The 54th annual World Trade Centres Association® (WTCA®) Global Business Forum (GBF) in Bengaluru, India, was successfully concluded by World Trade Centre Bengaluru and WTCA®, a worldwide trade organisation that connects more than 300 World Trade Center® (WTC®) locations in almost 100 countries. Taking place from March 3–6, the five-day event brought together WTCA Members, international B2B delegates, and local Indian business delegates. The delegates were made up of leaders in the fields of business, government, academia, media, and international organisations. They were present to hear from chief dignitaries representing the state of Karnataka as well as important global experts; to discuss current trends in AI, agritech, and real estate; and to learn about India’s economic development.
To create new international business relationships and learn about business prospects in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and throughout India, around 300 guests from 36 countries and territories, along with 105 WTC businesses, came together. With the greatest attendance of WTCA Members at the annual event since 2017, the 2024 WTCA GBF represented the meeting’s inaugural event in Bengaluru since its rebranding, significantly boosting WTCA’s fundamental purpose, “Connecting Businesses Globally.”
With the theme “EPIC: Empowering Progress through Innovation & Collaboration,” the GBF featured speeches on India’s economic development, growth potential, and business opportunities from Sri. M.B. Patil, Minister of Large & Medium Industries, Infrastructure Development, and Hon. Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri. D.K. Shivakumar. Karnataka is the sixth-largest state in India and aims to grow at a sustained growth rate of 18% to become a USD 1 trillion economy by 2032.
In his felicitations, Sri. D.K. Shivakumar emphasised that Bengaluru’s membership in the World Trade Centres Association represents an enduring legacy of excellence and achievement. He also highlighted how the GBF would bring attendees together to collaborate, think collectively and visit significant locations in Karnataka, providing them with knowledge they could use to expand their businesses back home. In addition, Sri. M.B. Patil talked about how the government will use partnerships with tech firms to leverage Industry 4.0 technologies to drive automation and create AI-powered subscription goods and services. He also unveiled a new clean mobility policy that seeks to establish Karnataka as the leading location to produce electric vehicles (EVs).
The CEO of Deloitte South Asia, Romal Shetty, also delivered a keynote speech introducing the latest Deloitte study, “India as an Investment Destination and Scope of Karnataka.” M.R. Jaishankar, Executive Chairman of Brigade Group, and John E. Drew, Chair of the WTCA Board of Directors, were among the other distinguished speakers who opened this year’s premier annual event and welcomed GBF attendees to the state of Karnataka, also known as “One State, Many Worlds.”
With over 300 scheduled B2B meetings, the event provided on-site business-to-business matchmaking services in collaboration with the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC), connecting delegates with business opportunities in Karnataka and across the international market.
“The success of this year’s GBF in bringing together local Indian firms and WTCA Members from around the globe highlights our dedication to building globally integrated business networks. Since we concentrated more on B2B matchmaking and launched it as a new endeavour to deepen the business contacts we typically build during our annual events, Bengaluru was our choice to hold our inaugural GBF under the new name. The presence of a partner such as BCIC guaranteed the calibre of regional Indian business delegates for our guests to network with,” Mr. Drew stated.
The 2024 WTCA GBF ended with the formal announcement of the host for the following year. The 55th annual WTCA GBF is slated to be held by WTC Marseille Provence and take place in Marseille, France, on April 6–9, 2025.
