Land of PCOs

I’ve been able to survive the European winter by going to the south of India around the turn of the year. It was heavenly warm over there around New Year. 28 degrees Celsius on average. In Hyderabad I was introduced to the Indian Meetings Industry for the first time in my life, more specifically, to the only Indian purpose-built convention centre and to a lovely meetings host. Her name is Preeti Sood. She’s marketing & communications manager at HICC, or Hyderabad International Conference Centre, where ICCA will hold its annual congress in 2010.
Preeti showed me the new airport that’s being built - a unique project - and the Novotel airport hotel that’s also under construction - her new working environment in 2008! And I’ve been travelling through the new Hightech City of Hyderabad for half a day. You don’t know what you’re looking at! But there’s one thing I can see: now I roughly know how India’s Meetings Industry of tomorrow will look like.
But I didn’t know that India had the largest number of PCOs. Everywhere at the side of the road they’re announced. ‘Look, there’s another one!’ Preeti kept on saying. ‘Where?’, I replied all the time. ‘There’, she kept on saying. And another one, another one and another one… Private Communication Office or Private Call Office! Nice try, Preeti!