Hyderabad Gets New Convention Centre

Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) which opened this month is billed as India's largest and first purpose-built convention facility. Developed by Emaar Properties, one of the largest real estate development company, which is managed by Accor, an international group in travel, tourism and corporate services, HICC is aimed at establishing the city as India's leading convention and exhibition destination.

Andhra Pradesh provincial government co-owns HICC with Emaar. HICC offers convention and event organisers 2,91,000 square feet of primary meeting space with a capacity to seat 5,000 delegates, 250,000 square feet of pre-function areas supported by 32 break-out rooms. This can be increased to accommodate 6,500 delegates for special events. The Centre is equipped with state-of-the-art automated facilities and the latest audio visual technology, and is already attracting marque events including the Asian Development Bank meeting scheduled for May 2006. Accor operates conference centres in many key cities around the world including London, Paris, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro. In the Asia Pacific region, Accor has some 200 hotels with significant conference facilities, and the group has managed one of the region's largest and most successful conference centres - the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre - for over a decade.

Accor is also scheduled to open its first new-built Novotel hotel in India adjoining HICC in March 2006. HICC and the hotel is part of an aggressive expansion for the group in India.