Dignitaries at the launch of BCI in London

The Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi has partnered with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), to launch the Business Club of India (BCI). BCI seeks to fulfill its objective to market the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, and promote and facilitate business networking as well as showcase the country as a preferred business destination for the global business community.

According to a study by the KPMG, the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi is projected to have an overall economic impact on India amounting to about US$ 5 billion and will generate 2.47 million jobs in a four year span from 2008-12. Thus, the impact is expected to be larger than Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006.

The OC CWG Delhi 2010 has readied itself towards offering unique access, network, facilitation and opportunity for any business to participate in the Games and conduct business through well-structured events before and during the Games. BCI, through its partners, CII and FICCI as well as through a unique partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, seeks to fulfill its objective to market the Games.  

Through strategic partnerships with CII and FICCI, BCI has found favour with and valuable exposure to top level business audiences in India and overseas, helping it promote its objectives, garner visibility, support and enhanced networking bandwidth among the most important stakeholders.

India has emerged as one of the world’s leading and most resilient economies. The country coped successfully with the challenge of the recent economic and financial crisis and recession worldwide and registered 15 percent growth in the manufacturing sector. Even the most conservative projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate so far is estimated at close to 7-8 percent per year, whether it has been projected by leading economic authorities within India or by international institutions such as the Organisation for  Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank.  The BCI is a permanent forum whose activities would continue post Games time and the Club would continue to add value to promote economic relationships within the Commonwealth fraternity.

Coinciding with the launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi from Buckingham Palace by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the presence of the Honourable President of India Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, BCI was launched in London on 29 October 2009. It then organised a series of business road shows in the following key business destinations along the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi’s route, fostering business partnerships:

•    London with UK-India Business Council
•    Birmingham with Birmingham City Council
•    Glasgow with Business Club Scotland
•    Mauritius with Mauritius Tourism Authority
•    Johannesburg with Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( JCCI)
•    Toronto and Ottawa with Canada-India Chambers of Commerce
•    Melbourne with Australia-India Business Council), Austrade/Business Club Australia
•    Singapore Business Federation (SBF) in Singapore, Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia and Colombo

The Road Shows received a tremendous response for business tie-ups with South Africa, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. Top business leaders, corporate heads cutting across sectors such as Energy, Information Technology, Oil and Gas, Non-Conventional Energy, Tourism, Sports Industries, Luxury Goods, Cuisine and Food Processing attended the events.

During the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, the BCI events plans include Commonwealth Games Business Forum and Sports Trade Shows. With the exceptional success of the activities and the interest it has generated, BCI is all set to make a smooth transition into the preferred platform for doing business with India, especially around national and international sporting events. BCI is a vehicle through which the country’s business would be represented at the largest and the best of sporting mega events worldwide in 2010 and in years to follow.

Schedule of upcoming BCI events: