Wanted: A Marketing Body For MICE In Maharashtra

Hoteliers in Mumbai and Pune want the Maharashtra government to set up a marketing body to promote the state as a MICE destination.

- Steena Joy

AT THE RECENTLY concluded FHW Mumbai, twelve general managers of leading hotel brands in Mumbai and Pune participated in a panel discussion on MICE in Maharashtra which highlighted the need for government support.

The GMs included Sameer Sud, The Leela Mumbai; Nicholas Dumbell, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel; Cajetan Araujo, St Regis, Mumbai; Suraj Kumar Jha, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport; Varun Sahani, The Orchid, Mumbai; Kapil Kapoor, Waterstones Hotel, Mumbai; Amit Midha, Conrad Pune; Srinivas Srirangam, Novotel Imagica, Khopoli; Vineet Mishra, JW Marriott Pune; Subhabrata Roy, Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai; Santanu Guha Roy, Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Alibaug and Satyajit Kotwal, The Resort, Mumbai.

Opening the discussion, Cajetan Araujo said, “MICE accounts for 14.8 percent of St Regis Mumbai's revenues. Customers today want diverse F&B experiences with dynamic breakout sessions. And we want them to keep coming back to us. So our strategy is to understand what the customer wants.”

Speaking about the importance of price points vis a vis business, Sameer Sud stated, “Price point is very very important but more important is what you can offer at that price. The needs of the customer must be given priority.” Nicholas Dumbell observed that MICE needs accessibility. “Due to easy connectivity, Powai is much closer to the airport than even south Mumbai. And this worked for Renaissance Mumbai. Our F&B business has doubled and will continue to grow. But we need to find out what rates can be attractive in the lean periods. We want to maximise the whole big picture rather than just rooms or F&B or MICE,” he said.