibition Centre in 12 acres of land near NH bypass, Cochin. The project is expected to provide an integrated venue for conferencing, convention and exhibition equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, audio and video equipment and other auxiliary services required to attract domestic and international conferences along with exhibitions.



The proposed Exhibition Centre cum Conference Hall will have a gross built up area of 225000 sq ft. The project components include an Exhibition Centre within the built up area and other necessary onsite and offsite infrastructures.



The development of the entire project focus in to five major categories namely sustainable sites, water management, energy efficiency and atmosphere, material and resources, and indoor environmental quality. It is sure that this project will be developed as environment friendly and green building concept based.

[Malayaali]

That looks awesome. Kochi is getting too much proposals on the MICE side.

[DileepKS]

That is the norm, my friend. When an opportunity arises here, a number of player would appear vying to get a piece of the pie. Finally, market forces would decide how many gets built and how many will be successful.

It is not like the 'planned development' elsewhere, where the govt decides that you need a convention center here and a resort there, and then wait for people to show interest.

[Malayaali]

Incredible Start for tourism at KTM

It was tourism blooming all over Kochi on the second day of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2012. After the grand opening of KTM on Thursday the ‘tourism business’ kickstarted at Le Meridien Convention Centre on Friday with the business to business (B2B) meeting from the morning itself.

Buyers and sellers both from within and outside India have presented their products. There are full-fledged 12 houseboats in presentation outside the venue. The helicopter service from the Cochin International Airport was the major highlight of the meet.

This edition of KTM has seen the maximum number of participation compared to previous editions. As many as 354 international and 971 domestic buyers have come in for the mart, making a total of 1,325 buyers this time. Two years ago the participation was 1,200.

“The KTM 2012 is a big hit. This year we give thrust to ayurveda, adventure and convention tourism. Responsible tourism and sustainability is the theme of this edition. We are seeing active participation from all the stakeholders,” said Suman Billa, secretary of Kerala Tourism.

Although recessionary trends are prevailing in the West, people in the tourism sector are keen to participate in KTM, said Riaz Ahmed, president of Kerala Travel Mart Society.

“We got 104 domestic and 20 foreign spot registrations from buyers on day two of KTM, which shows the significance of the mart. A separate section has been provided for small players in the field and they are getting good business as well,” he said.

Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar visited the stalls and houseboats in the morning. Abdullaziz Al-Touijri, Director, Al-Muhaffiz Tour Company, Saudi Arabia, said the KTM is getting better over the years. “This time more space has been provided for the stalls. During the last edition, we got good business. This time also we expect the same,” he said.

M V Shreyams Kumar MLA, who is visiting Kerala Travel Mart for the first time, was very much impressed by the way it is organised. “Tourism has to be sold well and KTM provided an excellent platform for it. This year’s theme is very much relevant since responsibility, sustainability and waste management are the three areas that need attention when tourism is concerned,” the green league MLA said.

There will be two seminars on Saturday at the KTM. One will be on Buyers Reflections and the other on ‘Sellers -in the digital space’. On Sunday the KTM will be open to the public.

[Prasanth_KCV]

Nice find KMC. There will be cut throat competition in this market after 5 years as so many new projects declared in MICE category will get completed by that time.

Originally Posted by KMC

[Malayaali]

Kochi to be first non-metro city to host TiEcon event

Kochi will become the first non-metro city to host a ‘TiEcon’ when the two-day 2012 event unfolds there on October 25.

'TiEcon Kerala 2012’ will feature a large gathering of entrepreneurs and professionals from across the country, said John K. Paul, president, and C. Balagopal, founder president, TiE Kerala.

The conference will be a platform for new generation entrepreneurs to interact with renowned experts and successful entrepreneurs.

It will discuss different aspects of entrepreneurship, opportunities and challenges. About 1,000 delegates, including women and NRI entrepreneurs, are expected to participate.

Well-known entrepreneurs from the country and outside will also share their experiences, the organisers said.

[Malayaali]

Ocean remote sensing meet coming to Kochi

Kochi will host the 11th biennial conference of Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference (PORSEC) next month.

Around 500 delegates from 25 countries are expected to attend the conference with the theme ‘Ocean remote sensing for wellbeing of all’. Deliberations will be held in 28 technical sessions, which would deal with various aspects of ocean remote sensing. An exhibition will showcase emerging technologies in the field of ocean science and technology, ocean remote sensing, sensors, products developed by researchers.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Hyderabad will host the five-day event, which will begin at IMA House on November 5. Taiwan had hosted the conference in 2010. The conference would provide a platform to debate with the scientists the recent trends and issues related to ocean-atmosphere remote sensing.

[Malayaali]

CIAL Convention center is a big time hit. We looked for a date in the weekends and had to hold the function on a weekday in order to get the auditorium. The main hall costs Rs 3 lakhs + for a day event.

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by Malayaali

CIAL Convention center is a big time hit. We looked for a date in the weekends and had to hold the function on a weekday in order to get the auditorium. The main hall costs Rs 3 lakhs + for a day event.

Actually its not a convention center... Its Exhibition center... If Expo Center gets this much hits, I wonder why they delay in construction of CIAL Convention center, so that the real potential of Expo center may be explored.....