BELGRADE, FEBRUARY 8 (ONASA-OTS) – The World Trade Centers Association® (WTCA®) – an international trade organization that connects over 300 World Trade Centers® (WTC®) locations in nearly 100 countries – and World Trade Center Bangalore will host 54 .of the annual WTCA Global Business Forum (GBF) in Bangalore, India from March 3-6.
WTCA is presenting its rebranded Global Business Forum (formerly “General Assembly”) in India for the first time, and special attention will be paid to the B2B aspect of this gathering. The rebranding additionally highlights the basic WTCA mission of “connecting companies on a global level”, by directing efforts towards strengthening the presence of members in international trade and their integration into various global supply chains.
The central annual meeting of this association will bring together WTCA members and their global networks consisting of leaders in the business, government, academic and media sectors and leading international organizations – reflecting the diverse global influence of WTCA. Over 80 WTCA members from 30 countries/territories have already confirmed their participation. Among them are representatives from Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, mainland China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Palestine, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Syria, Taiwan, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam and Yemen, as well as several WTCA members bringing delegations to participate in B2B networking at the meeting.
The theme of this year’s forum is “Strengthening progress through innovation and cooperation”, and the event itself includes speeches by participants and panel discussions, including a special address by Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah and a welcome speech by Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka D.K. Shivakumar on Monday, March 4.
Deloitte General Manager for South Asia Romal Šeti will present the theme of this year’s forum and the report on the results of Deloitte’s research entitled “India as an investment destination”. Other prominent speakers include M.R. Jaishankar, Executive Chairman of Brigade Enterprises Limited, who will address the participants in the opening speech along with John E. Drew, Chairman of the WTCA Board of Directors. Moderators and panelists on the topic of AI and technology startups, exports, agrotechnology and real estate are: Nirupa Šankar, one of the general directors of Brigade Enterprises Limited and Brigade REAP, Remi Svab, vice president of the WTCA Board (WTC Panama); Uma Redi, vice-president of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce, Prashant Gokle, president of Bühler Group India Private Limited, Pavitra Shankar, general director of the company; Nareš V. Narašiman, partner and chief architect of Venkataramanan and Associates (VA); Dr. R. Šrinivaš, expert in smart cities, and Dr. Tuan An, Director of IT and Experience at Becamex (WTC Bin Duong New City).
“This year’s GBF will not only showcase India, and particularly Karnataka, as an emerging global investment destination, but also strengthen relationships between industry leaders,” said Vinet Verma, General Manager of the World Trade Center Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi and a newly appointed member of the WTCA Board of Directors. . “This is an exceptional opportunity to speak with leading innovators and invest in India’s growing economy – supported by our dynamic and skilled workforce.”
The forum will showcase the strength of the global WTCA network, foster business relationships and highlight investment opportunities in Karnataka in 12 different industrial sectors: Agriculture and Food Processing, Auto Industry, Aviation and Astronautics, Biotechnologies, Education, Heavy Machinery, IT, ITeS – in electronics, manufacturing, real estate and construction, technology startups, textiles and clothing, and travel and tourism. In partnership with the Bangalore Chamber of Commerce (BCIC), this gathering will provide on-site B2B networking, networking attendees from around the world with business opportunities in the state of Bangalore. The entire GBF program is available here.
India is the world’s fifth largest economy in terms of nominal GDP and the third largest in terms of purchasing power parity. Often referred to as the “Silicon Valley of India”, Bangalore is known as a center of cutting-edge progress and innovation. GBF’s strategic location in Bangalore will provide WTCA members and attending delegates with the opportunity to get to know the dynamic and fast-growing business environment of this region.
“India is experiencing rapid economic growth, accompanied by an increasing need for commercial infrastructure and global business connectivity. That is why our network achieved enormous growth in this country in the previous decade. With 40 members representing India’s largest cities and contributing to India’s sustainable development, we have the second largest membership in the country today,” said John E. Drew, Chairman of the WTCA Board of Directors. “Bangalore’s entrepreneurial spirit makes it ideal for fostering synergies and finding lucrative business opportunities in one of the world’s most promising economic regions.”
GBF participants testify to the continuous growth of our Association
The Global WTCA Business Development team, led by Robin van Puyenbroeck, Executive Director of WTCA Business Development, proudly welcomes the newest members from around the world every year at the WTCA Global Business Forum, the most prominent event in our organization’s calendar.
Perspective and new members can feel that they have a strong and reliable global partner within the WTCA, through the evaluation of the economic and business potential of the host region in an atmosphere of trust and cooperation.
I would be delighted to welcome new European licensees to the upcoming GBF, to witness the growing strength of our global community and our mission of an international ecosystem of global connections in an increasingly changing economic paradigm, said Danica Milovanović, WTCA Business Development Leader for Europe.
For more information on the 2024 WTCA Global Business Forum, visit https://wtca.swoogo.com/2024gbf/4132448. You can also follow the meeting via social networks via #WTCAEvents.