Whatever you want to call it—City of Pubs, Garden City, India's Silicon Valley, or, as it's now officially known, Bengaluru—Bangalore is a place that showcases the best of India.
A thriving IT industry, exotic food and shopping, spiritual sights that show the depth of one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and a slew of top-notch hotels make Bangalore hard to beat. As a matter of fact, Bangalore was picked as the best place to do business in the wired world by CNNMoney.com editors last year.
The easiest way to get here—at the time of this writing—is the nearby HAL Airport. Set only six miles from the city center, it's the fourth-busiest in India for both domestic and international flights. Opening May 11, however, is Bengaluru International Airport, which promises to make travel here easier than ever.
For in-town transportation, planners and attendees should be happy to hear that a subway system is slated to debut in 2011 to help ease traffic congestion. In the meantime, auto-rickshaws are a fun way to get around and taxicabs are plentiful.
Everyone from HP and Intel to Microsoft and Sun has a presence here, and with big high-tech companies come world-class meeting, eating and sleeping choices.
When it comes to hotels, most of the properties here have business centers and meeting space. The Hotel Harsha and Convention Center is an 80-room property with ample meeting space, and the NIMHANS Convention Centre is a favorite for large high-tech events.
To see why Bangalore earned the "Garden City" nickname, visit Lalbagh, a botanical garden spread over 240 acres. Or, checkout the 300-acre Cubbon Park, constructed in 1864 by Lord Cubbon. Ulsoor Lake, set in the center of the city, is dotted with a number of small islands. Thanks to Bangalore's elevation and mild weather, this is one of the best cities in the country for a stroll in the park.
The must-see spiritual sight here is Gandhi Bhavan, dedicated to the teachings and life of Mahatma Gandhi. No matter what the religious beliefs of your group, everybody can appreciate the peacemaker that drove out the British Empire.
Planners would be shirking their responsibility if they didn't also investigate the "Pub City" and "Gourmet City" monikers. The two streets that figure prominently in many a pub crawl are MG (the main strip in Bangalore) and Residency. For food, anything a global business traveler could want is here, from the ubiquitous pizza to fine international cuisine. Bangalore specialties include a lot of vegetarian masalas and mangalore—dishes with spicy fish as their centerpiece.
For your attendees, going all the way to Bangalore and just bringing back a souvenir t-shirt won't do. Shopping specialties include traditional silks--famous throughout all of India for their quality—and sandalwood carvings, another hot commodity the area is famous for. Besides the usual assortment of souvenirs, the Gucciest and most upscale brands on the planet are also here.
No matter what nickname you find best fits the city, chances are your attendees will call it a great place to meet and an awesome introduction to the shiny new India of the future.
