by  Mugdha Gaonkar Industry Watch | March 13, 2023 | Interview

World Trade Center Rupa Naik

Equipped with world-class venues for Trade, Social and Academic Programmes, World Trade Center Mumba i has emerged as a forerunner in promoting international trade and development. Located strategically in South Mumbai, these impressive venues are spacious, multi-purpose and adaptable to host any events.

In an exclusive interview with EVENTFAQS Media, Rupa Naik, Executive Director of World Trade Center shares insights, the Center's vision, various facilities provided to host events, challenges faced and more.

Can you briefly introduce WTC Mumbai’s vision and mission?

WTC Mumbai is the first WTC in India, established in 1970, to fulfill the vision of eminent engineer and statesman Bharat Ratna Sir Dr. M Visvesvaraya who dreamt of a world class industrial research and trade promotion organization in Mumbai.

In the last five decades, WTC Mumbai has pursued Sir. M. Visvesvaraya’s vision by striving for excellence in trade services and facility management. It is a matter of pride that WTC Mumbai has been awarded Certification in service quality standards by the World Trade Centers Association, New York across all the business services and facilities in 2022.

WTC Mumbai’s commercial premises are occupied by financial institutions, state industrial development corporations, Corporate Houses, public sector undertakings, start-ups and MSMEs.

As early as 1970s, WTC Mumbai planned world-class commercial facilities by anticipating the growing demand from the MICE industry. WTC Mumbai is one of the premier members of the World Trade Centers Association, New York that connects more than one million businesses across various sectors.

WTC Mumbai promotes international trade and investment by organizing around 60 trade events annually to facilitate MSMEs, start-ups and women enterprises. 

Sustainable practices are strongly embedded in its facility management and trade services in pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. As part of this initiative, the Center recently installed state-of-the-art solar roof top panels, composting plant for waste management, PET Bottle crusher machine and Eco-bins for recycling electronic devices, besides sewerage treatment plant (STP) which has been functioning since inception. 

We have learnt that WTC Mumbai offers multifaceted venues for versatile events. Can you highlight some of the facilities for hosting events?

WTC Mumbai is a mini-commercial city within the city as at any given time, there are at least 10,000 people, including office staffs, shoppers and guests visiting the complex. 

WTC Mumbai’s venues are fully furnished and well equipped to cater to the demands of MICE industry, besides academic, social, and cultural programs.

The multi-dimensional commercial facilities at WTC Mumbai are so designed to host events ranging from exhibitions to conferences, board meetings, arbitrations, wedding-receptions, and commercial shoots.

WTC Mumbai’s Convention-cum-Expo Center, located in the Arcade, is spread across 27,000 sq feet and is ideal for hosting exhibitions, conferences, consumer fairs, product launches, trade shows and wedding-receptions. The venue can be customised to suit the size of the event.

The Expo Center is centrally air conditioned, fully equipped with all facilities with ample parking space. It has a 1,700 sq. ft. Crush Hall that can be used as an extension area by exhibition organizers to showcase prominent products.

The 14,000 sq feet Garden Lawn in the vicinity of arcade is ideal for outdoor programs, food festival, cultural events, and many outdoor campaigns. The Van Gogh 360 painting exhibition held recently received overwhelming response from art enthusiasts and the general public.

The 32-storey Center I Building with centrally air-conditioned system has several venues for hosting trade and corporate events. The South Lounge, a pillar-less meeting hall admeasuring 6,000 sq feet, can host conferences, small-sized exhibitions, academic programs, and social events. The 3,000 sq feet North Lounge adjacent to the South Lounge serves as an additional space for exhibitions and other events held in South Lounge. The North Lounge can also be used independently for product promotion events.

Another area for conferences and large meetings is Centrum admeasuring 8,000 sq feet, which is located on the first floor of Center I Building. It is a pillar-less room fully equipped with all the amenities along with additional area for catering and VIP lounge. This meeting room can be customised to hold small events for 100-150 delegates/participants.

Further, the Board Room, Committee Room and Jasmine Room serve as venues for arbitrations, office meetings, training programs, board meetings and other corporate events. The Jasmine Room is part of the Business Center in the 1st floor, while Board Room and Committee Room are in 31st floor.

What makes WTC an ideal venue for holding various social and corporate events?

The very name WTC signifies a multi-dimensional trade development and facilitation organization. Hosting trade programs in WTC not only gives prominence to the program but also gives wide visibility across the world as WTC Mumbai is the member of the World Trade Centers Association, New York which represents millions of businesses across diverse sectors. WTC Mumbai’s venues offer a panoramic view of the Arabian sea. The Center promotes all its trade events on social media platforms and also among its associate members and tenants to garner large scale footfall.

WTC is an iconic brand offering world class commercial facilities, located at Cuffe Parade, the prime business district of Mumbai, with close proximity to scenic tourist spots and star hotels. The commercial facilities combine convenience with excellent ambience and professional services to make your event a grand success.

WTC Mumbai is well connected to the suburbs through rail and road infrastructure. The upcoming metro rail network will further boost connectivity to the rest of the city.

The Commercial facilities are centrally air-conditioned and equipped with 24x7 support and technical services, including security arrangements, housekeeping, CCTV surveillance, car parking, fire, ambulance service on call and Wifi. Apart from these services, there is a Business Center, store rooms for valuables, separate ladies and gents toilets on every floor, separate elevators for visitors and freight, a cafe and a fine dining restaurant in the arcade.

With the objective of providing major impetus to safety especially in the post-Covid era, how well is the venue equipped to ensure safe and secure events? 

WTC Mumbai follows strict government protocols on health and safety. There is a professional team of housekeeping staff to ensure that the premises and facilities are safe and hygienic. There are a dozen elevators, each with a capacity of 10-15 persons to avoid crowding.

What kind of regional, national and international conventions/meetings/trade shows have been hosted by WTC Mumbai?

Since the eighties, WTC Mumbai’s facilities have been the preferred choice for hosting corporate events, exhibitions, state government & central government programs, besides events of academic institutions. It also provides a very conducive milieu for cultural events, including culinary, trade shows, arts and education shows. For the last three decades, artisans from across India have been participating in various exhibitions through government agencies.

WTC Mumbai has hosted chess fair, regional abilympics, cultural and entertainment programs, besides trade fairs and corporate events. One of the recent events that became widely popular is the Van Gogh 360 painting expo.

What are the various challenges faced by the venue in initiating and conducting these events and how do you cope up with them?

There is a professional team for overseeing all the facilities, maintaining its upkeep and handling all the challenges. Priority is given to maintain law and order in the premises and assuring clients a state-of-the-art support. Stall designing & construction, fire safety, house-keeping, security, HVAC and air conditioning personnels are always stationed to ensure safety and smooth functioning of exhibition and other programs.

What are your future plans? Any major events are in the pipeline?

As WTC Mumbai completes more than 50 years of service to trade and industry, a Center of Excellence has been established to mark this milestone. This Center of Excellence aims to offer business acceleration support to MSMEs, women entrepreneurs and start-ups and conduct skilling programs for economically weaker sections of the society. This Center of Excellence and all the future initiatives of WTC Mumbai will be geared to promote the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Inclusive Growth Agenda of the Indian government.

In an exclusive interview with EVENTFAQS Media, Rupa Naik, Executive Director of World Trade Center shares insights their vision, various facilities provided to host events, challenges faced and more.

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Founded in 2007, EVENTFAQS Media is a muti-channel platform focussed on the events, entertainment and experiential marketing industry.