Powerhouse of commerce and trade and home to the world's largest film industry ("Bollywood"), vibrant Mumbai is India's commercial capital with a cosmopolitan appeal. Here, Indian hospitality is at its best, with Mumbai event venues in demand at this time when India is developing as Asia's second-largest economy after China.
Mumbai is easily accessible and geographically well located midway between Europe and East Asia. The Mumbai International Airport, one of India's busiest, saw more than 29 million passengers last year. The airport is currently upgrading with the new terminal building T2, which, once complete, will accommodate 40 million passengers per year.
Among the largest convention venues in Mumbai, Bombay Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) is Mumbai's largest permanent exhibition complex, with four halls occupying over 45,000 square meters of meeting and exhibition space. BCEC is ideally situated: within 10 minutes from the international airport and a 20-minute drive from the heart of the city, with numerous hotels, entertainment activities, retail shopping and sightseeing spots in its proximity.
Hotel venues in Mumbai include the 583-room Renaissance Mumbai Convention Center Hotel, which is close to the airport and has 17 meeting rooms that are spread across 23,255 square meters; its grand ballroom has a meeting space of 1,208 square meters, with a seating capacity of 1,800. Other hotels with meeting facilities include the 245-room Orchid, Asia's first certified eco-friendly 5 Star hotel, with a meeting space of 6,850 square feet; the 547-room Grand Hyatt, with 3,500 square feet of meeting space; and the 565-room Taj Mahal, with 11 meeting rooms.
Dining choices for Western groups are many in leading hotels. For smaller meetings groups of 40, Indigo, set in a Colonial house, serves modern European food. Vie Deck and Lounge caters to events and is known for its mixology concoctions and eclectic food. The Gordon House Restaurant outdoor banquet terrace, The Patio, is designed for barbecue parties and can accommodate large groups.
Mumbai's architectural beauty is evident from the buildings, structures and historical monuments, offering various options for post tours and venues for theme dinners. Regular excursions to the 6th-century Elephanta Caves start daily from the Gateway of India. (Groups can also relish a private boat bash while sailing past the city's Gateway of India.) The sprawling 743-square-meter heritage Tote building (where bets were placed at the Royal Western India Turf Club at Mahalaxmi) has become the banquet space of choice for many meeting planners.
To complete the Mumbai experience, it would be a folly to let delegates miss out on a Bollywood tour that includes a visit to a live shooting in the studio. Lastly, just a 40-minute flight away from Mumbai, planners will find Portuguese-influenced Goa, India's best beach destination, to be an ideal breakout for a meeting.
