Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 24: US-headquartered Vertex Group has entered India's Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) segment with the launch of Vertex Travel, committing an initial investment of Rs 75 crore to develop an integrated business travel and MICE platform, the company said on Monday.

Vertex Group founder and president Gagan Arora said the investment will be deployed over the next 18 months primarily towards technology, talent and network development.

The company will assess client acquisition, repeat business, revenue quality, programme profitability, customer satisfaction, technology adoption and the scalability of its operating model. Arora said the group is prepared to increase investment if Vertex Travel demonstrates the expected market traction and business performance.

The immediate focus will be on establishing a strong presence in priority segments, building a high-quality enterprise client portfolio and developing repeatable business across meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions and managed corporate travel, he said.

Vertex Travel plans to establish operations across India's major commercial centres while gradually expanding into emerging business and industrial hubs. The company also intends to strengthen its international network across Asia, the Middle East, CIS markets and Europe to support Indian companies travelling overseas and multinational organisations bringing business programmes to India.

The entry into the business travel and MICE segment forms part of Vertex Group's broader 'Vertex 2.0' strategy, aimed at strengthening its global capabilities, integrating its businesses and developing a scalable operating model for the next phase of international expansion.

The group has appointed Vikram Malik as chief growth officer of Vertex Travel. With experience in the travel and hospitality sectors, Malik will lead the vertical's growth strategy, industry partnerships and client engagement as the company expands its presence in India's corporate travel and MICE ecosystem.

Arora said the company aims to secure a meaningful share of India's organised enterprise MICE market by 2030 and establish Vertex Travel among the country's leading integrated platforms in the segment.

Vertex Group marked its 10th anniversary with the addition of Vertex Travel to its portfolio. The group now operates across 10 specialised business verticals, including Vertex Global Services, Vertex Next, Vaani Infosystem, Vertex Tech, ILC Solutions, Vertex Learning, VSilverleaf, DK Vertex, T Ventures and Vertex Travel.

The group has set a long-term target of building a workforce of more than 10,000 employees, developing a global network of 100,000 professionals and creating one million opportunities worldwide. It also plans to build a Rs 1,000-crore global enterprise services business as part of its growth roadmap.