NEW DELHI, July 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC), the redeveloped India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) complex, one of the top 10 Exhibition and Convention Complexes in the world
The new complex, named as “Bharat Mandapam,” will be the venue for the G-20 leaders’ meeting in September. Modi unveiled the name of the new complex through a drone in the presence of Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and other Ministers.
“World will witness rising stature of India when newly built Bharat Mandapam will host G20 summit,” Modi said. He slammed people with negative thinking for trying to stall development projects, including the convention centre.
Just like privately accepting the grandeur of Kartavya Path, a ‘toli’ of negative thinkers will one day acknowledge Bharat Mandapam also, he added. The revamped IECC complex was developed as a national project at a cost of about ₹2,700 crore and has a campus area of approximately 123 acres.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by around 3,000 guests including Cabinet Ministers, captains of industry, film personalities and others. The IECC complex is India’s largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination. In terms of the covered space available for events, the complex finds its place among the top exhibition and convention complexes in the world. It comprises multiple modern facilities, including convention centres, exhibition halls and amphitheatres.
Earlier in the day, Modi performed “pooja” at the redeveloped complex and interacted with the workers who were involved in the construction of the complex and felicitated them.
Among the salient features of the new complex are a convention centre with a seating capacity of 7,000 and a magnificent amphitheatre for performances, cultural shows and entertainment events which will have a seating capacity of 3,000.
Official sources said in terms of the covered space available for events, the redeveloped and modern IECC Complex finds its place among the top 10 Exhibition and Convention Complexes in the world like the Hannover Exhibition Centre in Germany and the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai.
The exhibition halls offer seven innovative spaces for showcasing products, innovations, and ideas. These state-of-the-art halls provide an ideal platform for exhibitors and companies to engage with their target audience, fostering business growth and networking opportunities, they said. There is also a provision for parking space for over 5,500 vehicles.
(Manas Dasgupta)