KOCHI: October 29, 2023, will be remembered as a day that changed the lives of many -—and not for the better. One casualty of the twin blasts at the Jehovah’s Witnesses prayer meeting, which left eight dead and several injured, has been the Zamra International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Kalamassery. Since the blat, the event venue, which saw good business year-round, has seen a drop in revenue. The tragic incident has blighted its reputation.
Speaking to TNIE, Nishaf, manager of the convention centre, said, “People hesitate to hold auspicious functions here.” In the immediate aftermath of the blast, 26 bookings were cancelled. “We lost around Rs 80 lakh in revenue. Ramadan used to be followed by plenty of bookings for various functions. That too has stopped, “ he added. The months from October used to be a packed schedule for the convention centre.
A further hit has been the drying up of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) bookings from companies based in Infopark. “We used to get a lot of such bookings. But, now the companies are giving us a wide berth. And we can’t blame them. Nearly all IT companies have their head offices in the US, the UK or other European countries. Once they find out what happened at the centre, they issue a stern no,” said Nishaf.
He points out that despite the drop in bookings, expenditure remains high. “The convention centre is seven to eight years old and we have to carry out maintenance work. Then there are the salaries of employees.”
But, Nishaf adds, “Things are slowly picking up. Since August, we have been receiving bookings for wedding ceremonies and parties. For December, we have around eight bookings. We hope the tide will change and things will turn around in 2025.”