Although led by YP Trivedi, director of Reliance Industries, the delegation's other members were from significantly smaller companies for whom it was an attempt to tap international opportunities.

The delegation came here by way of London and was also scheduled to visit Washington, Chicago, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Accompanied by Phyllis B Koerner, a vice consul from the US Consulate in Mumbai, the delegation held a number of roundtable and one-to-one meetings at the Indian Consulate here on November 5.

"If I had come on my own, even if I could afford to, I would not be able to meet so many businessmen," said Manohar Bhatia of Indo-Overseas (Sales) Corporation, a manpower exports firm.

He said his company helped fill 500 to 2,000 jobsmostly in the Gulf countries, but was now looking for fresh opportunities in the United States of America.

Even though Bhatia has no experience in headhunting for technology firms, or for that matter with US immigration laws, he said he hoped to find proper advice and partners.

Notan Valecha of Nutan Advertising Agency and Gool Engineer of Selvel Publicity & Consultants, who sells hoardings and other forms of advertising space in several cities and towns in India, said they were offering low-cost advertising for foreign companies that do business in India.

However, some United States businessmen, who attended the roundtables, were disappointed.

"It is badly organised," said Daniel Mohan, who heads a New Jersey consulting firm interested in setting up power projects in India.

For Mohan, it was a waste of time as he was unable to meet anybody interested in infrastructure projects.