GIM 2019 to kick off sans showstoppers, IT focus

But according to industry observers, the absence of a showstopper on the likes of the late TN CM J Jayalalithaa or a tech savvy leader such as AP CM Chandrababu Naidu, has led to GIM not garnering the buzz of events like the recently concluded Vibrant Gujarat Summit. The latter saw the participation of four international heads of state and the industry honchos like Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Deepak Parekh and Aditya Birla. 

Taking stock of the effort and the expectations of organising an event of such magnitude, it is learnt that occupancy levels in marquee hotels have not peaked as compared to the maiden edition held in 2015, where as many as 1,000 hotel rooms were booked for the event. 

A hospitality veteran told DTNext, “In the first edition, there was a 10 to 12 per cent surge in occupancy with guests and delegates from across the world making a beeline for Chennai a week in advance. But this time around, we do not see that level of activity as barely 10 to 15 rooms are being booked in several major luxury properties.” Another bone of contention among industry insiders is how IT, a stronghold of TN, has been sidelined with no software specific sessions. “We are not celebrating the stellar IT companies including the unicorns and Soonicorns. We don’t even have a session on software, though it generates employment for over four lakh people here,” said an industry veteran. Over 35 roadshows, including 15 in India, were held for the GIM, the thrust was on manufacturing and not IT. 

The GIM, which commences in a grand manner from Wednesday, has raised expectations from almost every quarter, which anticipates the two-day business extravaganza to offer a bounty of investments to TN.

However, trade and commerce bodies hailing from the state that have been instrumental in linking thousands of companies and the government, are feeling neglected as many of them haven’t even been able to garner access passes to the prestigious event.

The South India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI), MCCI and FICCI are just some of the industry bodies that seem to have been overlooked during the process of invitations being sent out for GIM 2019. According to sources, smaller bodies like the Tamilnadu Small and Tiny Industries Association (TANSTIA) have procured passes on their own accord, having not received special access for the same, the first time around.

An industry observer told this newspaper, “The previous edition of the GIM in 2015 saw the participation of almost every industry chamber and association, based out of Tamil Nadu. This time, the participation from these associations will be next to negligible as no one has even been kept in the loop, with respect to receiving delegate passes.”

Somi Hazari, Board Member, SICCI and Senior Advisor – India, Transnational Strategy Group, recalls his experience at the recently concluded Vibrant Gujarat Summit, saying, “Members of industry bodies who had registered for the summit had their passes delivered to the offices. The USP of the summit was its ability to bring together as many as 180 industry chambers from the world over.”

He goes on to say, “The meeting saw the participation of international heads of states from Uzbekistan, Malta and Denmark, which reflected the massive planning and funding that had gone into the event.” Incidentally, Tamil Nadu was conspicuous by its absence, he laments, adding that GIM 2019 did not involve the industry chambers and associations in the run up to the event. Of course, the industry chambers, from their side have been going all out to showcase their respective state’s industrial prowess in as many forums as possible. Hazari tells us, “SICCI on Monday inked an MoU with the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GICCI) at the Vibrant Gujarat summit. By doing so, it joined the list of chambers that decided to unify as a single voice to promote business globally.”

He adds, “TN may not be lagging, but Gujarat also is not resting on its laurels. Its ability to focus on traditional markets to increase the scope of business opportunities is appreciable.” He noted that given the infrastructure of Gandhinagar, its execution skills of hosting a mega event is indeed remarkable.