Exhibition World Supplements India Supplement | Page 6

India
the growth of the sector.
“Exhibitions,” Nagendra Prasad
says, “have become an integral part
of almost all major initiatives by the
current government, whether that be
‘Make in India’, ‘Start Up India’, ‘Skill
India’ or other such initiatives.”
Does the IEIA President think
there is good scope for international
organisers to enter the Indian
market?
“There is a great scope for that. Set
at the confluence of rapid growth, the
exhibition industry in India has the
potential to be a large market.”
India’s B2B segment is well backed
by industry bodies and they support
the development of a variety of
sectors. Therein lies great scope for
large-scale exhibitions.
“The exhibitions sector offers a
level playing field for indigenous
and international organisers,” says
Nagendra Prasad. “There is vast scope
for partnerships and collaborations
between Indian and international
players. The entrance of new players
will only add to healthy competition
among all players.”
One question asked is how ready
India is in terms of hi-tech venue
facilities and infrastructure to attract
the large-scale exhibitions?
Nagenda Prasad says that India has
17 major venues across the country
that can host large tradefairs. Most,
he says, are equipped with latest hi-
tech facilities which can support any
format of a show from large to small
and B2B to B2C.
Technological disruptions are fast
impacting all spheres of life. Does the
IEIA President see this as a threat for
the face to face exhibitions?
“Technology in the events
and exhibitions sector is rapidly
advancing. AR, VR and AI are the
new normal of the industry today
in India as well as across the globe,”
he says. “We don’t see this face–to-
face medium being affected with
the technological advancements
in the medium term. The human
touch and feel is important to build
and maintain trust and credibility.
6
Supplement
“2018 saw 553 professional
tradefairs organised in the country,
taking up 4.9m sqm of space.”
Germany is the best example of
this as almost 60% of their national
business is generated through
exhibitions.” New and fast changing
technology has actually helped the
exhibition market to boom, Narendra
Prasad believes.
So, how exactly is the IEIA
supporting the industry players?
Nagendra Prasad replies that as
the national apex body of the Indian
exhibition industry, IEIA represents
all the segments of the industry in
the country, embracing organisers,
service providers and venue owners,
with 220+ exhibition industry players
in membership. “The association,”
he says, “brings together all the
stakeholders of the sector, so that
there is a common platform available
to the entire industry to consider
ways and means for the sound and
scientific development of various
facets of the industry.”
Nagendra Prasad also points out
that IEIA has been progressively
supporting the exhibition industry
through its many initiatives
including advocacy campaigns,
training programmes (like Certified
in Exhibitions Management - CEM),
business networking events, Women’s
Leadership Forum, CXO Summit, and
many more.
The flagship annual event, the IEIA
Open Seminar, brings together key
international and national exhibition
industry professional players for
knowledge sharing, providing a
quality platform for building a strong
network for their businesses.
“IEIA is also proud to collaborate
with 19 international exhibition
bodies which facilitates a meaningful
platform for its members to expand
their networks with members of
those partner associations,” the IEIA
President adds.
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk