India's Premier
Highway Engineering Summit
From 22nd to 25th November 2018, Refuge Events had the privilege of designing and delivering the 79th Annual Session of the Indian Roads Congress — hosted by the Public Works Department of Maharashtra at the Divisional Sports Complex, Mankapur, Nagpur — the apex national gathering of India's highway engineering community.
Founded in 1934 on the recommendations of the Jayakar Committee, the Indian Roads Congress is the premier technical body of highway engineers in the country. The 79th Annual Session was the fourth time Nagpur — the spiritual home of road planning in India through the historic "Nagpur Plan" of 1943 — was hosting the prestigious gathering, after 1984, 1997 and 2010. The Session was inaugurated by Hon'ble Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways & Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari on 23rd November 2018, and brought together over 3,000 scientific engineers, road development experts, IIT researchers, construction entrepreneurs and dignitaries from across India and abroad — across four days of technical sessions, an IRC-Yuva session, a technical exhibition and a cultural programme by renowned singer Ashok Hande.
What We Were
Up Against
Union Minister Protocol
Coordinating the protocols of the Union Minister for Road Transport, Maharashtra PWD Minister and senior central and state officials — with multi-agency security clearances across every supplier and crew member.
3000+ Delegate Flow
Designing parallel session flows, registration, networking and exhibition movement for over 3,000 engineers and academics across four days — every touchpoint engineered for clarity and pace.
Technical Programming
Building four days of technical sessions, IIT research showcases, IRC-Yuva tracks, public exhibitions and a cultural finale into a coherent, energised programme.
National Media Spotlight
Hosting national infrastructure media, regional press and PIB simultaneously — designing media risers, broadcast feeds and a press briefing room without disrupting protocol or delegate flow.
How Refuge Events
Made It Happen
We approached the 79th Session as a national-level technical summit demanding state-event precision. Working in close coordination with the Maharashtra PWD organising committee — chaired by Chief Engineer Shri Ulhas Debadwar with Shri Ramesh Hotwani as local organising secretary — and the offices of the Union Minister and PWD Minister, every decision passed through three filters: protocol, technical depth and delegate experience.
Strategic Discovery & Programme Mapping
Workshops with the Maharashtra PWD organising committee and IRC secretariat to chart the four-day programme — plenary sessions, parallel technical tracks, IRC-Yuva and the cultural finale.
Venue Design & Build
Transformed the Divisional Sports Complex at Mankapur into a 4-day conference precinct — main plenary hall, multiple breakout rooms, a large-format technical exhibition area and dedicated delegate networking zones.
Technical Production
Deployed broadcast-grade AV across the plenary and parallel halls — large-format LED walls, multi-camera live IMAG, recording infrastructure and dedicated press broadcast feeds.
Delegate Experience
Designed an end-to-end delegate journey — pre-event registration, on-site check-in, branded delegate kits, hospitality across four days, and a cultural evening featuring Ashok Hande's troupe.
Flawless Execution
A 75-person on-ground team operating across four full days through synchronised rehearsals and live D-day runs — every cue, escort and ceremonial timing precise to the minute.
Captured Moments
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
Results That
Speak for Themselves
The 79th IRC Annual Session set a new benchmark for national technical congresses in India — flawlessly delivered across four days, telecast nationally, and warmly received by delegates from across the country and abroad.
Refuge Events delivered a national session worthy of the Indian Roads Congress's stature. From the inaugural ceremony to the parallel technical sessions, from the exhibition to the cultural finale — every element was disciplined, considered and genuinely world-class.
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)