Bengaluru set to host global WTC business meet

Bengaluru: The World Trade Centre Bengaluru, owned and operated by real estate and property development major Brigade Group, is bringing the global World Trade Centre Association’s flagship annual event, Global Business Forum (GBF), to Bengaluru for the first time. A bevy of business leaders from 30 countries from across 12 industrial sectors, from agri-tech to aviation, will converge at the WTC Bengaluru March 4 to 6. 

“This is an event that WTCs around the world bid to host each year, and the decision is taken by the board at WTC New York. Eight WTCs from various countries had bid this time and the WTCA chose Bengaluru,” Vineet Verma, MD, WTC Bengaluru, told DH. WTC Bengaluru is part of a network of 320 WTCs across the world. 

This is the first time the event, earlier styled the ‘General Assembly’, is being held in its new avatar as the Global Business Forum. In its earlier avatar, the WTCA has run more than 50 editions of the event, including one at the Mumbai WTC over 15 years ago. 

“This is the right time to showcase Bengaluru and Karnataka to these business leaders, many of whom have not been here before. Our focus is on promoting Karnataka as an investment destination, then flowing out into the larger India picture,” Verma said. 

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Industries Minister M B Patil will take part in the inaugural ceremony on Monday. But unlike government-run ‘Global Investor Meets’, where the primary interface is with the government, the GBF is a B2B event. 

“The Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC), of which I’m the incoming president, is the knowledge partner for the GBF. We’ll be playing matchmaker to businesses and investors who are looking for partners”, Verma said.

That should be cause for optimism that, unlike the promises of investments made during GIMs, which for the most part don’t materialise, Bengaluru and Karnataka can expect business leaders to network amongst their own kind and strike some potential deals and partnerships.