Bangalore holds promise for the delegation from the IT department office on Camac Street

With the who?s who of Indian and global IT industry trooping down to the Karnataka capital in the first week of November, Bengal?s B-team is busy finalising its strategy for mission Bangalore.

Led by state IT minister Manab Mukherjee, the three-member Bengal contingent will take part in IT.Com, billed as Asia?s largest information technology exposition.

?The interest in Bengal has never been higher and we could feel the bullishness while fixing appointments for the minister. Given the interest levels, we think it is the right time to talk to prospective investors and showcase the strengths of the state,? state IT secretary G.D. Gautama said on Thursday.

Around 250 to 300 top-notch IT companies and 15 overseas delegations will take part in the seventh edition of the five-day meet, between November 1 and 5, which will host an exhibition of latest technologies and several sessions on issues facing the IT industry.

Gautama, along with S.K. Mitra, managing director, Webel, will accompany Mukherjee to the meet, organised by the Karnataka government and Software Technology Parks of India.

Nasscom, Confederation of Indian Industry, VLSI India and International Data Corporation among others are supporting the event.

?It is the biggest IT event in the country and it draws representatives from all the stakeholders of the industry and gives a great opportunity for networking,? explained Gautama.

Besides making its presence felt on the 25,000 sq m fair ground with a Resurgent Bengal pavilion, the team members will use the conference podiums to pitch hard for the state.

?We have also fixed appointments with the heads of 10 IT and IT enabled services companies. The minister will call on the CEOs at their offices,? said Gautama.

The list of companies include names like IBM, Texas Instruments, Ness Technologies Services, Tesco Hindustan Services Centre, IGate Global Solution, Logica, 24X7, Sasten Communication and Axa Business Services.

?We are working on the presentations that the minister will make during his one-to-one meetings with the CEOs. This format of marketing had helped us in attracting investment in the past and we expect the dream run to continue,? signed off Gautama.