The Sector V complex. Picture by Pabitra Das

Complete Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) access, video conferencing with dual data and visual streaming. Internet protocol lines and ISDN catering, acoustic solutions with digital signal processors to cut out voice echo and disturbance....

This September, Calcutta will get its largest air-conditioned banqueting arrangement outside star hotels, accommodating over 1,500, and incorporating the latest in communication technology, in the heart of the IT district.

Housed in the upcoming RDB Boulevard complex off Infinity Towers in Sector V, which will also have a three-screen multiplex by Fame, the 17,000-sq ft Ivory Banquets is the latest venture from PDK Shenaz Hotels Pvt Ltd, owners of the Ivory and Shisha brands.

“The idea is to create an international conferencing facility capable of catering to the ever-surging demand for video and data streaming. This allows corporate houses to cut down on travel costs and hold live meetings involving multiple branches in their very own city — translating into huge savings. The conferencing is interactive and allows voice, video and presentation data streaming, all of which are not available in any banquet facility in east India,” says Arvind Bhatnagar, executive director (operations), PDK Shenaz Group.

The banqueting facility can be divided into three halls of varying sizes, which interconnect according to the guests’ requirements. “The property is strategically located in the midst of leading IT firms like Cognizant, Wipro, IBM and Capgemini — who are already part of our elite clientele,” says Nitin Kohli, director of the PDK Shenaz Group.

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) feels the facility will plug a need gap for fine banqueting in Calcutta’s cyber-zone. “There should be more such banqueting and conferencing options in Sector V, a provision the authorities should have built into the concept plan of the IT district,” observes Rajesh Mishra, president of the federation.

For the techie clan, the project promises exclusivity and privacy. “We are often forced to hold our in-house gatherings in five-star hotels for want of any suitable place in Sector V which can accommodate the numbers involved. A top-end dedicated banqueting and conferencing facility in the IT domain will surely satisfy the needs of many companies like ours,” says Saikat Halder of Cognizant Technology Solutions.

Besides corporate conferencing, Ivory Banquets also aims to cater to a large social segment. “Our locational advantage gives us a huge catchment comprising New Town, Rajarhat, besides the large residential community of Salt Lake and the Kankurgachhi area,” says Arvind.

The management is working overtime to ensure a launch in early September and capitalise on the peak season commencing in October. With “top-notch designers and overseas kitchen consultants”, the overall intention is to create a banqueting model different from the traditional marriage-house model, stresses Nitin.

Equipped with an interactive kitchen, table-top dishes and an “artistic curved ceiling”, Ivory Banquets also offers other “smart features” like “smart intello lighting”, flushed projectors, automated drop-down screens, synchronised speech, music and acoustic speakers.