Kerala’s First Wedding and MICE Conclave in Kochi from August 14 to 16

KOCHI:
The city is all set to host Kerala’s first Wedding and MICE Conclave from August 14 to 16, seeking to tap into the state’s immense potential to emerge as a global hub of destination weddings besides meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.

Organized by Kerala Travel Mart (KTM Society) in collaboration with the state government, the event will be inaugurated by Tourism and Public Works Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas. Chairing the opening ceremony at the Grand Hyatt in Bolgatty at 5 pm will be State Industries, Coir and Law Minister P Rajeev. The chief guest will be Finance Minister K N Balagopal.

The theme of the event is Centre Stage Kerala. The next two days’ proceedings, featuring trade meetings and exhibitions, will be held at Le Meridien.
Hibi Eden MP, Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar, Union Ministry of Tourism Additional Secretary and Director-General Suman Billa, State Tourism Secretary K. Biju, Kerala Tourism Director Sikha Surendran and Additional Director Sreedhanya Suresh, KTM Society President Jose Pradeep and Secretary S Swaminathan will attend the inaugural session.

More than 675 buyers from within and outside the country have registered, even as the number is expected to rise in the coming days. Of those registered, 610 buyers are from within the country and 65 buyers from abroad. There will be 75 exhibition stalls for sellers. KTDC, the Department of Tourism and Ministry of Tourism will also participate, KTM Society president Jose Pradeep and secretary S Swaminathan told a press conference here.

Two national seminars are also being organized as part of the conclave to spotlight on the future vision of this sector.

Representatives from countries such as the UAE, UK, Germany, USA, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Oman, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam will participate.

The conclave comes in the wake of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s announcement at the inauguration of KTM-2024 that Kerala would become the hub of the country in the field of wedding and honeymoon tourism. This initiative is to maximize the various potentials of Kerala as one of the most preferred
tourist destinations in the world. Training camps, innovative marketing strategies, logistics and technology deployment will be organized in collaboration with large MICE and wedding companies. The local supply chain will be fully utilized.

The exhibition platform is reserved for businessmen with extensive experience in the MICE industry. Wedding planners, luxury resorts, destination wedding venues, floral design, photography, catering, and bridal services will have the opportunity to showcase their talent in the wedding sector.

Tour programs have also been organized for buyers coming from various places, combining the attractions of Kerala tourism. Visits are being organized in places such as Kochi, Munnar, Kumarakom, Kollam, Kovalam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Bekal. Wedding tourism will be organized by combining beaches, backwaters and mountains. Cultural heritage, ancient architecture and delicious cuisine will all be integrated with the theme of the conference.

All the business meetings will be scheduled as per the pre-set schedule. In addition to tours connecting various tourism destinations, there will be expert-led training workshops and exhibitions of all the attractions that Kerala has to offer in the wedding industry. The conference hopes to bring together the stakeholders in the fields of wedding planning, corporate conferences, large convention centers, and tour operators under one umbrella.

In addition to business meetings from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., seminars will also be held with the participation of international experts.
The press conference was also attended by KTM treasurer Jibran Asif, former presidents Abraham George, Baby Mathew, joint secretary Jobin Joseph and vice president C Harikumar.