I joined IEML as General Manager in May 2011 and became CEO in June 2018. The venue’s portfolio during my service has included the 2013 Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting, WHO FCTC COP7 in 2016 and UNCCD COP14 in 2019, alongside major industrial and trade exhibitions. My current role also encompasses the development of our own event portfolio.
These experiences help me understand how an event’s commercial purpose connects with the practical requirements of buyers, delegates, organisers, hotels and service providers. That is the perspective I bring to ICPB. It helps me relate destination promotion to the practical commitments that members make when they bid for and deliver an event.
TFT: During your tenure at ICPB, what key initiatives have you contributed to in promoting India as a MICE destination, strengthening industry awareness, encouraging research, and fostering industry-government collaboration? What were their outcomes?
Sudeep Sarcar: My contribution to ICPB draws on experience across travel services, conference management, industrial exhibitions, export promotion and venue operations. I was elected Honorary Secretary for the 2024-26 term, and my association with the Bureau includes earlier service recorded in its professional community. This has given me an opportunity to bring practical operating experience into discussions about India as a convention destination.
One priority I have publicly articulated is a stronger professional secretariat, supported by a diverse board and informed consultation with government and industry. My objective is an institution that can sustain useful services and continuity for members. I have also used association platforms to discuss destination opportunities and the operating requirements of business events.
The 2026 Conventions India Conclave took place during my current term and brought exhibitors and buyers together at Bharat Mandapam. The programme reflects the shared work of office bearers, members, partners and the delivery team.
TFT: What meaningful benefits, opportunities or improvements have ICPB members experienced during your tenure? Please share specific examples, success stories or figures wherever available.
Sudeep Sarcar: The member benefit I consider most important is access to relevant opportunities and practical cooperation across the industry. Venues, organisers, hotels, destination management companies and service providers depend on one another to make an event work. ICPB provides a setting in which those relationships can develop.
A documented example during my current term is the 2026 Conventions India Conclave. Contemporary reporting records 112 exhibitors, 112 domestic buyers and 25 international buyers. These figures describe the scale of the platform and the opportunity for engagement. They should not be interpreted as proof of completed contracts or income for each member.
My operational background helps me understand the issues that members bring to these conversations, including venue readiness, delegate services and coordination between providers. To demonstrate lasting value, we should follow opportunities beyond the meeting itself and record referrals, qualified enquiries, successful collaborations and repeat business. I would prefer a small number of verified member success stories to an unsupported aggregate claim.
TFT: Which important partnerships, government engagements or industry collaborations have you helped build or strengthen during your tenure? What impact have these had on ICPB or the wider MICE industry?
Sudeep Sarcar: My professional experience has required work across associations, event owners, venue teams, public authorities and the services that support delegates and exhibitors. That background is relevant to ICPB because a destination’s ability to host a major event rests on cooperation across these organisations.
A specific industry contribution recorded outside my ICPB office is participation in the IEIA-represented Bureau of Indian Standards panel addressing MICE and exhibition standards in 2022. This is a useful example of bringing operating experience into a formal industry discussion. The work was collective, and any account of its final impact should refer to the committee record and the standards adopted.
Within ICPB, I have advocated consultation with government and a broad range of industry stakeholders. The Bureau’s collaboration with ITPO for the 2026 conclave is an association-level example of cooperation during my term. I value the cooperation that brings public institutions and commercial members into a common professional forum.
TFT: Beyond your regular responsibilities as Honorary Secretary, are there any initiatives, ideas or efforts that you personally championed to strengthen ICPB or advance the Indian MICE industry? Please share the story behind them.
Sudeep Sarcar: Beyond the responsibilities of office, I have sought to contribute an operating perspective to the industry’s professional conversations. My experience includes both the services that bring people to an event and the infrastructure that receives them. This encourages me to look at the full participant experience when discussing the development of India’s MICE sector.
The public record includes my involvement in exhibition standards discussions through IEIA and participation in industry forums on event execution and venue readiness. During the pandemic period, I took part in a Conventions India discussion on adapting event delivery to changed conditions. Such exchanges matter because practical knowledge can be useful beyond the organisation in which it was developed.
My advocacy for a stronger ICPB secretariat reflects the same concern for continuity and practical service. The value of an association should be evident in its ability to respond, connect members with relevant expertise and sustain work between major meetings. I see continuity, responsiveness and practical cooperation as central to that role.
TFT: You bring extensive experience across the convention, exhibition, events and entertainment industries. Which experiences, achievements or industry relationships from your professional journey have been particularly valuable in contributing to ICPB’s growth?
Sudeep Sarcar: My career has allowed me to see business events from several operating positions. International Travel House provided experience in the travel-services environment. At Sahara, the official record of the Ninth Asian Symposium on Information Display in 2006 identifies me as its Event Manager. My work with IMTMA included responsibility as Process Owner of IMTEX, while AEPC brought fairs, exhibitions and export promotion into my remit.
I joined IEML as General Manager in May 2011 and became CEO in June 2018. The venue’s portfolio during my service has included the 2013 Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting, WHO FCTC COP7 in 2016 and UNCCD COP14 in 2019, alongside major industrial and trade exhibitions. My current role also encompasses the development of our own event portfolio.
These experiences help me understand how an event’s commercial purpose connects with the practical requirements of buyers, delegates, organisers, hotels and service providers. That is the perspective I bring to ICPB. It helps me relate destination promotion to the practical commitments that members make when they bid for and deliver an event.
TFT: You have previously expressed a vision for a stronger, more independent ICPB secretariat. What progress or important steps have been made towards this vision during your tenure, and what would you like to build on next?
Sudeep Sarcar: The direction I have publicly advocated is a stronger professional secretariat that can work with continuity, drawing on the expertise of a diverse board and stakeholders across the MICE industry. It should be capable of carrying institutional knowledge forward and supporting members between formal meetings.
My published statement establishes that priority. A responsible assessment of progress should now be based on the Bureau’s staffing, resources, systems and service record. I would not describe the vision as fully implemented without those measures.
The next stage should translate the direction into a practical operating plan considered by the Board. Useful elements would include clear responsibilities, a register of member enquiries and actions, a maintained record of bidding opportunities, and periodic reporting on delivery. The purpose is an institution whose effectiveness can be assessed through the quality and continuity of its services. The scope and pace must reflect the Bureau’s resources and collective decisions.
TFT: Looking ahead, what are your key priorities for ICPB in the next term, and what specific initiatives or outcomes would you like to deliver for its members and the Indian MICE industry?
Sudeep Sarcar: The priorities I would put forward for discussion are a more capable secretariat, stronger member services and a more systematic approach to convention opportunities. Each should be expressed in practical work that members can see and assess.
First, I would propose a clear service and responsibility framework for the secretariat, with a record of requests, follow-up and resolution. Second, I would support a structured convention-opportunity register that distinguishes prospective events, qualified leads, bids submitted, bids won and events delivered. Third, I would encourage regional engagement that connects emerging destinations and smaller service providers with experienced organisers and venues.
I would also propose practical knowledge-sharing based on real cases in contracting, destination readiness, venue operations and delegate services. Member success stories should be recorded with consent and supported by evidence.
These proposals would need to be developed with the Board and membership, with resources and responsibilities agreed before targets are announced. My preferred measure of progress would be useful services delivered and opportunities followed through, rather than the number of meetings or announcements alone.
TFT: Given your leadership role at IEML, what contributions or initiatives have you undertaken that have benefited not only IEML but also the wider exhibitions, conventions and MICE industry in India? Please share specific examples and outcomes.
Sudeep Sarcar: My industry involvement extends beyond venue management through service in ICPB and IEIA, including my earlier role as Vice President of IEIA and participation in its work on MICE and exhibition standards. These roles provide opportunities to address issues that affect organisers, venues and suppliers across the industry.
IEML’s event activity also connects with a wider service network. International congresses and trade exhibitions create requirements for accommodation, transport, catering, technical services and other suppliers. Hospitality-focused exhibitions bring buyers and suppliers into the same commercial setting, while export-oriented events connect Indian businesses with market opportunities. These are institutional platforms supported by many partners and teams.
My contribution is best described through the responsibilities I have held in developing and operating such platforms, together with my participation in industry forums. I would not assign an unverified rupee value to their wider economic impact. For a fuller account, event-level supplier participation, hotel room nights, delegate movements and verified member outcomes should be recorded separately from venue revenue and organiser estimates.
TFT: Is there any other achievement, contribution, professional experience or important detail that you would like us to highlight as part of your leadership journey? Please feel free to add anything you believe the ICPB voting members should know.
Sudeep Sarcar: The aspect of my journey I would most like members to understand is its breadth. I have worked in the travel and conference-services environment, with an industrial association, in export promotion and in venue and event leadership. Each stage has shown me a different part of what makes business events succeed.
I value the practical work that sits behind a successful gathering: understanding its purpose, preparing the venue and services, coordinating the organisations involved and responding when circumstances change. It is work carried out by teams, and its quality depends on the contribution of many professional disciplines.
I would bring that perspective to association service. I would like members to see the practical experience behind my current role and the importance I attach to cooperation across the industry. The contribution of colleagues and partners has been central to that journey.
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