You’ve got to be doing a lot right to thrive for decades in the fast-moving meetings industry, and New Delhi-based CIMGlobal is one such success story. The conference organizer and association management company, which now has more than 100 employees and offices in Amsterdam, Abu Dhabi, and Johannesburg, South Africa, is celebrating two decades in business this year. We caught up with the company’s CEO Prasant Saha to get some perspective on the anniversary.
MeetingsNet: Looking back on the people you’ve brought together over the last 20 years, what have you learned about conference attendees that you didn’t know when you started the business?
Prasant Saha: Twenty years back, conferences were monologue based. There was a speaker and an audience, with little room for engagement. Over the last 20 years, the industry has evolved, and with it the expectations of the attendees. Attendees are not merely interested in coming to a conference to get knowledge, but they want deeper engagement, and the ability to ask questions, network, and collaborate.
MeetingsNet: Your business has grown significantly in the past two decades. What do you see as critical to leading change in a conference planning organization, and what advice would you give to others?
Saha: In the past two decades, our industry has transformed itself drastically, and to be on top of the game, companies such as ours need to focus on a content-driven, rather than an execution-driven, approach. Clients are looking for tangible value, not just production. As a conference organizer, we should take a more consultative role and ensure that a conference reaches its goals, both in terms of business and social responsibilities.
MeetingsNet: What might someone be surprised to learn about you?
Saha: I love cooking; it is such a stress buster.
