Power and pomp in Delhi

The AESIEAPCEOs Conference and Exhibition 2005, a prestigious power sector event which came to India for the first time in three decades, was recently held at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi. The organiser meticulously planned the three-day event, making all the bookings for the event a year in advance for smooth conduct. The AESIEAP(Association of the Electricity Supply Industry of East Asia and the Western Pacific) CEO Conference and Exhibition was conducted by the Council of Power Utilities from September 28 to 30, assisted by KW Conferences as the conference secretariat undertaking all the secretariat work and the logistical aspects of the meeting. Another partner in Indebo (India), looked after all the travel related aspects of the event. The judicious planning ensured that KW Conferences overcame normal hurdles such as paucity of space in five-star hotel properties for simulcast conference/exhibition and rooms at the host hotels, normally associated with New Delhi. Top venue Says Monimita Sarkar, managing director, New Delhi-based KW Conferences: "Our company is the professional conference organiser for this particular event. This biennial event has come to India for the first time in 30 years and we were looking for a fivestar venue. We chose New Delhi primarily because the next event, which is the 16th CEPSI (16th Conference of the Electric Power Supply Industry 2006) Conference & Exhibition, is scheduled to take place in Mumbai in November 2006. So we wanted the council members of AESIEAP countries to come to Delhi and then to Mumbai." Sarkar says this biennial event moves from one Asian country to another. On the choice of the venue, she said, "Taj Palace hotel was the obvious choice because of the convention facility which comprises two large halls, Mumtaz which is slightly smaller, perfectly suited for the council meeting for 25 to 30 persons in rectangular setting. Then there are smaller halls like Roshnara and Jahanara." The main conference was conducted at the Durbar Hall where there was a classroom seating for 250 people. The other big hall was used for simultaneous exhibition and conference break networking and meals. "We deliberately opted for 250-seating in classroom style, with back projection and making it quite spacious. The same hall, Durbar, in theatre-style seating can have 900- 1,000 people. In the other main hall, Shahjahan, around 450 sqm of space, we conducted exhibition with tea, coffee and lunch running simultaneously. This is done for offering exhibitors to network with the conference delegates in the venue," said Sarkar. "Another room, Wazir, has been kept as AESIEAP president's room, so he can meet the presidents of other international organisations for instance the World Energy Council. We have many CEO's of power utilities in the Asia Pacific region," she said. Global reach Some of the participations organisations included CLP Power Hong Kong, PT. PLN (Persero) Indonesia, Senoko Power (Singapore), Companhia De Electricidade De Macau — CEM, S.A. (China), Kyushu Electric Power Co.(Japan) and Tenaga National Berhad (Malaysia) among others. Other participating companies came from Germany, Korea, Canada, Thailand, Taiwan, the US, Philippines, UK and Brunei. The overall strength of delegates was 275 including 130 foreigners from 17 countries. "Because this is not a very large conference and since it was held in September, we were able to get number of rooms at the Taj Palace. We had 90 to 100 rooms booked at the host hotel. We actually booked space a year ahead because the primary aspect of doing an international conference that we need to plan. Sufficient time for planning is very important and critical and scarcity of the rooms in metropolitan cities here is another reason. The facilities at Taj Hotel suited the requirements for this particular event perfectly," said Sarkar. The organiser capitalised on various sponsorship, with cost varying from US$62,500 for principal sponsorship, US$25,000 for cultural night sponsor, US$2,000 for welcome reception sponsor and theme pavilion sponsor, and US$7,500 for coffee break sponsor. Sarkar says in case there is requirement for more than three-four big halls for parallel sessions, requirement of 30 rooms for officer bearers and smaller meetings etc, then the limitations of five-star hotels in New Delhi come to the fore. "And even if we consider entertainment and dining options, many venues aren't viable," she says. A farewell dinner was held at the conference hall, for which the team had around four and a half hours to turn around the hall for desired settings. The conference finished at 3pm on the last day. The organiser also conducted a cultural programme, showcasing India to foreigners through various folk dances performed by local troupes. There was a cocktail and dinner function on the first day, where two halls were used including the main conference hall, which was set up for dinner in an hour or so. On the second day, dinner for around 40 people was done at the President's room at the Mumtaz room. There was plan for golf outing but it didn't work out. "We need basic group of 20 to 22 people but it didn't work out," says Sarkar. She adds, "The drive to the signature courses is quite far from central Delhi but there are two fabulous courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus located in Gurgaon, in the National Capital Region of Delhi." KW Conferences did capitalise on attractive options for sightseeing in and around Delhi. "Delhi is a good venue for international conferences, the reason being international delegate not only come for conference but also sightseeing. Delhi offers huge attraction as Jaipur and Agra are nearby," she says. The organiser charged US$10,000 for excursion sponsor and US$2,500 for hotel assistance counter sponsor. According to the organiser, prior to the commencement of the event, 15 to 20 attendees went for excursion trips. "They opted for day-return tours. Some of the places explored also included Khajurao and Varanasi. During the event, we had organised local sightseeing for spouses. Two separate trips handled by Indebo," says Sarkar. Among the tour options available were: Agra to Magnificent Taj (one-day trip for minimum group of 25 people via deluxe bus with visits to The Taj Mahal and The Agra Fort). Other pre and post conference tours included the three-day Golden Triangle tour (Delhi, Agra and Jaipur) with inter-city transportation by air-conditioned car with tour costing US$500 or so; four-day 'Classic India'tour by train/flight covering Varanasi, Khajurao, Jhansi for US$700 or so per person; five-day 'On the footsteps of Buddha' tour covering Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Varanasi by flights for US$800 or so; four-day Goa trip and four-day Kerala trip.