Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre (JECC) located at a prime location in Sitapura opened recently hosting its maiden event Vastra-2014. The international event on textiles and apparel was successful in winning the thumbs-up from the exhibitors, many of whom came to Jaipur from Delhi and Mumbai to participate in the event.
Business Rankers spoke to a dozen of exhibitors about the exhibition centre and many were impressed with the facility. “This is a unique facility that will go a long way in promoting Jaipur as a destination for MICE,” said a participant from Gujarat who regularly participates in exhibitions to promote R&D centre that focuses on technical textile.
Before the opening up of the centre, Mr. Hari Mohan Dangayach in an interview to a leading daily, had said that the centre will raise the Pink City’s profile as a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE).
Many in the exhibition business believe that the centre, spread over 42 acre of land will put Jaipur on the MICE map of India.
Mr. Dangayach, who is a co-promoter of JECC and the chairman of Dangayach group, said the facility is the largest exhibition centre in Rajasthan and one of the biggest in the country. Explaining the idea behind the facility, he said, “Fast-paced industrialization, growth of services sector and improvement in infrastructure have significantly increased the attractiveness of Jaipur as a centre for MICE activities. Moreover, the city’s proximity to leading commercial and economic hubs like Delhi and Mumbai gives it an unviable advantage.
He said that the stakeholders of the industry were vocal about the lack of a world-class convention facility with international standards. The city’s development as an economic centre has grown manifold over the recent years and that required a global facility.
JECC has been designed to fill that gap adequately and additionally, it will be a futuristic project that will catalyse interest in the city for many decades to come, he added. JECC is being developed as an integrated facility over 42 acre land. As part of the first phase, Mr. Dangayach said, they have already built two big exhibition halls spread over 1.1 lakh sq ft each and a convention centre over 30,000 sq ft which can accommodate 1,100 people. In the second phase, there will be two hotels, first of which with 200 rooms will come up by the end of next year.
“We are talking to Accor group for their Novotel brand for this property. Besides, there will be shopping centres, malls, retail outlets, multiplexes, entertainment facilities and kids’ zones. Anyone who comes to the JECC for a convention or exhibition will find enough reason to spend the whole day here with his/her family,” added Mr. Dangayach. JECC will be hosting big events like Jaipur Jewellery Show this month, Stone-Mart early 2015 and Great Indian Travel Bazaar afterwards. The management is already talking to professional conference organizations for 10-15 large events. “People are coming to see the new facility and there is an increasing interest. Good accommodation at lower costs, comfortable transport facilities, better connectivity and the allure of a tourist city are generating great interest for the facility,” added Mr. Dangayach.
