The Jio World Convention Centre, supported by the Maharashtra Convention Bureau and with ICCA as Knowledge Partner, has launched a Conference Ambassador Programme to bring more international congresses and business events to Mumbai.
The initiative will recruit prominent association leaders and industry experts from across India to champion bids within their professional fields. Ambassadors will identify potential conferences, mobilise local support, contribute specialist knowledge to bid proposals and present Mumbai’s case to international decision-making bodies.
JWCC will manage the bidding process, relationship-building and destination marketing, while a dedicated grant will help cover eligible costs such as bid preparation, overseas travel and site inspections. Selected ambassadors will also receive pitch coaching, promotional support and access to government and industry networks.
Sanjay Khandare, Additional Chief Secretary for Tourism at the Government of Maharashtra, said: “Winning these events is about much more than bringing delegates to our cities; they create platforms for knowledge exchange, professional collaboration and innovation, while generating wider economic value across sectors.”
The programme builds on the work of the Maharashtra Convention Bureau, India’s first state-led convention bureau, which was announced at IMEX Frankfurt in 2025. It also arrives as India continues to advance in the ICCA rankings, moving from 37th position in 2022 to 26th in 2025.
Since opening in 2022, JWCC has hosted international events spanning finance, education, technology, agriculture and sustainability. Its future pipeline includes the International Congress on Occupational Health and FDI World Dental Congress in 2027, the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology Congress in 2029, and the World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in 2030.
Open to active association members and industry professionals based in India, the programme represents a longer-term strategy to combine local expertise, international networks and destination support. Its central idea is simple: the people most closely connected to a profession are often best placed to persuade its global community to meet in Mumbai.