mice | BANGALORE
Bangalore Buzz India’s high-tech hot spot bustles with meetings and events. BY RICHARD NEWTON
MODERN AND HISTORIC:
(Left to right) Turret Room at The Leela Palace, The Oterra Hotel meeting space and boardroom, and the Mysore Palace PHOTOS: © THE LEELA PALACE BENGALURU, © THE OTERRA HOTEL, © NOPPASIN WONGCHUM | DREAMSTIME.COM
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globaltravelerusa.com
BEFORE WE START, we need to address the issue that overshadows every visit to Bangalore (officially known as Bengaluru).You’ll find yourself talking about it, worrying about it and, most of all, in it. Traffic. It’s the bane of the city’s life. There are no quick fixes, and it’s getting worse. In 2016 the city’s average traffic speed was 12 mph; by 2017 it fell to 10 mph, the worst in India. Sometimes you’ll get a clear run and make good time, but the average results from the equal number of times you’ll grind along at walking pace, or not move at all. You’ll encounter the worst bottleneck at Silk Board Junction, south of the central district, which, unfortunately, you must negotiate to and from Electronic City,
SEPTEMBER 2018
Bangalore’s IT hub. A Metro rail link is due for completion in 2022, and a heli-taxi service has been proposed between Electronic City and the international airport (reducing to a few minutes the 15-mile journey which currently can take three hours or more). But for now, every appointment and every schedule comes with the proviso: traffic permitting. The city’s premier MICE facility, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre lies northwest of downtown. It’s not entirely immune to traffic issues (allow 30–60 minutes to reach it from downtown); but once you’re at the 57-acre site, you’ll be in a bubble of efficiency. The four main exhibition halls offer flexible layouts and, in addition, nine conference halls feature capacity for meetings of between 20 and 1,400 people. A food court offers a choice of high-end restaurants and fast food (including Subway and Domino’s Pizza). No international hotels exist in the immediate vicinity of BIEC. Most delegates opt to stay downtown, especially on or close to the city’s main axis, M.G. (Mahatma Gandhi) Road. Options include The Ritz-Carlton, which itself features a flexible range of meeting venues; The Oberoi, offering staff dedicated to planning corporate events; and the Golden Lotus Boutique Suites, with palatial, colorful rooms ideal for respite between meetings and the hurly-burly of the city streets.
