Bharat Mandapam in Delhi to be open for bookings after G20 in September

Officials said three government events will be hosted at the venue before it is handed over for the G20 summit preparations in the first week of August

The new International Exhibition cum Convention Centre (IECC) or “Bharat Mandapam”, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday at the Pragati Maidan complex, will open for event bookings from the second week of September, according to officials aware of the matter.

The complex displays themes related to Indian culture and heritage through the interiors. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Pegged as India’s biggest MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) destination, Bharat Mandapam is built over 123 acre and the halls have a capacity to accommodate over 10,000 people. The venue, under the aegis of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), is set to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit on September 9 and 10. It was under renovation since 2017.

“We are opening the centre for events and the bookings will start after the G20 summit in September. We cannot make direct comparisons, but it is definitely among the largest such convention centres in the world,” said Sunil Barthwal, Union commerce secretary.

Officials said three government events will be hosted at the venue before it is handed over for preparations of the G20 summit in the first week of August.

The centre is spread across three levels or floors based on the “Make in India” theme with traditional Indian décor and high-tech audio-visual technology. The lowest floor, or L1, has 18 rooms of varying capacities.

“This floor has conference rooms for 50, 100 and 200 people and VIP lounges. Most important meetings happen in smaller rooms,” said Pradeep S Kharola, chairman and managing director (CMD) of ITPO which owns and manages Bharat Mandapam. The second floor, or L2, has two large halls with a fixed seating capacity of 600 and 900 each and a summit room with a round table seating space for at least 85 people. This floor also has a large lounge area adjoining the summit room that can be used as a conference room.

The third floor, or L3, has a large main hall with a capacity to host 4,000 people and an adjoining amphitheater that can seat 3,000 people. Both these spaces can also be combined to host an event for over 7,000 people.

“The complex displays themes related to Indian culture and heritage through the interiors. The carpets across the centre are from Kashmir and Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh. The artworks outside the summit room are miniature paintings from Rajasthan. There are six panels of various textiles from across different parts of India outside the VIP lounges,” said Kharola.

The CMD added that the new convention centre can accommodate 1,000 vehicles at the surface parking and another 4,000 in underground parking lots.

Following a tendering process, ITPO has allotted the centre’s catering service to ITC and facility management to Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis, a global real estate service provider firm. The complex was redeveloped under NBCC (India) Limited by the construction firm Shapoorji Pallonji.