- By Brand Desk
- Thu, 06 Aug 2026 07:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JNM
While Maharashtra works to build its credentials as one of the top MICE destinations in India, the Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, is working to develop world-class convention infrastructure, destination marketing, and policies to attract major business events and destination weddings. Maharashtra Tourism also reinforced its vision by partnering as the Principal Partner in the 17th edition of WOW Awards Asia 2026, which took place on 3rd and 4th July at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.
Using one of Asia’s biggest platforms for the experiential, MICE, live entertainment and wedding industries, the Department highlighted the strengths of Maharashtra’s tourism sector and promoted its convention destinations to thousands of delegates and exhibitors from 25 countries.
Visionary Government Leadership Leads the Way
The convention was initiated by Sanjay Khandare, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, and Mangesh Joshi, IAS, Director, Directorate of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, along with Tanuja Pandey, Advisor & Senior Consultant, Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Santosh Rokade, Deputy Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Vijay Powar, Deputy Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra (Acting Managing Director, MTDC on the occasion of the convention), and Santosh Jadhav, Joint Director, Directorate of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra.
"Maharashtra offers an unrivalled blend of first-rate infrastructure, a unique cultural heritage, and an excellent private-public partnership. It is our vision to make Maharashtra the leading choice of destination for tourism, conventions, and international business conferences in India."
Conversations Driving India's MICE Future
One of the important sessions at Day One was the WOW Garage session titled "India Rising: The Meetings Hub of Tomorrow - Infrastructure, Vision & Opportunities," organised by Maharashtra Tourism. It was moderated by Prateek N. Kumar and the speakers were Anju Gomes, Senior Regional Director – Middle East, ICCA; Mayur Gujar, Senior General Manager, Jio World Convention Centre; Tanuja Pandey, Senior Consultant & Advisor, Maharashtra Tourism and Maharashtra Convention Bureau; and Vijay Sharma, Executive Director, JWC India & Southeast Asia.
The conversation revolved around the growing prominence of India in the world of MICE and how Maharashtra played its part in shaping the Indian business event environment.
Pavilion of Maharashtra Tourism Exhibits the State's Wide-Ranging Attractions
Through the convention, the presence of Maharashtra Tourism was felt strongly through venue branding and its own pavilion during the Asia Experiential B2B Expo. The pavilion was used to present the experiences offered by Maharashtra in terms of tourism, conferencing, destination weddings, luxury accommodation, heritage tours, coastal tourism and investments, as well as networking and doing business.
The Maharashtra Tourism Pavilion turned out to be one of the major venues for networking in the convention with the arrival of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Government of India; Himgauri Aher-Adke, Mayor, Nashik Municipal Corporation; and Rajdeep Sardesai, Senior Journalist and Consulting Editor, India Today Group, among others from the Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra.
Some other important guests that were present at the pavilion include prominent leaders from the hotel industry, the tourism industry, and the experiential sector like Deepak Choudhary, Promoter & Curator, WOW Awards Asia; Mohomed Morani, Founder & Managing Director, Cineyug and Dome Entertainment; Nikhil Nair, Morani Group; Ankur Kalra, Managing Director, Vibgyor Experiential and General Secretary, EEMA; Sushma Gaikwad, Co-founder, ICE Global & Wizcraft MIME; Pramod Gaikwad, CEO & Partner, ICE Global; Puneet Narula, Business Head, Jio World Convention Centre; Rakhee Kankaria, EEMA; Girish Vasudev Kulkarni, Founder, Temple Connect; Rutika Channawar, Founder, Quebetta; Emre Kirazci, Bahrain Tourism; Naveli Deshmukh, Youth Ambassador, Maharashtra Tourism, and many more.
The above-mentioned interactions depicted the strategy of Maharashtra Tourism to develop strategic collaborations and make the state of Maharashtra India’s destination of choice for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions), Mega Events & Luxury Weddings.
Celebrating Cultural Tourism of Maharashtra
Moreover, the convention highlighted the potential for cultural and spiritual tourism of Maharashtra in the keynote address by Himgauri Aher-Adke, Mayor, Nashik Municipal Corporation, about the importance of Simhastha Kumbh Mela – one of the largest spiritual gatherings in the world.
"Not only is the Simhastha Kumbh Mela a festival of devotion, but it also gives us a chance to present our culture and hospitality of Nashik and Maharashtra to the whole world." The discussion focused on how Maharashtra manages to organise mega events and yet retains its rich culture and tradition.
Launch of the Maharashtra Convention Bureau
The MCB was one of the most important announcements made during the course of the conference, launched by the Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra. Having been created as an institutional platform, the Bureau will initiate and drive Maharashtra’s campaigns in securing national and international conventions, exhibitions, corporate events, and incentive travel programs. In coordination with other organisations such as convention centres, hotels, airlines, destination management firms, and industry associations, the Bureau will aid in securing international events and making Maharashtra India’s leading MICE destination.
The Bureau shall also push for convention-ready cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Konkan to assist in driving business tourism, creating employment opportunities, attracting investment, and aiding in long-term tourism development of the state.
Positioning Maharashtra on the Global MICE Map
By adopting proactive policy measures, being a thought leader, setting up an impressive exhibition pavilion, launching the Maharashtra Convention Bureau and interacting with stakeholders representing more than 25 nations, Maharashtra Tourism was able to achieve its purpose of positioning the state as India’s top MICE destination by leveraging WOW Awards Asia 2026.
In addition to acknowledging the pioneering role played by Maharashtra in the business event and experiential tourism industry, the Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, was awarded the Best State for MICE, Weddings & Live Events award from Ramesh Patil, Business Head, EVENTFAQS Media at WOW Awards Asia 2026.
The award was received by Mangesh Joshi, IAS, Director, Directorate of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, on behalf of the Department, in appreciation of the sustained efforts by the State in providing world-class MICE infrastructure and destination weddings & live events ecosystem.
The convention proved itself to be a clear example of the efforts made by Maharashtra to create a competitive tourism landscape for the country by having a perfect blend of great infrastructure, culture, industry collaborations, and innovative steps to foster further growth in the tourism and MICE sectors.