Dec - 2020 by exhibition showcase

Rs. 125

Dec 2020 Vol 8 Issue 05 Voice of Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Exhibition & Convention Industry

AWARDS FOR 57

Award Categories

Categories For Exhibition Organisers

Categories For Service Providers

Categories For Conference Organisers

Categories For Event Venues

EXCELLENCE EEA Ends 2020 On A Positive Note

Dear Readers, A warm welcome to the 5th Annual edition of the Exhibition Excellence Awards 2020. I would like to welcome our esteemed jury, nominating organisations, partners, industry leaders & professionals who are attending (virtually) this iconic event from various parts of the world. 2020 shattered many dreams & indeed destroyed many aspirations. We are about to close a year, that was extremely difcult on our industry. With physical events coming to a halt, our industry suffered huge set backs. Our industry is a handshake industry and we thrive on human relationships. Furthermore, both the exhibition industry and travel & hospitality sector, work hand in hand. And so, with this pandemic, we were the hardest hit. But it is no good brooding over our misfortune and talking about what all we have lost. We all We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey. Let us see what we did we gain in 2020!

M I C E Showcase

We gained experience

We gathered our thoughts

We united and embraced each other

We understood our human resources better and learnt to work remotely

And most importantly, we explored the virtual and understood its dynamics better. We gured out that virtual will only complement the physical, and it will be a crucial aid to us.

I believe that while it's hard to be optimistic during difcult times, we should think of it as our only weapon & use it to ght and eventually we shall nd our way out. Let's not just sit there waiting for the worst to happen because there's always one more thing that we can do. Well friends, Hope itself is like a star - not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, rather only to be discovered in the night of adversity.

PSU BUZZ

And nally, I remember a quote of St. Catherine, “To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his left and right hand. He uses both.” As a industry media we have put all our efforts to spread positivity and remain relevant in these hard times. We have served the industry with full conviction and we fervently believe that tough situations are to be braved with vigour and rm th faith. We now bring to you – the 5 annual edition of the Exhibition Excellence st Awards. For the very 1 time, we are not meeting face to face and we will dearly miss raising a toast to your glory & achievements. However, all said and despite that, we will continue to recognize the excellence in our industry and honour its true champions. EEA will continue to inspire the industry. At EEA2020, we have a supremely accomplished jury panel comprising of leading individuals both from the industry and outside it. We have also partnered with internationally renowned advisory rm – jwc GmbH to evaluate all the processes at EEA2020. The strength of EEA is reected from the fact that it is supported by The Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of MSME, The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, & National Small Industries Corporation besides leading national and international industry associations. We had 57 nomination-based categories for Exhibition Organisers, Conference Organisers, Service Providers and Event Venues. This year, we also have 2 special felicitations under the Editor's Choice Awards segment. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude towards our partners and sponsors who had rm faith and conviction in our vision and purpose, even in these hard times. The Exhibition Excellence Awards are a sincere initiative for the industry and I hope that you appreciate our efforts. With this, I wish you all a happy new year with positive hopes that 2021 will be a year of revival for our industry.

Stay safe and happy reading!

World Map - News From The World Of Exhibitions

Pg. 10-11

Pg. 12-17

Group Editor : Raghav Khosla Design : Firoz Accounts : Pappu Yadav

A Visionary Leader Departs For His Heavenly Abode

Pg. 12

Strengthening the LED supply chain by reconnecting business networks: LED Expo

Pg. 13

Aero India 2021 on track for February 3 take - oﬀ

Pg. 15

19th India International Mega Trade Fair kicks-oﬀ in Kolkata

Pg. 16-17

Winners Exhibition Excellence Awards 2020

Pg. 20-44

Interviews

Pg. 45-68

Global News

Pg. 77-84

Message from UFI President - Anbu Varathan

Pg. 77

UNWTO report reveals worldwide easing of travel restrictions

Pg. 78

Second part of UFI-Explori Global Recovery Insights 2020 report published

Pg. 80

Messe Düsseldorf closes the Covid-19 year 2020 with a turnover of EUR 119 million

Pg. 81-82

Leading photographic trade show in Cologne, photokina will be suspended until further notice

Pg. 83

ITB China announces two industry events in Beijing and Shanghai next year

Pg. 84

Europe The travel bans to France, Germany, Italy and non-European countries including Israel came as the latest ﬁgures showed the new variant of Covid-19 has led to a huge rise in cases, especially in London and south-east England. Ministers have admi ed that the latest lockdown measures could last for months and it has brought fresh cri cism from Labour and the prime minister’s own party about how the crisis has been handled, in par cular Saturday’s “extremely egregious” u-turn on Christmas gatherings.

U.S.A The United States marked the milestone on a day that offered a glimmer of hope: Front-line health-care workers began receiving the country’s first doses of a coronavirus vaccine. The injec on to Sandra Lindsay’s arm at Long Island Jewish Medical Center made her the first American to receive the coronavirus vaccine outside a clinical trial. The small dose of mRNA represented a giant leap in efforts to beat back the virus, a moonshot worth of hope amid a pandemic that has infected more than 16 million and killed more than 300,000 na onwide.

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South Africa The Restart Expo, which took place between Wednesday, 25 November and Thursday, 26 November at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec, aimed to be an opportunity for the collec ve industry to unite in demonstra ng to the authori es how exhibi ons and events can take place safely, with all the required COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place. "As an industry, we shouldn't be COVID-19 restricted, but rather COVID-19 managed," says Craig Newman, group chief execu ve oﬃcer of GL Events South Africa and former President of UFI, The Global Associa on of the Exhibi on Industry.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Russia Like neighboring China, which is struggling to reassure na ons tes ng its vaccines, Russia’s drive to convert what it calls a scien fic triumph into geopoli cal dividends has hit unexpected headwinds. President Vladimir Pu n has pushed the inocula on in calls with other world leaders since tou ng Russia’s approval of Sputnik V in August as the globe’s first Covid-19 vaccine. But many countries’ regulators have been unwilling to give Sputnik V fast-track approval - even as they welcome U.S. and European vaccines that first completed comprehensive trials.

China Global trade is booming — just without the U.S. The long-awaited China-EU bilateral investment treaty (BIT), for which talks have been ongoing for seven years, will come to a conclusion by the end of the year, China's ambassador to the European Union, Zhang Ming, has said. Also, On Nov. 15, in a virtual ceremony, 15 Asia-Paciﬁc countries signed the world’s largest freetrade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The signatory states account for 30 percent of global GDP — larger than NAFTA or the European Union.

Dubai Dubai starts a free vaccina on campaign from 23rd December 2020, using the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE. Pfizer and BioNTech have said their vaccine is 95% effec ve in preven ng the illness. The city’s media office tweeted, “Vaccina on will use PfizerBioNTech’s vaccine and is free of charge."

Australia Industry longs for return of ‘touch-see-hear’ events. A survey of over 700 AV industry respondents for ISE has found that 98% are missing face-to-face events, despite the rise of digital alterna ves. Some 42% missed mee ng and networking with people the most, 32% missed the live experience of products and 21% missed direct exchange with suppliers and customers.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

News Buzz

December 2020

A ViSiONARY LEADER DEPARTS FOR HiS HEAVENLY ABODE Tribute wri en by Raghav Khosla, Group Editor, Exhibi on Showcase

first met Mr. Behl in 2013 at one of the industry events, when i handed him a copy of Exhibi on Showcase magazine. His personal warmth resonated a sense of belonging and confidence in me. He saw the magazine and pa ed my back and invited me to visit his office some me. Soon i went to see him in his office and while si ng in the guest room i could see him addressing his team in the mee ng room. Though not being able to comprehend anything, i could s ll feel the mo va on! During our mee ng, he told me many useful things about how this industry works. I was very impressed by his office and how fondly (& professionally at par with MNC’s offices) he had created its look and feel. He told me that he is fond of philately, numisma cs and music. Born on September 10, 1944 in Delhi, he did his educa on from La Mar niere College, Lucknow and later Bachelor in History from Delhi University. He

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started his career in 1965 as the Area sales execu ve for India Foils Ltd., Calcu a and his last s nt was as the Director at India Interna onal Wool Secretariat, Bombay in 1984. He started his own business as a proprietary ﬁrm in the year 1987 and soon Exhibi ons India Group started to scale one height a er another. Ini ally, he took groups of Indian exhibitors to trade shows in Asia, then the rest of the world. Before leaving, he said that he would like to mentor me personally and he would always remain available for advice & guidance. You meet many people in your life but these are some of the things which you never forget about a person and what essen ally separate a person from another. Mr. Behl is globally recognized for his path-breaking and visionary contribu ons to the exhibi ons industry. Through his pioneering role, he set new standards to a ract unparalleled levels of foreign and domes c investment inﬂows, genera ng new employment opportuni es and changing lifestyles. Innova on was one of his core values. He launched his 1st tradeshow, which became iconic over the years – The Convergence India expo in 1992. Over

the years, EIG has organised over 100 interna onal trade shows including the crea on of some of the largest exhibi ons in the country. Their current por olio of expos comprises of the Convergence India (incl. Internet of Things India, Mobile India, EmbeddedTech India, Fintech India & Gamethon) and Smart Ci es India (incl. Buildings India, Clean India, Solar India, Transport India, Water India) series of expos, Chartered Ins tute of Logis cs & Transport (CILT) India expo, Global Economic Zones Expo & Conven on 2019, Indo-Russian Friendship Celebra on (IRFC) 2020, in collabora on with the Russian Embassy, India. Mr. Behl received several accolades during his decades of exemplary service to the industry. Under his guidance, the Exhibi ons India Group also received several na onal and interna onal awards in recogni on of its con nued commitment to the exhibi ons sector. Well, Mr. Prem Behl was a true leader in every sense of the word and he inspired many to work & excel in this industry, especially at a me when very few understood it!! The visionary leader le for his heavenly abode on the morning of 7 December, 2020 a er ba ling cri cal illness and lately Covid-19. His departure is a great loss to the industry but his legacy will con nue to live on. Exhibi ons India Group con nue to forge ahead with the vision of Managing Director, Chandrika Behl and Director, Dhruv Behl.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

News Buzz

December 2020

STRENGTHENiNG THE LED SUPPLY CHAiN BY RECONNECTiNG BUSiNESS NETWORKS: LED EXPO As India’s only exhibition that covers the entire value chain of LED industry, LED Expo has played a crucial role in keeping the LED supply chain knit together. Of total attendees at the 2019 edition around 90% visitors comprised key decision makers, depicting the sheer inuence of the platform.

he increasing preference towards energy-efficient electronics and rise in infrastructural ac vi es is bringing growth in the LED segment. India's goal to achieve '100% household electrifica on' combined with the ini a ve for affordable housing will also provide a fillip to Indian ligh ng sector in the coming period. While future demand is ample,

Exhibitors were able to generate key leads and build lucra ve connec ons as 90% of the a endees at the 2019 edi on were composed of key decision makers such as entrepreneurs, co-owners, personnel from the top-management as well as those heading the central management. The fair also enabled visitors to 13 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

Indian LED producers need to nurture a strong and well-integrated supply chain to outperform their compe tors and gain inﬂuence over the market. Over the years, Messe Frankfurt India through LED Expo Mumbai has con nued to connect players from across the value chain of ligh ng industry. The previous LED Expo (2019) edi on united 295 exhibitors and 10,221

expand their industry connec ons, resul ng into an integrated network of 12,18,393 second-degree connec ons, which speaks volumes about the inﬂuence of the pla orm. As per a survey conducted by Messe Frankfurt India, it was found that 88% of decision makers rely on exhibi ons to make purchase decisions and 92.6% buyers aﬃrmed

business visitors from across India (4,527 from the state of Maharashtra alone). The pla orm enabled players to exchange knowledge, build new networks and reconnect with their exis ng contacts, which industry currently needs to create a closelyknit supply chain and become more organised.

that touch and feel of products in coherence with face-to-face interac ons majorly inﬂuenced those decisions. The return of LED Expo Mumbai edi on from 20 – 22 May 2021 will be hotspot for the LED sector, where businesses can securely explore new innova ons and renew their business connec ons, collec vely strengthening the LED supply chain.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

News Buzz

December 2020

CONCRETE SHOW INDiA iS NOW WORLD OF CONCRETE INDiA A premium trade expo by Informa Markets in India that joins hands with the world’s largest and oldest concrete show rebuilding, developing and expanding business, we are delighted to be a part of the elite World of Concrete pla orm, while introducing its heritage, history and poten al to our domes c market. Over the years, the Concrete Show India (CSI) has been an able pla orm for the construc on and Infrastructure segment. As a part of World of Concrete, and keeping in mind the evolving requirements of the industry, our objec ve will be to enhance our customer orienta on and value proposi on towards this key sector.

nforma Markets in India, India’s leading B2B events organiser, has announced that its expo, the Concrete Show India (CSI), dedicated to the construc on and infrastructure sector, will begin opera ng under the name of World of Concrete India, the largest and oldest Concrete Show in the world. Organised originally by the erstwhile UBM India, the Concrete Show India has, over the years, been a niche pla orm focusing on core technologies, processes, applica ons, and prac ces in the construc on and Infrastructure segment. On the other hand, the World of Concrete India (WOC) is a global Informa Markets property that had originally been bought from Hanley Wood, before expanding its reach to China and Europe. The rebranding to World of Concrete India reﬂects both the evolu on of the show as well as its vision for the future with an op mal par cipa on from coveted brands and interna onal players. The country’s economy and the 14 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

construc on industry both have faced adversity following the COVID19 enforced lockdown. The shi to the World of Concrete brand is in sync with this movement in the market where the industry is looking forward to revival. According to an industry research, a sense of normalcy in the real estate and infrastructure industry is expected by Q2 2021, keeping in mind the announcement of the COVID-19 vaccine, decrease in number of COVID cases and the gradual global travel permissions. The World of Concrete India expo will take place at the Bombay Exhibi on Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai from 20th May to 22nd May 2021 in a physical format. Speaking on the new development, Mr Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India, said, “As part of Informa Markets in India’s focus on

The World of Concrete Las Vegas is the des na on for concrete and masonry professionals worldwide with more than 115 countries represented and World of Concrete India will surely benefit from leveraging the global brand for a greater number of key domes c and foreign manufacturers, networking, insights, educa onal programs, bimonthly newsle er, year-round website, www.WOC360.com, high octane, content–driven conferences. While the pandemic has caused a disturbance for the industry in India, a certain cau ous op mism is finding its way back, where addi onally, rural and semi-urban demand is poised to create some buoyancy for a return to the growth path in the next fiscal (2021-22). A number of new trends have come into play, such as safety measures, the labour situa on, cost control methods, and environment protec on, among others. This will enable WOC to play an important role in analyzing the currents of the industry.”

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

News Buzz

December 2020

UDAY SHANKAR iS PRESiDENT-ELECT, FICCI (2020-21) lead a na onal industry chamber such as FICCI, which is India’s oldest industry body.

r Uday Shankar is the President-Elect, FICCI for the year 2020-21. Mr Shankar will be succeeding Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI, and Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group during FICCI’s 93rd AGM on 11,12 & 14 December 2020. Mr Shankar is the President of The Walt Disney Company for Asia Paciﬁc and the Chairman of Star and Disney India. He is the ﬁrst-ever media and entertainment execu ve in India to

Mr Shankar presently leads Disney’s direct-to-consumer business in over 30 countries. He has been credited with the crea on of pathbreaking entertainment shows and bringing world-class sports broadcas ng to India. He also envisioned the digital transforma on of Star by crea ng Hotstar, which has now expanded globally as Disney+ Hotstar. In addi on to his leadership at Disney and Star, Mr Shankar has played a key role in shaping the growth trajectory of the media and entertainment sector in India, to beneﬁt industry stakeholders as well as consumers. He has been at the

forefront of landmark ini a ves in television broadcas ng, such as selfregula on of content and digi za on of the broadcas ng sector. He has earlier been the President of the Indian Broadcas ng Founda on (IBF) and the Chairman of FICCI’s Media and Entertainment Commi ee. A trained journalist, Mr Shankar also pioneered the development of the television news ecosystem in India. Prior to Star India, he was the CEO and Editor of Star News, the country’s ﬁrst 24-hour news channel. He has also been the Editor and News Director at TV Today Group, where he spearheaded the launch of Aaj Tak in 2000 and Headlines Today in 2003. Mr Shankar holds an MPhil in Economic History from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

AERO INDiA 2021 ON TRACK FOR FEBRUARY 3 TAKE - OFF

he Paris Air Show that was scheduled to be held in June next year may have been cancelled due to the Covid pandemic, but there is no change in Aero India 2021 schedule and the ﬁve-day event is all set to take-oﬀ on February 3. In the run-up to the air show, a webinar series started from Thursday with experts

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discussing “Joint Maldives High Level Defence Engagement.” Prepara ons for the biggest aerospace exposi on, the 13th edi on of Aero-India 2021 to be held at Air Force Sta on Yelahanka in Bengaluru are going on.

of Defence in conduc ng the show, said prepara ons for the event are going on as planned. However, keeping in mind the pandemic, there will be some changes as far as public par cipa on is concerned. Number of visitors to the show is likely to be restricted to avoid crowding. Some events are also likely to be held online.

“We are going ahead with Aero India 2021 and there is no change,” Kapil Mohan, Principal Secretary, Infrastructure Development Department told TNIE on Thursday. The senior IAS oﬃcer, who is closely coordina ng with various state government departments that are providing assistance to the Ministry

However, there are apprehensions over foreign ﬁrms a ending the show as many countries are experiencing the second wave of Covid. In the last edi on in 2019, 238 Indian and 165 foreign exhibitors had displayed their products, and about 4 lakh business and general visitors had a ended the event.

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News Buzz

December 2020

19TH INDiA INTERNATiONAL MEGA TRADE FAiR KiCKS-OFF iN KOLKATA •India Interna onal Mega Trade Fair being held from 23rd December, 2020 to 3rd January, 2021 development of the country. These fairs provide an ideal Launch pad for the exhibitors to showcase their products and services. Among other beneﬁts, these fairs provide the business houses and businessmen a face to face mee ng opportunity, which is seen as a perfect cost eﬀec ve, means for achieving trade objec ves.

9th Edi on of India Interna onal Mega Trade Fair began amidst the Pandemic and a new threat of Corona Virus Strain, when the World is trying to strike a new balance and revive the Global economy as a whole. The Inaugura on of the 19th edi on of India Interna onal Mega Trade Fair was a way forward in this direc on of New Normal. Organised jointly by The Bengal Chamber and GS Marke ng IIMTF is a tes mony and reﬂec on of the huge signiﬁcance of Trade Fairs and Exhibi ons for the economic 16 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

The 19th IIMTF organised by GS Marke ng is a worthwhile ini a ve in that direc on where there is 'something for everybody’. And what is noteworthy is that, despite Covid challenges, the organisers could put together this year's Trade Fair which should hopefully help small and medium enterprises and generate consumer demand and conﬁdence. Mr. Prakash Shah, Chairman & Mrs Suparna D. Gupta of GS Marke ng Associates, men oned, ’However,

given the global Pandemic, we have been extremely careful while undertaking the Fair, and are adhering to all Government protocols like maintaining social distancing, insis ng on Masks for all, taking adequate sani za on measures like making adequate provisions for Paddle Sani zers (150nos) placed at convenient loca ons, etc. Moreover, we are taking adequate measures so that there is a restricted number of guests and visitors who would be allowed inside the Tents at all mes as per Govt. orders.’ “In spite of Global Pandemic and obvious constraints and diﬃcul es arising out of COVID 19, we are having exhibitors from India and abroad. There are exhibitors from Ghana, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, Dubai & of course from all over India who have come together in

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

News Buzz

December 2020

this pla orm not only to exhibit their products but to network, engage and to ul mately grow economic values for the State and the Country. Exhibi ons being a leading Industry as an economic growth catalyst, we strongly believe that successfully organising the 19th edi on of The India Interna onal Mega Trade Fair in these COVID mes will go a long way in ins lling Business conﬁdence in the minds of the business houses from diﬀerent parts of the globe. While last year we had about 1200 stalls, this year, keeping in mind the safety protocols, we have been compelled to reduce the number of par cipants to around 380 stalls.” Popular companies represen ng products like Dry Fruits, Silver Jewellery, Processed as well as Dry Food Products, Leather products, Handicra products, Garments, Tex le products, Furniture, Ar facts,

Lifestyle products, Fitness and Health accessories, Kitchen and Chimney Products, etc. The Successful comple on of the Fair this year will help renew Business conﬁdence in the minds of both the par cipants and visi ng companies. Here are some details & sta s cs of the 19th IIMTF in Kolkata: Ÿ No of stalls : 380 Ÿ Interna onal par cipants : 105 stalls Ÿ 221st exhibi on of G S Marke ng Associates Ÿ 19th edi on of IIMTF Ÿ No of Pavilions - 10 Ÿ Main aisle - 50% Ÿ Pavilion aisle - 33% Ÿ Suﬃcient gap inside the pavilions Ÿ Masks are compulsory Ÿ Govt SOPs are being followed

As we all are aware about the pandemic covid-19 & it's health hazards. We cannot stop the virus from spreading but we can deﬁnitely take preven ve measures. Understanding the hour of need we at IIMTF have come up with safety measures like Hand sani zing paddle pumps were ﬁxed to mi gate the spread of virus. Also, free masks with ckets were provided. Entry by booking ckets on line through BOOK MY SHOW ON SLOT BASIS was one of the precau onary measures taken to avoid gathering. Mask free with every entry Sani zer tunnels Sani zer pedal stand 150 nos Physical distance maintained by keeping 2 mt gap a er every stalls Ÿ All covid 19 protocols norms maintained Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Covid norms followed:

Glimpses From IIMTF 2020

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Chief Guest At Eea 2020

Sh. Prahlad Singh Patel Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Tourism & Culture, India

Message मुझे ख़ुशी है की ए

िहिबशन शोकेस मैगज़ीन ने अपने सालाना पु

काय म को इस साल वचुअल की रा ीय और अंतरा ीय

ार

ेटफाम पे आयोिजत िकआ है. हम ये जानते ह

ापर को संचा रत करने क िलए ए

बोहोत मह पूण कड़ी है और इससे होती है. दो ो,ं मै ये भी जनता

वसाय टू र

की ये बेहद मु

िहिबशनस एक

को भी अिछ गित दान ल समय है पर ु हर रात क

बाद सवेरा ज र आता है और आपकी इं ड ी भी ज

हे एक बार पुनः जागृत

होगी. इस अवाड शो ारा आपकी यो ताओ को ो ाहन िमलेगा और मै आशा करता की भिव

मे आपके नर और ितभा और भी िनखेरगे. ये अवाड शो आपके

और आपकी इं ड ी की ए

ीलस को दशाता है और मै सभी िवजेताओ ं को

आशीवाद और मुबारकबाद दे ता

India's Iconic Awards Initiative

#EEA2020

For The Exhibition Industry Advisory Partner

Honoring The Best EXHIBITION ORGANISERS

Categories

CONFERENCE

annual

edition

ORGANISERS

Categories

SERVICE

29 DECEMBER 2020 3 PM ONWARDS (INDIA TIME)

PROVIDERS

Categories

Supported By Government Bodies, Ministries & Industry Associations

EVENT VENUES

Categories

Ceremony available on ES YouTube Channel #EEA2020

INAUGURAL CEREMONY Opening Remarks

Organiser's Message

Chief Guest Remarks Mr. Rajesh Agrawal Executive Director, ITPO, Chairman, India MICE Alliance

Mr. Kai Hattendorf MD & CEO, UFI

Mr. Balasubramanian S President, Indian Exhibition Industry Association

Vote of Thanks Mr. Raghav Khosla Group Editor, Exhibition Showcase, MICE Showcase, Association Buzz

Sh. Prahlad Singh Patel Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Tourism & Culture, India

Welcome Note

Key Note

Advisory Partner Note

Dr. Rakesh Kumar Chairman Advisory Committee, IEIA

Mr. V Anbu President, UFI

Mr. Jochen Witt President & CEO, jwc GmbH

Mr. David Duboiss President, International Association of Exhibitions and Events

Mr. Vincent Lim President, AFECA

Mr. Sunil More President, IESA

Mr. Amaresh Tiwari Vice Chairman, ICPB

Mr. Stuart Bailey President, Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association

Mr. P Udayakumar Director, (P & M) National Small Industries Corporation

Mr. Ravinder Sethi CMD, RE Rogers India

EXHiBiTiONS EXCELLENCE AWARDS ENDS THE YEAR ON A POSiTiVE NOTE

ver the last 5 years, Exhibi on Showcase has pulled together me culous research and rigorous benchmarking methodology, to honor the champions of Indian Exhibi on & Conven on Industry. As the Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020 was scheduled earlier in March but they had to be postponed last minute due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the 5th edi on of EEA 2020 had to be scheduled virtually. On 29th December 2020, Exhibi on Showcase brought together global industry leaders to reveal the winners in 57 nomina on based categories for exhibi on organisers, conference organisers, service providers and event venues. This year there were also 2 special awards under the Editor’s Choice category. A supremely experienced jury from diverse backgrounds and interna onally renowned exhibi ons advisory ﬁrm JWC did a me culous job in shortlis ng the ﬁnal grand

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winners at EEA2020. You can watch the virtual awards ceremony on Exhibi on Showcase’s oﬃcial YouTube channel. The show kick-started with the song Muskuraega India, which was envisioned by Exhibi on Showcase and released amid the pandemic to mo vate the fraternity as a 'Tribute to the Indian MICE Industry'; which is the catalyst to na on's economic growth and harbinger of business tourism. Chief Guest, Sh. Prahlad Singh patel, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Tourism Government of India, sent his video message to congratulate the winners at EEA2020 and expressed his best wishes to Exhibi on Showcase for playing a cri cal role in the industry. He reiterated that the role of exhibi ons is crucial in

a rac ng the business tourists na onally and interna onally. A Mega Ini a ve for the Indian Exhibi on Industry Over 800 exhibi ons are held in India across a wide range of industries, each year. Exhibi ons are the catalyst to the na on’s economic growth and they promote na onal ini a ves like ‘Make In India’, ‘Start-Up India’ & ‘Skill India’. Exhibi on Organisers, Service Providers and Venues work relessly to make events happen. The Exhibi on Excellence Awards are

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

an ini a ve to recognise the unsung heroes of the Indian exhibi on industry and to acknowledge their contribu on. The Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020 were

supported by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of MSME, NSIC, PHDCCI, Indian Exhibi on Services Associa on,

Indian Industries Associa on, Indian Conven on Promo on Bureau, Event & Entertainment Management Associa on, TCEI, PIOCCI and several other na onal industry associa ons.

Esteemed Jury Panel Interna onally renowned exhibi on advisory ﬁrm JWC Consul ng had been appointed as the Process Advisors & Evaluators for the Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020. An expert panel of jury comprising of leading professionals from diverse backgrounds was set up to oversee the nomina on process and make it completely fair and transparent. jwc is a management consultancy ﬁrm focusing on the trade fair and conference business as well as related business areas. jwc was founded in 2008 by Jochen Wi , former President & CEO of Koelnmesse and President of UFI. Over that last 10 years the company grew strongly and today jwc is ac ve in all relevant trade fair countries of the world.

PAUL WOODWARD Chairman, Paul Woodward Advisory

MATTHIAS TESI BAUR MBB Group Founder, Exhibition Think Tank

RAJNISH GOENKA National Convener, MSME Cell

MANJULA MISHRA Special Invitee – National Board on MSMEs

VINOD ZUTSHI Ex. Secretary,Ministry of Tourism

ALEXANDER STEDTFELD (LATE) Economic Counselor, German Embassy

SIDDHARTH GAUTAM Advisor, ASSOCHAM

SANJAY DATTA President, Skal International Asia

ASHISH GUPTA Consulting CEO, FAITH

SANJOY ROY Immediate Past President, EEMA

STUART BAILEY Chairman, HKECIA

HH MAHARAJA GAJSINGH President, Indian Heritage Hotels Association

NAAZNIN HUSEIN President, Indian Dietetic Association

RENU SHARMA Vice President, PIOCCI

ASIF IQBAL President, Indian Economic Trade Organization

DR. MAHAVIR SINGH Sr. Principal Scientist & Head, Acoustics & Vibration Metrology

MAHENDRA VAKHARIA Past President, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India

LEIGHTON WOOD CEO, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

TARANG KHOSLA Chief Editor, Exhibition Showcase

DOLLY AWATI Chairperson Program Deviprasad Goenka Management College of Media Studies

WiNNERS OF Exhibition excellence

awards 2020

EXHiBiTiON ORGANiSERS THE LEADiNG SHOW - FOOD, BEVERAGE WINNER

AAHAR - 2019 By ITPO AAHAR - The International Food & Hospitality Fair is a ďŹ&#x201A;agship B2B event organized by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the premier trade promotion body of the Government of India. The 35th edition, featured a wide range of food products, machinery, hospitality, Food and Beverage Equipment and Decoration items, and Confectionery items from over 750 participants from India and overseas.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - EDUCATiON WINNER

Educatus Expo - 2019 By S S Exhibitions & Media Pvt Ltd Educatus Expo is an interactive platform that brings together students and professional educational institutions, to help students make the best career choice. The Exhibition across 11 potential cities is an eďŹ&#x20AC;ort towards bringing together the aspiring talent pool and the Educational institutions under one roof. Educatus constitutes of more than 100 leading providers of professional education from both India and abroad.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - TRAVEL, TOURiSM WINNER

SATTE - 2019 By Informa Markets in India Established in 2006, Informa Markets in India host over 20 largescale events and 40 conferences across the country every year. Thisenables trade across a variety of industries and specialist markets frommanufacturing to food, hospitality, jewellery, healthcare & pharma,and transport & logistics. Informa combines with UBM in June 2018, to create a leading B2B Information Services Group.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE LEADiNG SHOW - ENERGY, INFRASTRUCTURE WINNER

Renewable Energy India - 2019 By Informa Markets in India Established in 2006, Informa Markets in India host over 20 largescale events and 40 conferences across the country every year. Thisenables trade across a variety of industries and specialist markets frommanufacturing to food, hospitality, jewellery, healthcare & pharma,and transport & logistics. Informa combines with UBM in June 2018, to create a leading B2B Information Services Group.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - PHARMA, CHEMiCAL WINNER

CPHI India - 2019 By Informa Markets in India Established in 2006, Informa Markets in India host over 20 largescale events and 40 conferences across the country every year. Thisenables trade across a variety of industries and specialist markets frommanufacturing to food, hospitality, jewellery, healthcare & pharma,and transport & logistics. Informa combines with UBM in June 2018, to create a leading B2B Information Services Group.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - SAFETY, SECURiTY WINNER

IFSEC India - 2019 By Informa Markets in India Established in 2006, Informa Markets in India host over 20 largescale events and 40 conferences across the country every year. Thisenables trade across a variety of industries and specialist markets frommanufacturing to food, hospitality, jewellery, healthcare & pharma,and transport & logistics. Informa combines with UBM in June 2018, to create a leading B2B Information Services Group.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE LEADiNG SHOW - ENViRONMENT, SUSTAiNABiLiTY WINNER

IFAT India - 2019 By Messe München India Founded in 2007 as wholly owned subsidiary of Messe München, Messe Muenchen India Pvt. Ltd. is one of the leading organizers of trade fairs in India, headquartered in Mumbai with oﬃces in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. bauma CONEXPO India, electronica India, productronica India, drink technology India, LASER World of PHOTONICS INDIA, Intersolar India/The Smarter “E” India, IFAT India, are some B2B trade fairs of MMI.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - ELECTRONiCS, TECHNOLOGY WINNER

electronica India and productronica India Expo By Messe München India Founded in 2007 as wholly owned subsidiary of Messe München, Messe Muenchen India Pvt. Ltd. is one of the leading organizers of trade fairs in India, headquartered in Mumbai with oﬃces in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. bauma CONEXPO India, electronica India, productronica India, drink technology India, LASER World of PHOTONICS INDIA, Intersolar India/The Smarter “E” India, IFAT India, are some B2B trade fairs of MMI.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - ENGiNEERiNG, INDUSTRiAL WINNER LASER World of PHOTONICS INDIA

By Messe München India Founded in 2007 as wholly owned subsidiary of Messe München, Messe Muenchen India Pvt. Ltd. is one of the leading organizers of trade fairs in India, headquartered in Mumbai with oﬃces in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. bauma CONEXPO India, electronica India, productronica India, drink technology India, LASER World of PHOTONICS INDIA, Intersolar India/The Smarter “E” India, IFAT India, are some B2B trade fairs of MMI.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE LEADiNG SHOW - FiTNESS, SPORTS WINNER

Fitexpo India - 2019 By G S Marketing Associates G. S. Marketing Associates, recently celebrated its Silver Jubilee Year. Organized over 215+ successful Exhibitions and Trade Fairs, the India International Mega Trade Fair is the ďŹ&#x201A;agship fair of G. S. Marketing Associates. Some of the fairs organized in the past include the famous: India International Mega Trade Fair, The Home & Decor Fair, The Tourism Fair, Toy Fair, Write Show, Property Fair, Food, Health & Fitness Fair, Home Front and many more.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - CONSUMER, HOUSEWARE WINNER

IIMTF Kolkata - 2019 By G S Marketing Associates The India International Mega Trade Fair is a leading Fair in India in terms of quality and business generated. The consumer fair focuses on innovative ideas in Lifestyle, Handicrafts and Handlooms, Electronics, Interiors, International products, Food, Automobile, Education & IT, MSME, Jute Products, Tourism etc.

BEST DEBUT SHOW WINNER

IIMTF Ahmedabad - 2019 By G S Marketing Associates G. S. Marketing Associates, recently celebrated its Silver Jubilee Year. Organized over 215+ successful Exhibitions and Trade Fairs, the India International Mega Trade Fair is the ďŹ&#x201A;agship fair of G. S. Marketing Associates. Some of the fairs organized in the past include the famous: India International Mega Trade Fair, The Home & Decor Fair, The Tourism Fair, Toy Fair, Write Show, Property Fair, Food, Health & Fitness Fair, Home Front and many more.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE LEADiNG SHOW - WELLBEiNG, BEAUTY WINNER professional beauty mumbai - 2019 By Ideas Exchange “The Ideas Exchange,” known as “IDEX” in India is a part of the global Trade Events Media Group which has been operating in the global exhibition and events industry across Europe, GCC, South Africa and Asia for over three decades. Professional Beauty has established itself as the credible platform, Professional Beauty Mumbai 2019, was spread in 15,000 Sqm attracted, 820 Exhibiting brands, 20,121 Trade visitors and buyers, 45 Live demonstration and conference sessions, 77 Experts Live performance and 35 Conference speakers.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - ENTERTAiNMENT, AMUSEMENT WINNER

Broadcast India - 2019 By NürnbergMesse India NürnbergMesse is one of the 15 largest trade fair companies in the world. Its portfolio covers around 120 national and international trade fairs and congresses at the Nuernberg location and worldwide. Worldwide, the NürnbergMesse Group has a network of about 51 representative agencies which are active in over 116 countries.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - ARCHiTECTURE, SMART CiTiES/HOMES WINNER

ACREX - 2019 By NürnbergMesse India NürnbergMesse is one of the 15 largest trade fair companies in the world. Its portfolio covers around 120 national and international trade fairs and congresses at the Nuernberg location and worldwide. Worldwide, the NürnbergMesse Group has a network of about 51 representative agencies which are active in over 116 countries.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR WINNER

NürnbergMesse India NürnbergMesse is one of the 15 largest trade fair companies in the world. Its portfolio covers around 120 national and international trade fairs and congresses at the Nuernberg location and worldwide. Worldwide, the NürnbergMesse Group has a network of about 51 representative agencies which are active in over 116 countries.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - TEXTiLES & APPAREL WINNER Garment Technology Expo - 2019 By Garment Technology Expo Pvt. Ltd Garment Technology Expo’s ﬂagship event, GTE, New Delhi is held in spring, annually. Started in 2001 with 87 participants and managing 4700 visitors, through the journey across 26 editions of progressive growth and consistent patronage, GTE is the South East Asia's most comprehensive Apparel production technology show. GTE Bangalore, having started in 2006 is held every alternate year.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - PRiNTiNG & PACKAGiNG WINNER

Printpack India - 2019 By IPAMA Established in the year 1988, Indian Printing Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (IPAMA), is the only Association which represents most of the sectors of the Graphic Arts Industry and Packaging. Printpack India showcases high-tech printing, packaging and converting machines. Spread in the gross area of 40,000 sq/m at IEML, the 14th PrintPack India 2019 witnessed the participation of more than 300 exhibitors.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE LEADiNG SHOW - WEDDiNG WINNER

wedding asia - 2019 By Excelsior Excelsior Public Relation is 13-year-old creative Event Management Company based at Ludhiana (Punjab). Their ﬂagship event - Wedding Asia is organised in multiple cities in a calendar year. Find the best designers at Wedding Asia. Shop from the most exclusive brands on board for any wedding day requirements.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - FASHiON, LiFESTYLE WINNER

India fashion week - 2019 By FDCI The Fashion Design Council of India is a not-for-proﬁt organization that works to further the business of fashion in India and ensure its sustainable growth. The FDCI’s calendar of events includes the bi-annual India Fashion Week (prêt) for Autumn-Winter in March and Spring-Summer in October. The 2019 version of the show was held from October 10-13 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Other than a iety of youthful and built up creators, 2019 edition, FDCI had presented the 'Originator Stockroom', a business-toshopper subject.

THE LEADiNG SHOW - AUTOMATiON, AUTOMOBiLE WINNER

Automation expo - 2019 By IED COMMUNICATIONS LTD Automation Expo is the biggest expo for the entire SouthEast Asian Region for showcasing the latest innovations and providing opportunities galore to network with the best of technical minds in the industry. There has been a phenomenal increase in the number and quality of exhibitors as well as visitors from across the globe. The 2019 edition of the show witnessed an overwhelming response of 1005 massive displays from exhibitors and an impressive footfall of 47894 visits.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE LEADiNG SHOW - TOOLS, MACHiNERY WINNER

IMTEX - 2019 By IMTMA The ďŹ&#x201A;agship event of IMTMA was started in 1969 and IMTEX was split into two, Metal Cutting and Metal Forming technologies, in 2009. IMTEX at present hosts only metal cutting machines and is held every alternate year during the odd years. IMTEX 2019, attracted exhibitors from as many as 26 countries including India and hosted more than 1250 exhibitors. The event also saw group participation from seven countries

TRADE MULTiPLiER SHOW WINNER

THE LEADiNG SHOW - PLASTiCS WINNER

IndiaPlast - 2019 By Triune Exhibitors TEPL is amongst few Indian exhibition organizers with a commendable track record of having organized over 46 Exhibitions involving several segments; like Machine Tools, Electricity, Plastics, Printing & Packaging, Food-Pro, Hospitality, and more.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE LEADiNG SHOW - BUiLDiNG, CONSTRUCTiON WINNER

acetech - 2019 By ABEC Exhibitions "ACETECH" - Asia’s largest and world’s 3rd largest Infrastructure & Architecture show, was established in 1993 as Asian Business Exhibitions & Conferences. Today, with obstinate commitment to excellence and innovation, ABEC Exhibitions have become the Largest Private Sector Organizer of International Shows with almost 10% share of the Indian Exhibition.

THE FASTEST GROWiNG SHOW (AREA) WINNER Non Woven Tech Asia 2019 & 2018 By Radeecal Communications Radeecal has organized various large global scaled exhibitions as well as numerous niche-market events covering a range of industries. Nonwoven Tech Asia is a premium exhibition & networking opportunity for the nonwoven trade stakeholders from India and all over the world with over 19000+ visitors.

THE FASTEST GROWiNG SHOW (EXHiBiTORS) WINNER

IHE EXPO - 2019 By INDIA EXPO CENTRE & MART Organised by India Exposition Mart Ltd (IEML) ‘IHE India International Hospitality Expo’, the most comprehensive platform ever in India for engaging the Hotel Restaurant and Catering (HORECA) sector, was extensively supported by more than 30 leading inﬂuential industry associations from across India. According to WTTC, the Indian Hospitality Industry is growing at 15% per year.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

TOP GLOBAL DOMiNANCE WINNER HAND TOOLS AND FASTENER EXPO - 2019

By Hyve Group Hand Tools and Fastener Expo (HTF Expo), Indian subcontinentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest sourcing point for quality hand tools, power tools & fasteners.The only show in India bringing together solution providers from manufacturing supply chain across various sectors. Hyve India Pvt. Ltd. is a part of Hyve Group plc (formerly ITE Group) is an international organiser of exhibitions and conferences. The Group organizes over 130 trade exhibitions.

INDiA'S GRAND SHOW WINNER

PAPEREX - 2019 By Hyve Group The 14th edition of the world's largest paper show PAPEREX2019 (PPX2019), undoubtedly proved itself as the International exhibition & conference on pulp, paper & allied industries bringing together over 29, 628 trade visitors with over 603 exhibitors from India & abroad covering an area of 30,000 sqms.

THE KNOWLEDGE HUB WINNER

India Mobile Congress - 2019 By Cellular Operator Association of India India Mobile Congress is the largest digital technology forum in South Asia. Organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), IMC has established itself as a leading platform for bringing together the industry, Government, academia, and other ecosystem players, to discuss and display the latest in the technology world.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE CHALLENGER WINNER

Fashionista - 2019 By Fashionista With more than 12 years of journey, Fashionista has been delivering events of the premier quality and is the only Exhibition Company to revolutionize "B" Cities in terms of their needs of latest Fashion & Lifestyle products. With 215+ exhibitions, Fashionista is the only Exhibition Company to target 30 cities across India.

TOP B-CiTY SHOW (B2B) WINNER

Khadhya Khurak - 2019 By KHIMASHIA ASSOCIATES Organising since 2003, the exhibition has seen more than a million footfalls in its 17 years of existence. The aim of this exhibition is to showcase the technology prowess and advancement in the food industry of India to the world.

TOP B-CiTY SHOW (B2C) WINNER

Jaipur Jewelery Show - 2019 By Jaipur Jewellery Show Jaipur Jewellery Show (JJS), also known as December Show, is a B2B & B2C jewellery trade fair held annually, at the Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre(JECC), Jaipur. The theme of the event will be ‘Inspire to Create Fashion Statement’. In JJS – 2019, about 190 booths were dedicated to gem stones, while 553 booths showcased jewellery designs.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

TOP INDUSTRY IMPACT SHOW WINNER

Gifts World Expo - 2019 By MEX Exhibition MEX events feature strong international presence from countries such as Italy, Germany, USA, UK, Sri Lanka, Dubai, China, Thailand, Hong Kong and more. Gifts World Expo is India's popular Exhibition on Gifting Solutions. The present gift and souvenir sector has evolved tremendously. Keeping that in mind, Gifts World Expo prides in exhibiting an extensive range of innovative & creative gift items in all budget ranges catering to both promotional and personal gifting purposes.

THE UNiQUE SHOW WINNER

PRAWAAS - 2019 By MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications is India's leading Tech Media and Events company. In the last 20 years, since its inception MM Activ has curated over 100 National & International Technology Conventions with special focus on AGRO-Food-Nutraceuticals and Biotech. MM Activ Group company Asian Conventions And Expositions Pvt Ltd (ACE) now operates Mumbai's integrated CIDCO Convention Centre spread over sprawling 7.6 hectares.

TOP MAKE IN INDiA PROMOTiNG SHOW WINNER

IHGF - 2019 By EPCH Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) was established under Companies Act in the year 1986-87 and is a non-proďŹ t organisation, with an object to promote, support, protect, maintain and increase the export of handicrafts. IHGF is amongst Asia's largest gifts & handicrafts fair, held biannually (Spring & Autumn edition).

WiNNERS OF EEA2020

THE INTERNATiONAL STAR WINNER Great India Education Fair - 2019 By AFAIRS EXHIBITIONS Afairs Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. is Asia’s leading Education Fair & Convention Organiser with over 25 years of experience in organizing high value exhibitions. ‘The Great India Education Fair’ (TGIEF) is the leading and exclusive exhibition on Indian Education being held overseas.

TOP VALUE SHOW WINNER

China Homelife Expo - 2019 By WINMARK Over the past 21 years, Winmark has organized more than 44 International Exhibitions and Conferences on wide-ranging sectors like Power, Oil & Gas, Infrastructure Construction, Telecom & IT, Fluid Power, Control & Automation and Pumps & Valves, Food & Beverages and Computers & IT products in India. China Homelife & China Machinex is a Global Series of Exhibition which happens annually in 12 Countries.

CONFERENCE ORGANiSERS THE LEADiNG CONFERENCE WINNER

BENGALURU TECH SUMMIT - 2019 By MM Activ The unique feature of BTS Conference is the convergence of technologies, experts and organisations. Over 250 Speakers from across the continents mesmerize all the participants with their break-through ideas presented in 4 Parallel Conference Tracks on IT, BT, GIA and Start-Up. It is the place to network with over 5000 attendees consisting of who's who of IT & Biotech industry, Policy Makers and Investors.

TOP IMPACT CONFERENCE WINNER

Globoil - 2019 By Teﬂas Globoil, the world’s leading edible oil & agri-trade conference, exhibition and awards, is coming back for its 24th edition oﬀering more networking opportunities, higher-quality interactive content, and more business opportunities. The 2019 edition of the show was the largest to date, attracting more than 1500 visitors seeking business opportunities and exploring the latest edible oil & agri-trade products and innovation.

THE STAR CONFEX WINNER

Famdent - 2019 By Messe Düsseldorf India Founded in 2000 as a premium publication on Clinical Dentistry based on international standards, FAMDENT now has multiple oﬀerings with a strong foothold in the Indian Dental Industry. FAMDENT”s journey evolved rapidly to include FAMDENT Show, FAMDENT conferences, FAMDENT Awards, Corporate Solutions, Workshops, Clinics & more – a brand of repute that now resonates with almost every Dentist in the country.

EVENT SERViCE PROViDERS EXCELLENCE IN EXHIBITION MANAGEMENT WINNER

Arch Concept Private Limited The Development of worldwide design and project management abilities is a fundamental elements of Arch Concepts Pvt. Ltd. It aims to provide all clients with an eﬃcient and cost eﬀective service for the design and supply of exhibition and display stands on time and within budget.

EXCELLENCE IN CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT WINNER

Meetings and Incentives World - SDG Summit M&IW, specializes in the end-to-end event management of meetings, conferences, and incentives of all shapes and sizes around the globe as well as the enterprise program strategy across organizations. Industries Served include; Life Sciences, High Tech, Insurance, Automotive, Association, Financial, Professional Services, Communications, Media & Marketing, Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Biopharmaceutical, Retail and more!

LEADING STRUCTURE SUPPLIER WINNER

Jess Ideas Pvt. Ltd. The success of Jeram Shivji and Sons led to the formation of ‘Jess Ideas’, focused on providing skilled support as exhibition contractors to technicians in both, the entertainment and the corporate events sector. The idea grew and the company expanded into multiple diverse services such as events, exhibitions and large outdoor concerts, creating mammoth sets for outdoor spectacles to compact ones for indoor events.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020 STAR IN MICE WINNER

MVIRDC World Trade Centre WTC Mumbai stands tall as an iconic building in the heart of the city in Mumbai, the commercial capital of India. On the facilities front the Centre is equipped with the only Air conditioned Exhibition Centre in the city along with business meeting rooms, cabin spaces, desk spaces and oﬃce spaces in the 32 storey building of the Centre 1 complex. Over 10,000 people visit the WTC Complex on a daily basis. During exhibitions nearly 15,000 to 20,000 people visit the Centre.

STAR IN EMERGENCY SERVICES WINNER

Saibaba Ambulance Experienced in the event industry, since decades Saibaba International have been providing services to almost 95 % of the major Exhibitions, Events, Award functions, TV Shows, social functions etc. in & out of Mumbai. They have handled big event like Filmfare Awards, Femina Miss India, Screen Awards, Stardust Awards, IIJS, JITO, Elecrama,MCHI Property Exhibitions, Photofair exhibition, Rubber Expo, Plast Vision 2005, In auditions, Indian Idol, KBC , Jhalak dikhalaja etc.

EXCELLENCE IN EVENTS WINNER

Namdhari Events N Promotions (P) Ltd. Namdhari Group, has established its presence years ago, having dedicated team of experienced professionals, who have extensive experience in the ﬁeld of advertising, marketing, events, promotions & exhibitions their advanced, intellectual and imaginative approach help clients to turn every dream event into reality while working within the estimated budgetary constraints and stipulated time frame as well as in-house fabrication units oﬀers a comprehensive solution, in order to make every activity or an event a outstanding success.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020 STAR PCO WINNER

Alpcord Network Travel & Conference Mgmt Co Alpcord is a leading MICE company in India who as part of the MICE fraternity has been in this segment of specialization over the last decade. Since its inception in the year 2002, under the leadership of its MD Chander Mansharamani has made its mark in this ďŹ eld of travel and tourism as MICE Specialists. It is led by group of progressive professionals with over 40 years of experience in the travel trade and conference management.The Exhibition division started functioning in the year 2014-2015.

STAR IN AV, LIGHT & SOUND WINNER

Big One Bigone Entertainers Private Limited is a Private incorporated on 16 January 2017. Directors of Bigone Entertainers Private Limited are Gautam Kapoor and Vikram Kapoor. They have forte in Sound, Stage light, LED Screen, Video & Projections, Trussing Laser, On hire & Installations.

EXCELLENCE IN DESiGN WINNER

Meroform India Pvt. Ltd. Litmus Meroform is a dynamic creative hub focused on delivering superior user experience through its capabilities in ideation, design, production and new media adoption. With the power of storytelling, design excellence, lateral thinking and the latest in technology, empowered by a team of trained manpower - MEROFORM INDIA ensures customer delight at every touch point.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020 EXCELLENCE IN SERVICES WINNER

Pavilions and Interiors India Pvt. Ltd. P&I, is one of the biggest and most trusted names in Exhibition Design and Fabrication, Events, Retail, Interiors, Museums, and Overlay & Structures. Since its establishment in 1972, P&I has played a pioneering role in setting industry benchmarks and delivering a plethora of creative design solutions, ranging from trade shows, retail solutions, interior design, and captivating museums. P&I is also India’s ﬁrst ISO certiﬁed company and has been serving clients across industry.

THE TECH CATALYST WINNER

Blue Apple Digimedia Since its inception, Blue Apple Digimedia is into covering Events & Conferences both on national & international platform. Over the years, it has made its place in India’s Top 10 media service provider for TradeFair & Exhibitions. It has created a niche for themselves in Event Media Production.

STAR INNOVATION AWARD WINNER

Sconce Global Pvt. Ltd. Sconce Global is presently the most formidable experiential agency having delivered numerous award winning projects, globally. Since its inception in 1998, it has transformed into a multi functional agency oﬀering Exhibitions, Events, Interior & Retail Architecture, TV Studios & Media Infrastructure and Digital Transformation services.

WiNNERS OF EEA2020 EXEMPLARY STALL DESiGNiNG (BELOW 50 SQM) WINNER

Quantum Events Quantum was formed in 2009, with an aim to provide excellent stall fabrication services in the event and exhibition industry. Quantum is a New Delhi based full service, integrated marketing communications ﬁrm oﬀering exhibitions & event management, public relations, advertising, promotions and marketing consulting services. The company is known for their work in building brands and generating ROI for their clients.

EXEMPLARY STALL DESiGNiNG (ABOVE 50 SQM) WINNER

Strides Design Studio Stride Design is one of the leading Booth Construction and Raw Space Design Companies based in Delhi. They have been in the business for the past 10 years and have been a part of all leading exhibitions around the globe, such as :- The Hardware show, Germany ( OAYKAY Industries, Global Merchants, Victor Tools, Medallay Exports) ITB, Berlin (Leela Palaces and Hotels) Asia Paciﬁc Sourcing, Cologne, Germany (OAYKAY Industries, Medallay Exports) ILTM, Shanghai (Leela Palaces and Hotels)

EXHiBiTiON VENUES STAR MICE HOTEL WINNER Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel – Mumbai Situated at the scenic shore of Lake Powai in Mumbai, India, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel, oﬀers easy access to Bombay Exhibition Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex, Canheri Caves and the Birla Academy of Arts & Culture. Spread in 15 acres adorned with lush gardens and scenic walkways, the venue has large event spaces, featuring the largest banquet hall in Powai, Mumbai. Visitors can avail the shuttle facility that connects the venue to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai.

EXHiBiTiON VENUES INDiA'S LEADiNG EXHiBiTiON VENUE WINNER

India Expo Mart - Gr. Noida The India Exposition Mart has a spread over of 58 acres and has built up complex of 2.5 million sq. ft. i.e. 25 lakhs sq. ft area. The foundation stone of the same was laid by the then deputy Hon’ ble P.M. Shri L.K. Advani and later it was inaugurated by Shri Manmohan Singh ji, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in 2006. Major shows, Exhibitions and conferences like Auto Expo, Printpack, Asian Development bank (ADB) and FDI World Dental Congress are now being organised in this complex.

EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement Award

Distinguished Leadership Award

Late Sh. Prem Behl

Sh. Rajesh Agrawal

Chairman, Exhibitions India Group

ED, ITPO & Chairman, India MICE Alliance

Interview

December 2020

WE iNiTiATED THE INDiA MICE ALLiANCE (IMA) CAMPAiGN WHiCH AiMS TO BRiNG TOGETHER ALL SEGMENTS OF MICE iNDUSTRY ON ONE PLATFORM - RAJESH AGRAWAL

ES. Congratula ons on winning 'The Leading Show Food & Beverage' 2019. Please tell us about AAHAR, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Rajesh Agrawal. Thank You very much on behalf of the team ITPO. India Trade Promo on Organisa on has con nuously worked towards ge ng the a en on of the world market to India's food, food processing and hospitality industry through its annual exposi on Aahar – the interna onal food and hospitality Fair. Agriculture including the Food-processing sector is the lifeline of the people in our country. It is significant that AAHAR highlights not just the progress achieved by the food processing sector but also seeks to project the vast poten al that exists for its future development. AAHAR has emerged as an ideal pla orm for projec ng the state-of-the-art technology and promo ng business transac ons across food processing and hospitality sector. This fact is evident with the increasing par cipa on from countries like Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, UAE & USA in Aahar. The Delhi edi on of AAHAR is globallyconsidered as a flagship B2B event of Indian Food processing and hospitality sector. The fair is organized with the support of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries GOI, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority(APEDA) and the

45 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

Apex organiza ons of the industry. The increasing acceptance and success of AAHAR has led us to organize Aahar at Chennai and from next year we are planning to have the AAHAR th Bengaluru. ITPO is now well poised to organize the 36 edi on of AAHAR in March, 2021. We are confident that Aahar will con nue to grow in coming years and contribute posi vely to the growth of trade and investments in this key sector. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did ITPO engage with its community to grow, and conduct business? Rajesh Agrawal. We ini ated the India MICE Alliance (IMA) Campaign which aims to bring together all segments of MICE industry on one pla orm, to enable assess the impact of the pandemic on the en re industry and have a collec ve reflec on on opportuni es for future. Under IMA a con nuous dialogue with all stakeholders of MICE sector was taken up to ins ll confidence, boost morale and work towards a joint strategy for re-opening of exhibi ons in the post Covid world.ITPO along with Indian Exhibi on Industry Associa on finalised the SOP for exhibi ons in a post Covidscenario, which were approved and no fied by the government for reth opening of exhibi ons w.e.f. 15 October, 2020. ITPO also responded to the call of the industry and was first to announce significant relief for the industry in tariffs for FY2021. We as owner of one of the most premier venue in the country are aware that the venues across the

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

world will need to align with the requirements of a post Covid world wherein the stalls sizes are expected to go up, the ra o of common areas is likely to increase and entry/exit to the fairs will need to be more seamless and contact less. ITPO as a responsible organisa on in the sector is already working towards making Praga Maidan compliant to the new requirements. ES. What were the biggest learnings in 2020? Rajesh Agrawal. I think the Covid pandemic has again reinforced the no on of VUCA i.e the world today is more vola le, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. We need to prepare ourselves for these uncertain es both individually and also as organisa ons. We need to learn more to stay in present than in future. The businesses need to plan for uncertain es. And the good part is that nothing is permanent so both the good and the bad will pass. We need to be pa ent and op mis c in all scenarios. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Rajesh Agrawal. Aahar is the next big event at Praga Maidan, to be organised by ITPO from March 9-13, 2020. It will be organised in a normal format with the SOP as no ﬁed by the government. ES. What is your message to the industry? Rajesh Agrawal. Personally I am a very op mis c person. As stated on earlier occassions, I would again appeal to all stakeholders of the exhibi on industry to remain posi ve

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and believe in the value this sector creates for the economy. We are already witnessing revival of industry in many sectors and turnaround for the MICE sector is also round the corner. I feel industry has shown immense character throughout these difficult mes and now we need to work together for the resurgence of the exhibi on industry in India. ITPO will always stand with the industry in all its posi ve endeavors. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Rajesh Agrawal. Awards are acknowledgement of the good work done and mo va on for con nuing working hard towards excellence. Team ITPO is honoured to have received the award for AAHAR, 2019. We will keep working towards promo on of trade and investments in the economy. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Rajesh Agrawal. Covid 19, the global pandemic completely disrupted lives and livelihoods. But with be er knowledge around COVID-19, successful trials of mul ple vaccines paving the way for mass vaccina ons, faster and more efficient tes ng processes, we are finally finding ways to be er manage the virus in our lives. The de is turning back with sharp revival of many sectors.Exhibi on industry will also bounce back in 2021 and by 2022, I expect it to beat its full poten al.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

“It is always a good feeling to be recognized for the work we put in. Exhibi on Excellence Awards are the ﬁrst and only awards that tracks the achievements of the sector.”

HAViNG GOT THE NOD, iT iS NOW TiME FOR US TO TAKE ALL THE NECESSARY STEPS TO SECURELY RESTART THE iNDUSTRY - YOGESH MUDRAS ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Travel & Tourism 2019. Please tell us about SATTE, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Yogesh Mudras. SATTE has always been a turnkey exhibi on for us because of its ambi ous nature. It has emerged as one of South Aisa’s largest interna onal travel show that both the exhibitors and buyers to showcase as well as shop for the diverse global travel and tourism products and services. Invariably, SATTE, witnesses a tremendous response from the travel, tourism and hospitality industry with par cipa on from over 1,000 exhibitors and coexhibitors, along with a huge representa on from over different countries and local states/ci es. In our last show, we had over 35,000 travel and tourism professionals. Given the current scenario, we hope to provide viable and long term solu ons to help businesses thrive in this ever-evolving industry. ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Energy, Infrastructure 2019. What makes it different from other shows in this sector? Yogesh Mudras. Renewable Energy India expo is the most coveted pla orm for the green energy industry almost synonymous with ideas and innova ons. The 2019 edi on

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had received tremendous responses with various solar industry players across the globe par cipa ng in the event and crea ng mul ple opportuni es for the small, medium and key market players. These included the major and top notch solar industrialists, decision makers and industry experts. We had ﬂoa ng solar programs with over 35 top CEOs of solar industry, Finance Leadership Forum with top bankers speaking about the investment climate of India and focus on bio-energy apart from the business. ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Pharma, Chemical 2019. Please tell us about CPHI INDIA, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Yogesh Mudras. CPhI & P-MEC India is part of the world’s leading Pharmaceu cal networking event and the epitome of India’s strength in the Pharma industry. Ever since its tenth anniversary, it has become an intrinsic part of the India Pharma Week (IPW), which is a week-long celebra on catering to the needs of the pharma community a endees through the six streams of Business, Leadership, Knowledge, Innova on, Recogni on & Networking. This pla orm is unlike any other in the industry and is naturally keenly awaiensure that ted by the pharma sector. Going forward also, we will

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

India’s largest pharma marketplace will look towards readying the industry towards rebuilding itself. The unparalleled networking opportuni es that CPhI & P-MEC India, under the aegis of the India Pharma Week, invariably generates will help to create a consolidated strategy for Atmanirbhar Bharat in the pharma sector. ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Safety, Security 2019. Please tell us about IFSEC India, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Yogesh Mudras. For the past 14 years, the IFSEC India Expo has proved to the best pla orm for security professionals. It aims to act as a medium for the progress of this thriving industry, as it provides a pla orm for industry players to collec vely ideate, innovate, spot trends and enable the shi in India's security paradigm from a defensive approach to a monitoring and a responsive one. Refurbishing of the security strategy and discussion about the cu ng-edge technologies is the need of the hour for the country as well as organisa ons. Over the years, IFSEC as a show has captured the pulse that will drive the security industry in the future. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did Informa In India engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Yogesh Mudras. The pandemic situa on played havoc with public health, necessita ng a lockdown that had a huge impact on the economy. While India’s GDP is predicted to contract 9.5 % for FY 2020-21, a strong rebound in the form of a growth of about 8 per cent is projected for 2021-22. This interim phase is cri cal to learn, adapt, seek solu ons and rebuild towards that vision. It is also an opportunity to showcase India’s ability to affect an excep onal turnaround. Over the course of the pandemic, the exhibi ons sector per se took a resounding blow from this fallout. But we relentlessly persevered by means of our alternate/addi onal methods of engaging and staying connected with our customers through our wide-ranging array of over 125 digital events. We were quick to comprehend that our stakeholders’ business needs had started evolving. Correspondingly, we too are ready to serve them with unique, new and meaningful experiences in our trade exhibi ons lined up for December, 2020. Looking ahead, we seek to provide turnkey hybrid engagements, combining the best of physical and virtual pla orms. These will enable us to offer efficient, impressive and state-of-the-art solu ons for their evolving requirements and restart vision.

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ES. What is your message to the industry? Yogesh Mudras. I would like to offer my hear est congratula ons to the Indian exhibi on industry for the hear elt, concerted and un ring advocacy that went behind allowing the industry to restart. This year, the biggest high was that the Government recognised B2B marketplaces for providing “major s mulus for industrial and commercial development”. This is the first me that the Government has also men oned trade exhibi ons as an independent and relevant catalyst for the economy. Having got the nod, it is now me for us to take all the necessary steps to securely restart the industry and repose the trust of our Government and our stakeholders. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Yogesh Mudras. It is always a good feeling to be recognized for the work we put in. Exhibi on Excellence Awards are the first and only awards that tracks the achievements of the sector. Fuelled by the need of the hour, it would be an interes ng and engaging experience, I am sure, to see the first online edi on of the same. It’s through recogni on that organisa ons are further propelled to achieve more for the benefit of the industry. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Yogesh Mudras. While it is neither wise nor feasible to indulge in crystal gazing for the upcoming year given the dynamic nature of the inflic on, indica ons are strong for 2021 to rally back in the 3rd and 4th quarters. It will be prudent to leverage the general tendency towards digital detox. Besides, Q3 and 4 of 2021 will have a busy metable of leading trade exhibi ons to enable us to gain serious momentum. It will also be the apt moment to truly imbibe by the principle of ‘self-reliance’ in the domes c sector by focusing on the local, given the formidable domes c demand. To prepare for 2021, we are working towards hos ng trade exhibi ons whenever the industry is ready with complete adherence to government extremely balanced SOP, further ring-fenced by Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards. As the world’s leading events’ organiser, Informa has developed a detailed set of enhanced measures to provide the highest levels of hygiene and safety at its events, providing everyone with the reassurance and confidence that they are par cipa ng in a safe and controlled environment. As pioneers of the industry, we will be able to further customise our offerings for the stakeholders in the new year.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

EXHiBiTiONS HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME TURBULENT TiMES EVEN iN THE PAST AND NOTHiNG HAS STOPPED OUR INDUSTRY FROM BOUNCiNG BACK EVEN STRONGER - SONiA PRASHAR ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Entertainment, Amusement 2019. Please tell us about BROADCAST INDIA, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Sonia Prashar. Broadcast India Show enjoys a three decade legacy which makes it a one stop shop for the Industry. The show has evolved with the Industry it serves and has been at the forefront of introducing new players and technologies in the market. ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Architecture, Smart Ci es/Homes 2019. Please tell us about ACREX , what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Sonia Prashar. ACREX India has served the Indian Hea ng, Ven la on and Refrigera on Industry since many years now and has succeeded in providing an effec ve forum to companies engaged in this sector and has also been instrumental in ge ng Industry Experts from all over the world on a common pla orm. As a show it has always led the innova on game by crea ng new networking models and aligning relevant themes of global importance. ES. Congratula ons on winning Employer of the Year 2019. Please tell us about the best prac ces you follow at NMI. Sonia Prashar. Our core focus and strength is our team. We believe that their growth and development will support the organisa on’s growth and development. We believe in an open culture where feedback and ideas are exchanged regularly and everyone is encouraged to bring their unique perspec ve to the table. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did NMI engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Sonia Prashar. We engaged with our community through several ways - webinars, virtual exhibi ons, online knowledge portals and most importantly by being in touch to enquire about their business as also personal well being. Our mo o is partnership beyond business and during this special me our

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primary agenda was to ensure that they remain connected and therefore we created forums and channels to supplement that. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Sonia Prashar. The end is not the end but just a bend in the road. Every crisis is an opportunity and by being flexible, innova ve and agile one can make the best of any situa on. While businesses might have been affected, this did not stop the team from bonding and crea ng ideas for the future. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Sonia Prashar. We will be holding our next set of exhibi ons in October 2021, led by Broadcast India along-with SCAT India TradeShow and Content India and they will be held in a physical format. A er the notable success of INDIAWOOD 2020, MUMBAIWOOD 2021 will kick start the industry engagement, which will be back in full swing at INDIAWOOD 2022. ES. What is your message to the industry? Sonia Prashar. Exhibi ons have been through some turbulent mes even in the past and nothing has stopped our Industry from bouncing back even stronger. The pandemic might have affected our businesses to a great extent, but the demand for face to face interac on is bound to grow significantly in the next couple of years. On the other hand, to damage proof our businesses it is important that we con nuously innovate and move with the mes, instead of wai ng for a crisis to usher change. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Sonia Prashar. It feels absolutely great and we thank Exhibi on Showcase for this honour. As an Industry pla orm it has succeeded me and again to bring all the leading players together. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Sonia Prashar. Well we are looking at some intense few months, as we all get back in the game a er a rela vely tepid year. The exhibi on model will witness some significant changes be it on an opera onal or presenta on level to meet the demands of the new normal. But all in all, things have started looking up and there will be growth and posi vity.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

IT GiVES ME iMMENSE PLEASURE TO RECEiVE THiS RECOGNiTiON AND iN TiMES LiKE THESE IT COMES AS A MOTiVATiON TO KEEP GOiNG - MANiSH GANDHi ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Manish Gandhi. ACETECH has solicitously designed ACEETECH Mumbai Signature Edi on exhibi on in February to set the right tone for 2021. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is struggling to survive and cope with this unprecedented situa on around the world, ACETECH understands the struggle and is pu ng the health and safety of the show community ﬁrst and is se ng up the pre-designed fabricated booth rentals at reduced costs. The show is scheduled from 12th to 14th Feb 2021 at Bombay Exhibi on Center.

ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Building, Construc on 2019. Please tell us about acetech, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Manish Gandhi. At ACETECH we believe in being the best, best in Brands, best in Audience, best in delivery, best in marke ng and last but not the least, best in ROI. Our focus has always been the wishes and the expecta ons of clients. They make our show, so we make sure we give them the best. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did ABEC engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Manish Gandhi. The biggest learning we think was that you should never back down and in mes like these, the Industry must stand together. We at ABEC have always been ac ve on our digital pla orms and we think this pandemic came as a blessing in disguise for the digital world; hence a lot of stake holders and promoters took up this medium to engage and converse. We made sure we were present and ac ve on the digital pla orms where we focused on relevant and important topics so as to get back from this.

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ES. What is your message to the industry? Manish Gandhi. Over the years, exhibi ons have become one of the great contributors towards the economy. The industry has grown mul fold and has created opportuni es for all but this pandemic comes as a threat. But exhibi ons are to stay and the Face to Face Interac ons will always have a prominence over virtual, you can't replace this medium. Hence at ABEC we are planning to do the mix of both the worlds, physical as well as the virtual and by doing that we double the returns for our stakeholder's valued investments. I think the our message to industry would be very simple that we will all have to stand together and make sure that we do what we do best, Deliver best and Safer Expos. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognized for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Manish Gandhi. It gives me immense pleasure to receive this recogni on and in mes like these It comes as a mo va on to keep going and do be er in the coming future. I would like to Thank and congratulate Exhibi on Showcase for their contribu on in promo ng the industry and organizing such events. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Manish Gandhi. Looking ahead and looking forward to a be er future with Safer and bigger expos all around the world.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

2020 HAS MADE US UTiLiZE OUR GADGETS AND TECHNOLOGY TO THE MAXiMUM - RAVi BORATKAR various Webinars on different topics to stay in touch with our stakeholders across different event ver cals, we also conducted a few online/Digital events. Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020, held virtually between Nov 19-21, 2020, organized by the Department of Electronics, IT, Bt and S&T, Government of Karnataka, Co-Hosted by STPI concluded successfully. This was the 23rd edi on of Bengaluru Tech Summit and the first virtual version of the event curated by MM Ac v Sci-Tech Communica ons, the Event Partners. BTS 2020 with its theme 'Next is Now' highlighted the significance of advancing the future at an accelerated pace and the need for preparedness by using innova ons and technological interven ons.

ES. Congratula ons on winning The Unique Show 2019. Please tell us about PRAWAAS Show, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Ravi Boratkar. PRAWAAS was conceived to bring all public mobility stakeholders together on one pla orm, the event brought together Operators, OEMs, Policy Makers, Thought Leaders and Industry Captains on the same pla orm to redefine passenger mobility in the country With a mission to promote Health, Happiness, Economic Progress of the society by providing Safe, Smart, Sustainable, environment friendly, integrated passenger transport solu ons. What makes it different is the complete spectrum of ac vi es to facilitate interac on amongst the stakeholders that includes Leading Manufacturers, Innova ve Service Providers etc. Interna onal Conference; Interna onal Exhibi on; Awards & Celebra ons; Bus & Car Mela powered by InterlinX; CEO Conclave; Workshops/Master class; Research Report; Policy Makers Round Table And most importantly impressive par cipa on of more than 10,000 Visitors, 150+ Exhibitors, 100+ Speakers, 5,000 + Operators from 29 States & 7 Union Territories ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did MM Ac vSci-Tech Communica ons Pvt.Ltd engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Ravi Boratkar. Throughout this period it was mainly work from home for most of our team & we have conducted

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Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 in the presence of H.E Mr. Sco Morrison- Hon'ble Prime Minister of Australia, H.E Mr. Guy Parmelin, Vice President of Swiss Confedera on and Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communica ons, Electronics and Informa on Technology, and Law & Jus ce. BTS 2020 had par cipa on of 25 countries, 146 startups, 248 Exhibitors, 93 conference session, 357 Speakers, 8507 Business Delegates and 19,000 Business Visitors. We also conducted Virtual Conference and Exhibi on on AGRO-FOOD Processing on 15-16 December 2020 addressed by Hon’ble Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries and Rural Development GoI and Hon'ble Ni n Gadkari Minister for MSME & Surface Transport & Highways GoI. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Ravi Boratkar. Our next event is scheduled in the month of February i.e. AGROVISION-5-8 Feb 2020, and shall be Hybrid in nature. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Ravi Boratkar. Such recogni ons are good mo va on to the en re team which puts in real hard work and also strengthens the bonding between partner organisa ons ins lls conﬁdence.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

IT iS ALWAYS A MiX OF PLEASURE MOMENTS AND PROUD FEELiNG WHEN THE TEAM EFFORTS ARE BEiNG ACKNOWLEDGED AT OUR OWN iNDUSTRY PLATFORM - GAGAN SAHNi ES. Congratula ons on winning Top Global Dominance 2019. Please tell us about HAND TOOLS AND FASTENER EXPO 2019, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Gagan. Thank you so much for the Top Global Dominance Award for Hand Tools and Fastener Expo. HTF event play a major role in showcasing the strength of the Indian industry poten al for Hand Tools, Power Tools, Industrial Tools & Fasteners. HTF has always received worldwide apprecia on. The key objec ve of this business pla orm to help the Indian manufacturing industry and fabricators for technology & knowledge transfer, iden fying alternate suppliers of industrial tools & spares, new source of investments, face to face interac on with industry players, iden fying new market opportuni es etc. ES. Congratula ons on winning India's Grand Show (J) 2019. Please tell us about PAPEREX 2019, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Gagan. Paperex is the largest paper industry event in the world and it takes place in New Delhi, India. It is a “A Unified Business Pla orm for Paper Industry” for new business opportuni es, joint ventures, investments and technology transfer in paper and allied industries. Paperex is always very well a ended by large gathering of Paper Manufacturers to explore the New Technology., Machinery & Equipment and Raw Material for Paper & Board Manufacturing. Also, the large gathering of Corrugated Box Manufacturers, Converters Packaging companies, Printers, etc., to explore the vast variety of Kra and other Packaging Papers. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Gagan. The covid is not the first challenge for any business and this is also not going to be the last challenge of life, we just

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need to ﬁnd the right solu on. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? How will you cope up with the current situa on to a ract the interna onal visitors especially when the travel is restricted? Gagan. Hyve India has already announced the next edi on of HTF Expo and co located events during 3-5 September 2021, at Bombay Exhibi on Centre, Mumbai, India. and Paperex 2022 is scheduled during January 9-12, 2022 at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi- NCR. We have an integrated plan to deliver a be er customer experiences, Enhance Health and safety and best ROI to our exhibitor & visitors ES. What is your message to the industry? Gagan. The ac vi es in mice industries have already been started at various countries. This is for sure the face of exhibi on is going to change globally. We will be back to track, may be few weeks later compared to other countries. Indian industry has poten al to lead in global market in future ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Gagan. It is always a mix of pleasure moments and proud feeling when the team eﬀorts are being acknowledged at our own industry pla orm. Once again thank you for the nomina on and awards. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Gagan. Here in Hyve our vision is to create the world's leading por olio of content-driven, must a end events delivering an outstanding experience and ROI for our customers.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

OUR NEXT EXHiBiTiON WiLL BE HELD iN MARCH 2021, iT WiLL BE A HYBRiD FORMAT TO HAVE iNTERNATiONAL EXPOSURE AS WELL GAURAV JUNEJA ES. Congratula ons on winning Top Industry Impact Show (J) 2019. Please tell us about Gi s World Expo, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Gaurav Juneja. Gi s world expo is a winner in its segment for it a racts the big , small & medium. It is a bridging pla orm that creates las ng associa ons, a pla orm to generate business, a sourcing pla orm that ends buyers' woes & a launch pad for new & innova ve products of all budget ranges.It a racts Corporates, endusers, dealers & distributors. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did MEX Exhibi on engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Gaurav Juneja. 2020 was a year to sustain & maintain your exis ng rela ons & also develop new connec ons. There was no business but sowing seeds for future business by maintaining human connect & checking on the wellbeing of your employees, exhibitors, industry colleagues & all stakeholders. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020?

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Gaurav Juneja. To be resilient, keep calm, learn to love the li le joys of life & appreciate them. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Gaurav Juneja. March 2021. It will be a hybrid format to have interna onal exposure as well. ES. What is your message to the industry? Gaurav Juneja. Stay together, stay strong & together we will survive the wave. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Gaurav Juneja. Really excited about it , feel the eﬀorts have been rewarded & look forward many more. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Gaurav Juneja. A new beginning, business & connec ons in the new normal world.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

IT iS A PLEASURE TO RECEiVE AN EXHiBiTiON EXCELLENCE AWARD WHiCH I HAVE BEEN WAiTiNG FOR FROM THE START OF MY JOURNEY iN THE EXHiBiTiON FiELD SiNCE 2001 - CYRiL PEREiRA high profiled visitors giving them encouragement and wishing speedy recovery to the affected persons. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Cyril. The message was clear - Be there to seize the opportuni es, promote your business as never before and your confidence can be contagious. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Cyril. The VIRTUAL PLASTFOCUS 2021 is scheduled from 9th to 14th March 2021. The physical PLASTFOCUS 2022 is scheduled from 5th to 9th March 2022 at the India Expo Mart & Centre ES. What is your message to the industry? Cyril. Very simple- The en re Industry is set to achieve greater heights in coming years. Our vision in this is Aatmanirbhar Bharat. ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Plas cs 2019. Please tell us about IndiaPlast, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Cyril. INDIAPLAST (Jointly Organised by Triune Exhibitors & The Plas cs Machinery Manufacturers Associa on of India) is unique as it occupied Ten halls spread around 72,000 Square metres at the India Expo Mart & Centre showcasing the en re gamut of plas cs comprising of 945 Exhibitors from the length & breadth of the country as also from 18+ Countries with a profiled business visitor turn-out of 1,23,409 during the 5 day Exhibi on ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did Triune engage with its community to grow, and conduct business? Cyril. TRIUNE staff made it a point to WFH and was constantly in touch with the prospec ve Exhibitors and

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ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Cyril. It is a pleasure to receive an Exhibi on Excellence Award which I have been wai ng for from the start of my journey in the Exhibi on field since 2001. Being recognised gives confidence and the mo va on to s ll do something be er than the best!! ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Cyril. The year 2021 is going to be a different experience, We can look forward to a lot of development in all sectors of the Industry and let us remember the words of Winston Churchill “Never let a crisis go waste”. Jai Hind,

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

OUR STRENGTH HAS ALWAYS BEEN AROUND CONNECT: EDUCATE: ENGAGE - ViKAS VIJ

“

Honestly, what I'm looking forward to most is ge ng back to organising large scale exhibi ons! The thrill and adrenaline of building a show from scratch and over a number of days hos ng tens of thousands of visitors with the latest product and educa on innova ons is so exhilara ng and I'm missing that the most.

ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Wellbeing, Beauty 2019. Please tell us about Professional Beauty Mumbai, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Vikas Vij. First of all, thank you to the Exhibi on Showcase team for again recognising Professional Beauty as the leading beauty and wellness show in the country. It's a phenomenal recogni on for the extremely hard work that our team puts in each year to come up with innova ve campaigns to keep growing our shows and 2019 was our best show to date where we also hosted two complimentary shows: CIPI and Aesthe c Medicine India alongside Professional Beauty. What makes Professional Beauty stand out from other shows in this sector are a number of factors including the fact that we are a global brand and coordinate extensively with our global oﬃces to keep on top of trends and ideas that we can bring to the India market but I think what's key is that whilst being global we act local. We have developed strong rela onships with both buyers and exhibitors going back to our launch in 2012 and have consistently partnered with the beauty and wellness community to deliver real value and innova on not just for a small segment but the en re community and it was no surprise that 2019 saw

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”

record visitor numbers with over 20k trade visitors in a endance. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did IDEX engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Vikas Vij. 2020 has been a challenging me not just for us and the en re exhibi ons industry but par cularly for the beauty and wellness industry which has seen tens of thousands of job losses and business closures. One of the realisa ons we had very early on in the pandemic was that even if our core business of physical events was not going to return any me soon there were s ll other ways of bringing our community together. Our strength has always been around connect: educate: engage and we decided that even if we cannot deliver that through events we can s ll deliver that using virtual pla orms and digital technology and we quickly pivoted our business to deliver our core oﬀerings through social media and digital tools. To date, we have organised over 300 live sessions via Facebook, Instagram and Zoom with an audience size of over 2.5 lakhs and have received tremendous feedback for not being stopped by the pandemic and delivering great content and networking opportuni es which have supported the industry in its ﬁght to comeback stronger.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

During this pandemic we also managed to launch a new digital magazine, Professional Beauty & Hairdressers th Journal which launched on 24 December as part of commitment to our beauty and wellness community. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Vikas Vij. It's the first me I've been through such a challenging phase as a business owner and MD and one of the key lessons was having to make tough decisions and make them fast, and in that process to keep communica ng to the team why and what decisions you're having to make. We had to scale back on our team and have lost some team members who'd been with us for a number of years but it was an unfortunate part of having to do whatever it took to keep surviving. Another key lesson that came to the fore was trying to get the balance between forward planning and being nimble and adap ve. We had run through dozens of scenarios early on in the pandemic and how we would adapt our business plan for H2 2020, and 2021 but as the pandemic played out and the economic and societal implica ons hit home we had to ditch most of those plans and be much more pragma c about survival at all costs, and building new business models on the fly. The other key lesson has been recognising the strength, loyalty and hard work of our team who have been pivotal in ensuring we con nue to deliver incredible value to our community despite the personal challenges they have had to deal with during the pandemic. In tough mes you understand how strong your culture is and I have certainly been overwhelmed by that this year. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Vikas Vij. We are looking to launch physical events in the next financial year post April 2021 but these won't be large scale exhibi ons as we don't think the beauty or events industry is ready for that yet. With new strains of the virus spreading and a large scale roll-out of vaccines not likely to be impac ul ll H2 2021 we don't think it would be sensible to simply plan an event on the scale of what we were doing a year ago. Exhibitors and visitors have been hit significantly by the pandemic and it's going to take some me for that business cycle to get back on track so in the mean me we are planning a series of more localised shows which con nue to play to our strength of connect: educate: engage which will deliver value to brands and visitors as we help their businesses recover. ES. What is your message to the industry? 56 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

Vikas Vij. It may not always be possible to see it but even in the darkest moments there are silver linings, and in our industry we have gone from being the leader exhibi on organiser to the leading media, content and exhibi ons business as we have led with the strongest digital content oﬀering in the beauty and wellness industry. It's something we had been thinking of for a while but the pandemic forced us to accelerate those plans and it's something we will con nue to build on. So for the industry I would say this is an opportune me to come together to look at what was not working for us as organisers, venues and service providers and see how we can build a new oﬀering for the MICE industry which focuses on excellence above all else, building an events industry that can be on par with the best in the world. When mes are good many of the hard decisions can be delayed and they have been whether it has been in terms of quality of venue facili es, government regula ons for hos ng events, protocols followed by service providers or value delivered by event organisers. Now is the me when we can look at those hard decisions and as a MICE community decide whether we want to take this once in a life me opportunity to build an ecosystem that stands up to the very best in the world and be a source of na onal pride. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Vikas Vij. As men oned earlier, it's humbling to receive the award for consecu ve years especially when each year the compe on gets tougher both from local as well as interna onal organisers entering the market. In what has been the toughest year for us as a business it means a lot to our team to get this recogni on for the work they put in building and growing the show from both an exhibitor and visitor point of view and this will drive us to keep those standards up. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Vikas Vij. Honestly, what I'm looking forward to most is ge ng back to organising large scale exhibi ons! The thrill and adrenaline of building a show from scratch and over a number of days hos ng tens of thousands of visitors with the latest product and educa on innova ons is so exhilara ng and I'm missing that the most. The ability to bring thousands of people together to connect, do business and be inspired is something very fortunate that we in the MICE industry get to be part of and I look forward to being able to do that again, very soon.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

WiNNiNG AN AWARD AT AN iNTERNATiONAL FORUM LiKE EEA GiVES iNNER HAPPiNESS AND SATiSFACTiON - DAYAKAR REDDY on observance of lockdowns and its impact on the running of the plant and the machinery. The Members have learnt lessons as to how they should deal with the diﬃcult situa ons. Most of the Members have now recovered from the impact of the pandemic and keep themselves busy in a ending to their day-to-day business ac vi es. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Dayakar. The dates for the 15th edi on of PRINTPACK INDIA have not yet been ﬁnalised. As and when the pandemic comes under control across the globe, including India, the dates will be announced with the discussion of the Governing Council and members of the Associa on. The format of PRINTPACK INDIA will be the same as it used to be in previous edi ons of the Show.

ES. Please tell us about Printpack India, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Dayakar. PRINTPACK INDIA is the leading and largest exhibi on in the country on the Graphic Arts Industry. It was started by IPAMA, a er its forma on in 1988. It a racts Indian & foreign exhibitors and business visitors in large numbers. During the last edi on, which was held from February 01-06, 2019, 509 Exhibitors had par cipated. Number of companies could not par cipate in PRINTPACK INDIA 2019 exhibi on due to nonavailability of space which had been sold out much before the commencement of the Show. It was visited by a record number of 90,720 Business Visitors. The exhibi on also provides a pla orm for display of latest technology. There is no matching exhibi on in India for making an eﬀec ve or meaningful comparison with any similar event. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did IPAMA engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Dayakar. In the pandemic situa on, IPAMA’s management had been in constant touch with its Members. It has been advising them from me to me to follow the guidelines issued by the Government authori es for tackling the disease. The Associa on had also been taking feedback 57 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

ES. What is your message to the industry? Dayakar. The Industry must take care of the health of their workers during tes ng mes. The running of plants and machinery must be given second preference in comparison to other business ac vi es. The Industry should also follow guidelines, rules & regula ons issued by the Government authori es scrupulously. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Dayakar. Winning an award at an interna onal forum, gives inner happiness and sa sfac on. It also gives encouragement for taking up more and more challenging tasks. PRINTPACK INDIA 2019 was one of the most successful events which were organised in the past by IPAMA. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead to in 2021? Dayakar. IPAMA is looking ahead for ﬁnalisa on of the dates PRINTPACK INDIA Exhibi on. The dates were postponed due to COVID-19. However, the marke ng of the Show is con nuing uninterrupted. As on date, 286 companies have already booked their space by paying the requisite space charges. The Priority Numbers have also been generated and communicated to the Exhibitors. They will be allo ed stalls or space in the respec ve Halls on the basis of the Priority Numbers. IPAMA also intends to par cipate in interna onal exhibi ons in 2021.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

DEFiNiTELY, IMC WOULD EVOLVE iNTO A HYBRiD EVENT WiTH A MiX OF PHYSiCAL AND ViRTUAL - P. RAMAKRiSHNA ES. Congratula ons on winning 'The Knowledge Hub' 2019. Please tell us about India Mobile Congress, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? P.Ramakrishna. India Mobile Congress (IMC) since its incep on in 2017 always aimed to be the best of the class as the largest digital technology forum in South Asia and posi oned itself as an pla orm and forum rather than only as an event or expo. IMC as a pla orm delivered promo on of local manufacturing, fostered interna onal regional coopera on, inspired inclusive and sustainable development, promoted entrepreneurship & innova on, drove foreign and local investments, encouraged R&D in the Telecom and Emerging Technology sectors and to facilitated several suppor ve regulatory & policy frameworks. This structure is very unique to IMC and it is not always seen in any other similar shows. Few of the examples we cite for our proud moments is: Ÿ IMC was the bedrock for Technology trials. IMC 2019 saw the 1st 5G live trials, with about 51 use cases demonstrated using 5G spectrum allo ed only during IMC for the whole industry. Ÿ IMC as a pla orm is used for Product Launches for most of the Interna onal Brands including including ISRO and Qualcomm launching the 1st mobile phone using ISRO's Navic Global Posi oning system and the Indigenous 5G system developed by IIT's Ÿ Several Interna onal Telecomm companies commi ed and announced to manufacture certain products completely in India and export them globally from IMC Ÿ IMC is being used by Government for Interna onal Outreach Program to move manufacturing to India. Ÿ IMC programs on startups focused on Apps and conducted a program for the launch of 1000 apps in a Single Day, Grand Innova on Challenges and 5G Hackathon Ÿ IMC in past saw par cipa on from more than 50 countries includes ASEAN/BIMSTEC Telecom Ministers Summit with 15 countries represented . Ÿ Over the last three years, IMC has enjoyed the support of other Government Departments such as Ministry of Telecommunica ons, Ministry of Electronics, Informa on and Technology, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Ministry of External Affairs , Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs , Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministries of Science and Technology, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and several State Governments.

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ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did India Mobile Congress engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. P.Ramakrishna. On lieu of Pandemic, IMC 2020 always insisted on doing business at a smaller scale and waited for right moment. Being marked in interna onal events calendar for most of the Global technology players, lot of our partners and sponsors were wai ng for us to launch the date. We were in constant touch by social media and Digital marke ng efforts with the audience. Even though we planned for only 60 plus virtual exhibitors event with 100 speakers our final program turned out to be bigger than larger by presence of Hon'Ble Prime Minister, 170 Plus exhibitors and 210 plus Interna onal speakers. Our persistent engagement with clients and audience bundled with innova ng marke ng efforts and content has always proven to be success. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? P.Ramakrishna. We are certain our next exhibi on date would be around Oct last week in year 2021 and definitely it would evolve into a Hybrid event with a mix of Physical and Virtual. Innova on would be key and lot of AR/VR integra on would happen into the pla orm and to provide appropriate USP to clients AI would play a key role. Also in future content would play a key role to success of an expo. ES. What is your message to the industry? P.Ramakrishna. Industry is passing with great difficulty during this torrid mes and only Innova on would help them to survive. New concepts in Program, Content and delivery has to evolve. Tradi onal way of conduc ng expos would s ll be the preferred way but Companies such as IMC should be ready to try and test new techniques to survive. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? P.Ramakrishna. It is a truly a great Honor for us to receive this awards for second me in row. As globally we have been recognized and heard as a Pla orm for great thought leadership we would con nue to deliver this quality in years to come. I also thank the Exhibi on Showcase and Jury in recognizing IMC. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? P.Ramakrishna. I wish the that this Pandemic me would cleared by 1st qtr of the year 2021 and we should see the Indian EXPO industry back with flare and support he livelihood of Millions of manpower depended on this. I also wish Exhibi on Showcase to con nues its efforts in building the strong EXPO fraternity.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

WE HAVE TO ADAPT TO THE CHANGE iN THE ENViRONMENT, WHiCH HAS OPENED A DOOR TO MANY NEW OPPORTUNiTiES - ASHiSH GUPTA connec ons and sourcing orders. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Ashish. It has been a diﬃcult 2020, for all of us, and unfortunately, we cannot predict the future. One thing that should not change is how you focus on crea ng a business culture and a business model that is built on trust and apprecia on throughout your team. Strong rela onships are s ll the main ingredient that will make your business ﬂourish. Also, Embrace innova on such as virtual / hybrid events and include it in your business model.

ES. Congratula ons on winning Top Value Show 2019. Please tell us about WINMARK - China Homelife Expo, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Ashish. China Homelife India & China Machinex India is organized by Meorient, Shanghai. Winmark is their partner in India enabling & facilita ng marke ng, opera ons & logis cs. this exhibi on is a part of a world series of global events and takes place across 13 countries every year, with over 600 - 1500 suppliers/ exhibitors at almost every show. Various Marke ng ac vi es and incen ve programs are used to a ract key trade visitors for the beneﬁt of the Exhibitors, which helps the show to achieve a true business that gets executed in the form of business orders and Its 25000+ visitors with over 5000+ key decision-makers are evidence of its uniqueness. This unique concept has been successful in connec ng local importers, buyers & traders to do business easily with China. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did WINMARK engage with its community to grow, and conduct business? Ashish. Winmark has been ac ve across mul ple segments, despite the pandemic. We have tried to not let it slow us down. During the pandemic, we remained in touch with our buyers and help them with their requirements, and providing a new online sourcing experience through the digital pla orm; TradeChina.com. This pla orm is a bridge between two con nues; it gives Indian buyers access to informa on of Chinese Suppliers, what products they supply, and even order samples. We have also been able to conduct one to one virtual business mee ngs between suppliers and buyers. This has resulted in over 200 business

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ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Ashish. 8th Edi on of China Homelife and Machinex India 2021 is slated to be held from 9th to 11th December 2021 at Bombay Exhibi on Center, NESCO, Mumbai. ES. What is your message to the industry? Ashish. As we con nue to adapt to the COVID-19 outbreak and precau ons, our first priority should be the health and safety of our employees, customers, and partners. Each industry has been affected by this pandemic in many ways. We have to adapt to the change in the environment, which has opened a door to many new opportuni es and accept the change, rather than wishing that we could return to business as usual. By encouraging even stronger and more flexible business that can weather any storm from the beginning, the pandemic may be a catalyst for posi ve change. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Ashish. I am extremely honored to be receiving the award for ‘Top Value Show 2019’. I am earnestly grateful for the recogni on I have received, but without my suppor ng pillars, who always cheered and guided me without any obliga ons, I would have never received this award. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Ashish. Moving into 2021, I’m hoping we are immensely posi ve and accept changes as part of lessons learned from 2020. With the growth of Virtual and Hybrid Events Technology, we will be able to communicate and collaborate easily across the globe with anyone from anywhere, which will help us to Kick-start our industry back in the game.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

WTC MUMBAi HAS CREATED A COST EFFiCiENT OPTiON FOR THE ORGANiSERS AND EXHiBiTORS TO REACH TO GLOBAL AUDiENCE - RUPA NAiK ES. Congratula ons on winning 'Star In MICE' 2019. Please tell us about MVIRDC World Trade Centre, what makes it different from other MICE Venues? Rupa Naik. We are thankful to the Exhibi on Showcase Group and the Grand Juries for choosing WTC Mumbai as the winner in 'Star In MICE' 2019. The concept of an Interna onal Trade Center in Mumbai was born of a vision of Sir M. Visvesvaraya, on 26 June, 1970, epitomizing a strong convic on that India's future prosperity lay in trade, industrial research and development. He an cipated the need for India's industrial development through research and development in the fields of educa on, trade, investment and the economy as a whole, with the mo o clearly being, “Prosperity through trade”. We have a state-of-the-art Expo Center with over 60,000 sq. . space in South Mumbai's iconic property. It is an ideal venue to organise na onal and interna onal trade shows. Its affordable pricing with world class ameni es and infrastructure facili es has resulted in over 80% clients re-visit us for their next events make WTC Mumbai different from others. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did MVIRDC engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Rupa Naik. The year 2020 started with a worst ever pandemic with the lock down and temporary pause in business. However, the trade doesn't stop, and neither do we. During this unprecedented challenging me, our mission is to bring growth and prosperity to businesses and trade communi es and worldwide. The team WTC Mumbai has been working con nuously to provide mely, reliable guidance and resources. With physical distancing coupled with restric ons in trade shows, conferences and exhibi ons, the world is fast moving towards digitaliza on. World Trade Center Mumbai has quickly responded to this and developed a 'Virtual Trade and Exhibi on Pla orm' – www.worldtradeexpo.org to promote

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MSMEs, Women Entrepreneurs and Start-Ups in global markets. This online pla orm offers greater returns on investment with low cost of par cipa on, enhanced online presence with high reach and engagement with the targeted visitors and buyers. This pla orm will act as an important catalyst to support and navigate MSMEs in the present challenging mes. This substan ally outperforms tradi onal physical exhibi on format. This ini a ve is aimed to promote #DigitalMSME, #AtmaNirbharBharat and #Vocal4Local. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Rupa Naik. The trade does not stop. The moments of such temporary pauses create opportuni es for few sectors. Technology and digitaliza on (and digi za on) will play a big role in the new normal. Being digital and being able to connect with customers through technology will play a significant role in differen a ng services, as we move ahead. Digitaliza on further helps to reduce costs and make organiza on and management more efficient. ES. What is your message to the industry? Rupa Naik. At the me when the trade and businesses are affected due to challenges that are beyond the control, use the me to re-invest in the backward integra on to make our opera ons agile. This agility will help us to bounce strongly and posi vely. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Rupa Naik. It's been a great honour to receive this pres gious Award from the Exhibi on Showcase Group and it reaffirms our customer-centric focus and has provided encouragement to con nue with our work to promote trade and business to the global audience. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Rupa Naik. As the world is slowly adjus ng with the new normal, we strongly believe that hybrid exhibi ons, i.e. a combina on of physical and virtual exhibi ons and trade shows are the way forward. With the new digital pla orm – worldtradeexpo.org, WTC Mumbai has created a cost efficient op on for the organisers and exhibitors to reach to global audience. Addi onally on the trade front, we believe that the beginning of FY 21-22 will help the MICE industry to bounce back sharply and the industry will be able to achieve robust growth.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO CAN ADOPT AND MANiPULATE TECHNOLOGiCAL TOOLS TO THEiR ADVANTAGE - SUNiL SETHI Sunil. The biggest lesson learnt is to be prepared for any calamity and never rest on your past achievements. As fashion doesn’t figure high on the food chain, it got relegated to obscurity in 2020. But they say every crisis is a learning experience, we learnt to show, consume and sell fashion in myriad ways, also the way we engaged with customers through the worldwide web became cap va ng, using not just the power of visual imagery, but also realising the potency of appropriate language to communicate. The fashion world embraced the online game with open arms and set up websites and effec vely used social media to hold on to a fledgling market.

ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Fashion, Lifestyle 2019. Please tell us about India fashion week, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Sunil. The beauty of India Fashion Week is its malleability, as the FDCI was the first to adapt to the fast changing environment and make it digital. However, pre-and-post the pandemic, we con nue to do two fashion weeks (spring-summer and autumnwinter), as well as the much-coveted India Couture Week. Each show, dis nctly brought out the succinct cra smanship, the country is known for and mirrored the prowess of designers, who created a kaleidoscope of global imagery, rooted in Indian ethos. The idea was always to herald the subtle processes and techniques that gave homegrown fashion a superla ve edge in the compe ve world market. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did FDCI engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Sunil. The FDCI has been a self-starter and takes pride in taking the leap to move into the virtual world with ease. Our mantra is adapt or perish; and we worked hard to change the cogs of the well-oiled wheels to execute a phygital show which broke not just geographical boundaries, but also welcomed innova ve ways to showcase fashion. We broke free from conven onal rhythms and brought to the tech-savvy world, fresh vistas brimming with new-age ideas. Designer Stockrooms were organised to ini ate sales and virtual/designer showrooms were constructed to allow easy transi ons and transac ons with buyers world over. However, the most interes ng aspect was the rise of fashion films that effortlessly narrated an untold tale of luxury in vivid loca ons nudging everyone to rethink and reset. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020?

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ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Sunil. The format will be phygital and it will be held in March 2021 showcasing autumn-winter. We will be raising the bar with interes ng talks, ingenious themes and presenta ons that make you look at the world minus rose- nted glasses, clasping the new reality with eyes wide open. ES. What is your message to the industry? Sunil. Stay together, encourage each other, think posi ve, be proac ve and always look at the larger picture. The future belongs to those who can adopt and manipulate technological tools to their advantage and who have a clear and focussed vision for their brand. The customer is also changing and has realised it is impera ve to nurture classics, endorse a mul dimensional approach, reuse and keep away from the need to buy relentlessly in a shrinking economy. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Sunil. I am delighted and pleasantly surprised. As the world is churning, the mes are absorbing, as we wait to see what emerges out of this chaos. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Sunil. As the world in 2020 dressed up to go nowhere, I am hoping 2021, a er the vaccine is out we can get back to business as usual. One thing is clear, things will never go back to what they were, with reduced spending one will have to have their eye on the ball, it will deﬁnitely be more need-based, digitalised and quality will be king. Even though, I hate to say this, but brick and mortar stores will have it the toughest due to reduced foo alls. I am looking forward to witnessing seismic changes that will carve a new path out of this wilderness.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

WE ARE OPTiMiSTiC THAT WE WOULD SUCCESSFULLY HOLD THE GTE NEW DELHi ‘21 WiTHiN THE 1ST QUARTER - AMBRiSH CHOPRA ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Tex les & Apparel 2019. Please tell us about GTE, what makes it different from other shows in this sector? Ambrish Chopra. GTE is so recognised by you and all because it is the focal point where all industry segments converge and a racts unmatched patronage. While there are other good shows too, that cater to a segment or two, it is uniquely GTE that reflects the true spirit and poten al of the garment sector and its ancillaries. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Ambrish Chopra. Exhibi on Showcase has done a commendable job in star ng the Exhibi on Excellence Awards. Quite obviously, we missed the physical ceremony, where the exhibi on community congregates. Awards and Recogni on are always important as they spur you on to do more and to go for bigger goals. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Ambrish Chopra. Talking of the year gone by, though a leap year, 2020 be er qualifies as a fall year! Yet, like every cloud has a silver lining, 2020 too taught us a lot, even business-wise. It has taught us to be prudent when we spread our wings and to expect the unexpected. It has taught us to be loyal, gracious, commi ed, compassionate and with no other choice - pa ent. As business en es working collabora vely we have learnt the importance of looking out for one another, ensuring, as far as possible, that we all sail through the storm together.

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ES. What are your next exhibi on dates and what format will it be? Ambrish Chopra. At GTE, our founder, mentor and guide, Mr Inderjeet Singh Sahni stresses on the importance of one to one interac on as he says, don’t believe what you hear and believe half of what you see! We have been constantly engaging with our patrons and boos ng the moral of entrepreneurs giving our own example, as exhibi on organizers being the worst aﬀected. Yet, although we had planned out and invested in building a custom virtual pla orm, a er consulta ons with our patrons we decided not taken the virtual show route to protect the interests of our par cipants, especially with the physical show seeming possible in the near future. ES. What are you looking forward to in 2021 and what is your message to the industry? Ambrish Chopra. We are op mis c that we would successfully hold the GTE New Delhi ‘21 within the 1st quarter. We are making our prepara ons for the shows utmost success, yet, with the lessons learnt, we tread with cau on. As show organisers we have to decisively and posi vely move forward while ensuring our shows bring maximum value for our par cipants and patrons. We are hopeful that the New Year will help us transi on with new learnings and we will all be back running – faster, higher, stronger!

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

JJS HAS BEEN CONSCiOUSLY WORKiNG ALL THROUGH THE PANDEMiC AND MAiNTAiNiNG A CONNECT WiTH THE EXHiBiTORS AND ViSiTORS - RAJiV JAiN associa ons and na onal bodies as hosts and partners to take the en re fraternity together. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did JJS engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Rajiv. Jaipur Jewellery Show has been consciously working all through the pandemic and maintaining a connect with the Exhibitors and Visitors. JJS has contributed substan ally to the CM Relief Fund as well as spreading messages of posi vity in the trade through its digital pla orms. JJS-IJ Jewellers Choice Design Awards held on 27th December is a step in the same direc on to acknowledge and felicitate the best jewellery design of the country. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Rajiv. Amidst the chaos, we learned the value of life and a need to adapt. It showed the weight of humanity and importance of staying, Pa ent, United, Posi ve and Disciplined. Also the marke ng through online medium is very cri cal and will have a far reaching impact for the future of any industry, including Jewellery and the exhibi ons both. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Rajiv. The next edi on of Jaipur Jewellery Show will be held from 24th to 27th December, 2021 at JECC, Jaipur, India. The format will be both B2B and B2C. ES. What is your message to the industry? Rajiv. To stay posi ve and to keep a right mind-set so that you push your team through any obstacle. A team is not a group of people who work together but it's a group of people who trust each other. ES. Congratula ons on winning Top B-City Show (B2C) 2019. Please tell us about Jaipur Jewellery Show, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Rajiv. Jaipur Jewellery Show (JJS), also popularly known as the December Show, is a Complete exposi on with Diamonds, Precious and semi-precious colored Stones and Jewellery made out the same. Jaipur Jewellery show showcases, markets and oﬀers a wide range of designs in Gems & Jewellery that are a wide range in terms of pricing and designs. The Design Fes val is also part of the show, where ar sans can be seen live, crea ng and designing Jewellery for the consumers. We also work with the local

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ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Rajiv. It is a wonderful feeling when the eﬀorts of so many people who contributed to the success, are recognised, and rewarded. As it mo vates further to reach new milestones. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Rajiv. We look forward to a healthy, Safe, Produc ve, and prosperous 2021.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

December 2020

WE HAVE 13 SHOWS LiNED UP iN THE FiRST QUARTER AND WE ARE VERY EXCiTED ABOUT iT - MANiNDER SETHi ourselves to provide that personalised care our esteemed visitors are in need of. Thats the reason today Wedding Asia is the most admired brand in wedding industry. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Maninder Sethi. we were very excited for 2020 and had big plans for the year, but, unforeseen situa ons have derailed the plans. We accepted the situa on but didn't choose to wait for the good de to come, instead we curated more personalised shows with limited number of visitors (as per the guidelines) and successfully run more than 20 shows in just 3 months. There should always be a plan B ready for con ngencies and when you are detrained to serve your customers you would certainly find a way. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Maninder Sethi. We did not stop and neither we would be. We have 13 shows lined up in the first quarter and we are very excited about it. All the shows would be by invita on only, we would only be able to cater to pre register audience. ES. What is your message to the industry? Maninder Sethi. The most important learning of 2020 is that we need to reinvent our trade. Only technological advancement is not enough, efforts are required to understand the situa on and draw a road map for future. Exhibi on trade would emerge much stronger & the growth of businesses would majorly be dependent on Exhibi ons in future. We need to gear up and sense the trends and put a plan accordingly.

ES. Congratula ons on winning The Leading Show Wedding 2019. Please tell us about Wedding Asia, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Maninder Sethi. Its a ma er of great pride that we are awarded with The Leading wedding show 2019. Wedding Asia is serving the wedding community since 14 years. We are the largest wedding show producers in Asia with more than 20 shows a year. As we cater to weddings, it becomes very important to understand the nature of business. For us weddings are emo onal ma er than commercial business. We always strive to pamper our audience & stretch

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ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Maninder Sethi. Its an honour to be nominated & winning the pres gious award again. We are thankful to the jury & exhibi on showcase for recogninsig our eﬀorts. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Maninder Sethi. In 2021 you would see a new Avatar of Wedding Asia. We are all set with our Online show & would be revealing the new things & more new ver cals soon. I wish you all a very happy & prosperous New Year 2021. May this year brings happiness & joy in everyones life. Thank you so much again.

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Interview

December 2020

THE SHOW BUiLDS A GLOBAL iMAGE OF INDiA AS A VALUE BASED AFFORDABLE EDUCATiON iN THE WORLD ViVEK SHUKLA ES. Please tell us about Great India Educa on Fair, what makes it diﬀerent from other shows in this sector? Vivek Shukla. The Great India Educa on Fair is a novel event organized in foreign countries showcasing India's educa on right from school educa on to higher educa on. This show a racts Foreign and NRI students to study in India. The show builds a global image of India as a value based aﬀordable educa on in the world. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did Afairs engage with its community to grow, and conduct business? Vivek Shukla. We engaged with the students, parents and our clients which are educa on providers through online channels like webinars, virtual educa on fairs and online career counseling events. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Vivek Shukla. To be mul dimensional in your business. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be?

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Vivek Shukla. We are star ng our interna onal fairs from March 2021 and domes c fairs from Feb 2021. ES. What is your message to the industry? Vivek Shukla. To stand out from the rest, we have to keep innova ng on business ideas, building customer experience, embracing technology and crea ng value proposi ons for the user and your clients. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Vivek Shukla. It's an amazing feeling to get recognized for our ini a ve which is in line with the mission and vision of our Hon'ble Prime Minister to make India as a signiﬁcant des na on for educa on in the world. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Vivek Shukla. We are looking at exponen al growth and wide opportuni es in the educa on sector. We will make over the gaps which were there in 2020 due to pandemic.

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Interview

December 2020

OUR EXHiBiTiON INDUSTRY HAS A MUCH MORE iMPACT AND SiGNiFiCANCE iN KEEPiNG THE WHEELS OF ECONOMiES MOViNG AROUND THE WORLD - SANYAL DESAi ES. Congratula ons on winning The Fastest Growing Show (area) 2019. Please tell us about Non Woven Tech Asia. Sanyal Desai. Firstly I would like to thank the jury of Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020 for the honour. Nonwoven Tech Asia 2019 was big in terms of organizing (area wise) if compared to the 2018 edi on. The NonWoven Tech Asia 2019 had many Interna onal companies exhibi ng on large numbers especially the Chinese as compared to the 2018 edi on. The 2019 edi on was also able to a ract double the number of visitors than compared to 2018 edi on. NONWOVEN TECH ASIA has been very much different from other shows in the sector. We are somewhere the pioneers of organizing the exhibi on on the niche subject of NONWOVEN in India. As per my knowledge there have been shows in India organized on the subject of Technical Tex les, but we are the only organizer conduc ng a show on the niche but significantly developing subject of 'NonWoven' in the country. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did Radeecal Communica ons engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Sanyal Desai. In this unprecedented mes of the pandemic to keep the business running, we at Radeecal communica ons with an aim of serving and suppor ng growth across industries and business communi es have shi ed exhibi ons on our own indigenously designed virtual exhibi on pla orm 'I Radeecal'. With the restric ons imposed on organising physical exhibi ons, our virtual exhibi ons on different subjects were found to be handy in terms of engaging exhibitors and visitors across the globe. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Sanyal Desai. Not only us, the year 2020 has been a year of learning for the whole humanity somewhere. Talking about myself I have surely learned that exhibi on industry is all about showing the last moment 'Flexibility' as per the situa on that we come across while organizing exhibi ons and with that I also learned that 'Agility' to shi things is the most important element to work upon while dealing with the unavoidable situa ons. I found myself somewhere fortunate enough for

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being in the exhibi on industry for nearly two decades which helped us to counter capitalize against the challenges that we come across in the year 2020. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Sanyal Desai. We have series of virtual events lined up on different subjects ll March 2021. But the major 'PHYGITAL' show that's what we are calling it which is the mix of physical and virtual exhibi on is going to be 'NONWOVEN TECH ASIA 2021' which will be organized in first week of June at Praga Maidan, New Delhi. ES. What is your message to the industry? Sanyal Desai. Our exhibi on Industry has a much more impact and significance in keeping the wheels of economies moving around the world. Our Industry has shown the resiliency needed in these unprecedented mes. The world somewhere is on the verge of transforma on where dynamics of needs, preferences and demands are changing. Being the exhibi on organizers as the nature of business allows we always have that tendency of planning things ahead. We just need to keep the self-belief intact and should try to know our own importance in terms of being the major growth driver in reviving the economies in these tough mes of global crisis. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Sanyal Desai. I feel honoured and privileged on receiving the award at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020. I accept this award with the utmost gra tude and the recogni on that our show has got has surely inspired me to put in more effort to make 'NONWOVEN TECH ASIA' reach more and more heights of success with its future edi ons. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Sanyal Desai. The first thing I am looking ahead in the year 2021 and actually hoping for is the decrease in the Level of Uncertainty that has been in the year 2020. Looking ahead we have our plans of organizing 'PHYGITAL' exhibi ons which I think is going to be an emerging new trend of the exhibi on Industry for the upcoming year of 2021. 'NONWOVEN TECH ASIA 2021' will be the first 'PHYGITAL' show that will be organized in the first week of June 2021 which will be followed by our other annual shows. This is the plan and I hope it turns out that way but at the end let's see where this current crisis leads us to. Thank You.

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Interview

December 2020

OUR ViSiON FOR 2021 iS TO FACILITATE THE SUCCESS OF HYBRiD SHOWS - AAKASH DHOTE Media Produc on. To underline our evolu on in one word during these mes, I would say, it is all because of our resilience.

ES. Congratula ons on winning THE TECH CATALYST 2019. Please tell us about Blue Apple Digimedia, what makes it different from others in this sector? Aakash Dhote. What differen ates us from the service providers in the similar domain, is the quality of work that we provide to our clients, and the flexibility of a clientagency rela onship. We never compromise on the quality of work, be it a big or small project. And we work hard to deliver superiority in our content through constant innova on in the process. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did Blue Apple Digimedia engage with its community to grow, and conduct business.? Aakash Dhote. With the ongoing scenario, we were immediately sure about the boom which the digital sector was going through. We realized how important of a role it is going to play in the upcoming months, so we came up with 'The Webinar Studio', a post-webinar service specially to visualize and design webinars in a polished way. We started crea ng content which made it easy to grab the a en on of the audience on digital pla orms. Another diversifica on that we have added, is our venture into the world of Weddings. Earlier this year, we captured my wedding and we realized how melessly valuable that moment was; so we came up with “Blue Apple Weddings”, so that anyone who wishes to have their valuable moments turned into their very own film, could just do so by reaching out to us. We also started "Blue Apple Edify"- A learning pla orm for the aspirants who wish to make a career in the Digital

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ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Aakash Dhote. The technology is already flourishing at a top speed and it is astonishing for us to see that the Events and Exhibi on Industry has adapted to the “new normal”.Learning to adapt to the changes that kept happening constantly, with this year throwing a curveball at all of us, our biggest takeaway from 2020 would be prac cing an op mis c outlook. With uncertainty looming over most of us, an op mis c outlook has been the only way to keep our spirits up. It has proven extremely vital for us, as it helped us redefine Blue Apple, venture out into different domains and open up new avenues to soar high. ES. What is your message to the industry? Aakash Dhote. Having a young team since the incep on of Blue Apple has turned out to be very frui ul. There's a huge gap that we need to cover between the current techniques used in the marke ng for the exhibi on industry and the digital mode of marke ng. My message to the industry is that, we need to fulfill that gap by opening up more tyoung ideas, the poten al that the digital media marke ng promo on holds can be very well explored and implemented going forward. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Aakash Dhote. Exhibi on Excellence Awards is an honoured pla orm to recognize the hardwork and excellence that one shows. Receiving this award has made us feel more humbled and this is only going to boost us to push further and bring innova on and fresh ideas into the industry. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead in 2021? Aakash Dhote. With this year being so uncertain, 2021 is being looked forward to with a lot of posi ve energy. Our vision for 2021 for our Exhibi on industry is to make Hybrid shows a successful & new way to refurbish the way we do shows, and take it higher in terms of u lising the poten al that Digital Content Marke ng has.

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Interview

December 2020

WE PLAN TO ORGANiSE AT LEAST 50 EXHiBiTiONS iN 2021 TO MAKE UP FOR THE TiME LOST DURiNG THE PANDEMiC - PAWAN SHANKAR “With EEA it feels that there is a guardian in the exhibi on industry which was unguarded, unrecognised before the existence of Exhibi on Excellence Awards.” ES. Congratula ons on winning '30 Exhibi ons in B-Ci es in 2019' - The Challenger. Please tell us about '30 Exhibi ons in B-Ci es' in 2019, what makes it different from others in this sector? Pawan Shankar. Brand Credibility of Fashionista is immense as we are one of the first to start the trend of Fashion Exhibi ons in Tier II ci es of India since 2008 when others were shying away from venturing out to Tier II ci es. We follow the policy of equality for all that also makes the difference. ES. At this me of the pandemic in 2020, how did Fashionista engage with its community to grow, and conduct business. Pawan Shankar. The main reason for successful restart of exhibi ons was the organic data we have generated over the years. Even without any newspaper ads and outdoor promo ons or expos were a major hit. One thing for sure nothing can stop women from shopping, not even pandemic. We have conducted nearly 16 exhibi ons from October to December 2020 when the government allowed 200 people at a social event with all safety. Brand Loyalty in the ci es where we conduct expos helped us sail through the revival process beau fully. ES. What were the lessons learnt in 2020? Pawan Shankar. The first lesson was to take ini a ve even during adversi es. Fashionista was the first to announce the exhibi ons across all industries in October 2020. Our announcement prompted other organisers in the fashion exhibi on industry to start the exhibi ons. The other lesson

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- the organisa on which has the right data would rule in the current scenario. ES. When is your next exhibi on date and what format will it be? Pawan Shankar. 6 exhibi ons are planned in January 2021 across Chha sgarh and Maharashtra. We shall con nue following the '200 people at a me' norm along with the Token system and other government safety norms. ES. What is your message to the industry? Pawan Shankar. People are wai ng to be a part of business, take ini a ve and restart. Planning in advance, bulk deals of promo ons to keep cost under control, Inﬂuencer networking should be on top of the mind awareness. ES. How does it feel to receive an award and get recognised for your contribu on at India's Iconic Exhibi on Excellence Awards 2020? Pawan Shankar. With EEA it feels that there is a guardian in the exhibi on industry - which was unguarded, unrecognised before the existence of Exhibi on Excellence Awards. Hard-work recogni on gives further boost to perform even be er. ES. Please share with us, what are you looking ahead to in 2021? Pawan Shankar. We plan to organise at least 50 exhibi ons in 2021 to make up for the me lost during the pandemic and that's the reason we did 16 exhibi ons in just 3 months Oct Nov Dec of 2020 in 12 ci es.

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www.litmusmeroform.com Contact mansee@meroformindia.com maniayush@meroformindia.com

Global News

December 2020

MESSAGE FROM UFI PRESiDENT - ANBU VARATHAN

s we reach the end of 2020 and enter a New Year with renewed hopes and vigours, I am beginning my journey as the President of UFI, the global associa on of exhibi on industry. I look forward to 2021 as a hallmark year for UFI and tap the opportuni es that we can avail and move ahead. Year 2020 has been an unprecedented one for businesses worldwide as COVID-19 forced us to realign our goals. There’s a glimmer of hope with the progress made in developing vaccines. Encouragingly, exhibi on industry stakeholders, have chartered out ways to con nue their journey amidst the challenges and are making steady progress. Friends, four areas that I am passionate about as we tackle the challenges presented before us are Resilience, Leadership, Technology, and Community. These four focus areas aren’t of recent origin, some are ongoing and some are planned for the long-term. These will set the broad direc ons for several of UFI’s ini a ves over the next one year. Resilience has been an inherent characteris c of our exhibi on industry, the UFI Digital Congress 2020 rightly focused on it and it doesn’t end there, we shall remain resilient and our industries shall remain resilient – for an eﬀec ve revival. Countries across the world led by their respec ve heads have been pushing hard with unprecedented measures and 77 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

s mulus packages to revive exhibi on industries in their own regions. The me is apt for businesses to explore new opportuni es, strategies to innovate, enhance technological capabili es, equip workforce with modern technologies, reorient market strategies, keep the cash flow going, and re-emerge as a force to reckon with once again. Leadership, more effec vely, purpose driven leadership, symbolises what leaders need to do to survive and excel in these extraordinary mes. From addressing immediate issues of safeguarding companies, to guiding and mentoring stakeholders in periods of pain, to reaching normalcy or new normalcy, leaders will truly be tested. Leadership across all levels, all regions, gender, race, posi on and next genera on will have to lead by example. Technology will be the key enabler for making smart moves, more specifically, digital technology will be a game changer across all levels. It is extremely vital for the en re exhibi on industry to understand the impact that ‘digital technology’ will have on exhibi ons. However, finding success through digital is not automa c, it is essen al for stakeholders to understand the enhanced value proposi on possibili es that it brings. It is also important to understand the right

areas where ‘value crea on’ is possible – either a new value crea on or enhancement of an exis ng value. Community, and enhanced connec on with community will pay rich dividends. While the “connect with community” has always been present, only few organiza ons followed it in true spirit. I feel that this is an area where there is tremendous scope for our exhibi on industry to strengthen itself further. In my opinion, “connect with community” is essen al, whether it is industry sectors, or speciﬁc geographical areas or any part of society. This needs to be very much a part of our purpose. When this connec on is stronger and deeper, our survival, revival and success will follow certainly. UFI has played a scin lla ng role in developing the exhibi on industry by working collabora vely with various interna onal associa ons and making it a turf for promo ng various sectors. I am glad to con nue the endeavour to make global exhibi on industry more vibrant and strong.

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Global News

December 2020

UNWTO REPORT REVEALS WORLDWiDE EASiNG OF TRAVEL RESTRiCTiONS

he World Tourism Organisa on (UNWTO) has released a report revealing that 70 per cent of des na ons around the world have eased travel restric ons in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings were discussed in the eighth edi on of the UNWTO’s Travel Restric ons Report, a document launched at the start of the pandemic to keep track of measures taken in 217 global des na ons worldwide. The findings aim to “support the mi ga on and recovery efforts of the tourism sector”. The report shows that 152 des na ons have eased restric ons on interna onal tourism from November 1, an increase from the 115 recorded on September 1. Meanwhile, one in four des na ons con nue to keep their borders closed 78 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

to interna onal tourists – this has decreased from 93 to 59 over the two-month period. Europe con nues to lead the way in the li ing of restric ons, followed by the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Asia and the Paciﬁc, however, have more complete border closures in place in response to the ongoing pandemic. The study also examined the reasons behind the li ing or strengthening of restric ons, sta ng that those des na ons with higher scores in health and hygiene indicators as well as on the environmental performance index have eased restric ons faster. Conversely, countries and territories that have kept their borders closed – the majority of which are located in Asia and the Paciﬁc – tend to be within emerging economies with rela vely low scores in these two

factors. The report also looks to the future, highligh ng that governments can play a pivotal role in the recovery of tourism. At the moment, six of the ten biggest tourism source markets have issued travel regula ons according to evidence-based risk assessments. Commen ng on the ﬁndings, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, said: “The li ing of travel restric ons is essen al to drive our wider recovery from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. Governments have an important part to play in giving data-led and responsible travel advice and in working together to li restric ons as soon as it is safe to do so.”

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Global News

December 2020

THE 16TH EDiTiON OF AUTOMECHANiKA SHANGHAi 2020 CLOSES, BROKERiNG NEW AUTOMOTiVE TRADE FAiR EXPERiENCES

ounding up a unique year, Automechanika Shanghai’s physical fair closes its doors a er successfully engaging with players worldwide through its hybrid pla orm, AMS Live. These onsite-toonline ac vi es presented dynamic opportuni es to reconnect the automo ve ecosystem and further s mulate industry recovery. Preliminary par cipa on ﬁgures portray the eagerness from companies to get back to business with many praising the show’s eﬀorts to boost market growth. Despite ongoing travel restric ons rippling around the world, Automechanika Shanghai running as planned, from 2 to 5 December 2020, has reinforced market op mism in the automo ve industry. Reaching across six con nents, the show convened exhibitors from 29 countries and regions, maintaining its posi on as a global assembly point.

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Ac vi es at the Na onal Exhibi on and Conven on Center, Shanghai, as well as many of the services and tools being oﬀered to par cipants mirrored the latest trends and technological advancements spurred on by COVID-19. The show con nued to promote the en re supply chain through seven dedicated sectors and three specialised zones. Synergy in Parts & Components, Tomorrow’s Service & Mobility and Electronics & Connec vity shone a light on digitalisa on and the growing desires from consumers to see greener industry. The Diagnos cs & Repair / Body & Paint, Accessories, Customising and REIFEN (Tyres & Wheels) also reﬂected many of the cross-collabora ve opportuni es in the a ermarket. Elsewhere, the Auto Manufacturing, Services & Supply Chain, and Remanufacturing zones zoomed in on

ground-breaking technologies and business models from industry leaders in their respec ve ﬁelds. This year, organisers launched a range of new formats in the fringe programme for onsite and remote par cipants. The Automo ve A ermarket Summit, AIAG Auto Parts Purchasing Leadership and Suppliers Summit, China Automobile Dealers Used Car Industry Development Forum, China Interna onal Tyre Industry Conference, Interna onal Summit of Connected-Vehicle Policies and Regula ons and Tomorrow’s Service & Mobility Summit were amongst events relaying the latest updates and developments throughout the upstream and downstream supply chain. On top of this, many conferences, forums and webinars also discussed the eﬀects of COVID-19 in the market and deeply examined the road to industry recovery.

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Global News

December 2020

SECOND PART OF UFI-EXPLORi GLOBAL RECOVERY INSiGHTS 2020 REPORT PUBLiSHED

FI and Explori are releasing the second part of the Global Recovery Insights 2020 report. The study was conducted by live events research specialists, Explori, in partnership with UFI, the Global Associa on of the Exhibi on Industry, and supported by SISO, the Society for Independent Show Organizers. The second part of this global study, based on more than 9,000 responses from 30 countries, follows on from the release of the ﬁrst part of the report in October, which looked at how exhibitors and visitors of trade shows and business events are being impacted by a lack of live events, and how they view hybrid and digital events. The insights released focus on the experience of visitors and exhibitors at digital events, including how they

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perceive current digital offerings, their views on future investment, and what role they think hybrid events will play in the visitor journey going forward. The core findings echo the first report in the strong demand for a return of live events. Visitors highlight the me and cost benefits related to digital events, and are becoming increasingly comfortable with event content delivered digitally. Exhibitors have a strong preference for live events in all areas – networking, in par cular – and feel that digital events currently don’t provide a good ROI. “The second part of this global study provides key insights for the industry, as we plan for 2021 and move ahead with the reopening of shows and venues. Although it’s clear that our customers are keen to return to faceto-face when possible, the industry landscape has changed. As we

emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we should see digital as a major opportunity to enhance the buyer-seller connec ons we provide,” says Kai Ha endorf, UFI’s Managing Director and CEO Sophie Holt, Managing Director at Explori, adds: “The second part of this global study provides useful insight into what the digital events of the future could look like. In the future, digital events will not seek to replicate the in-person experience, but instead leverage their strength at delivering against singular objec ves. They will contribute to engaging communi es, guide audiences through unfamiliar territory and help to meet customers where they are. Despite the resounding preference for live events, there are strong reasons to consider the importance digital will play as restric ons begin to ease moving into 2021.”

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Global News

December 2020

MESSE DÜSSELDORF CLOSES THE COViD-19 YEAR 2020 WiTH A TURNOVER OF EUR 119 MiLLiON Strategic package of measures ini ated for 2021 2021 trade fair year kicks off with boot Düsseldorf in April Lord Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller elected new Chairman of Supervisory Board is therefore all the more relevant now that the shareholders con nue to posi vely rate the con nued important market posi on of Messe Düsseldorf as a partner for the industry as well as its financial stability: over the past years it has stood out with profitable and sustainable management, which will help coping with this difficult year.”

espite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Messe Düsseldorf closes the business year 2020 with a s ll strong equity ra o of just under 55%. Thanks to sound and sustainable management over the past years, the company has created financial leeway which is having a posi ve effect for managing the current situa on. Furthermore, the company counters the current pandemic with a powerful package of measures. The Board of Managing Directors of Messe Düsseldorf has informed the Supervisory Board in its mee ng about business developments in 2020 as well as the forecast for 2021. The Messe Düsseldorf Group reports a turnover of EUR 131.5 million, which is 65.3% lower than in the previous year (EUR 378.5 million) due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The situa on is similar for Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, which at EUR 81 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

118.9 million posts a 65.4% lower turnover than in 2019 (EUR 344 million). The GmbH proﬁts have dropped to EUR -64.7 million (previous year: EUR 70.6 million). Despite this development Messe Düsseldorf GmbH con nues enjoying a very high equity posi on at EUR 364.3 million (previous year: EUR 448 million). The equity ra o of 54.8 percent (previous year 64 percent) remains at a high level. New Chairman of the Supervisory Board In the Supervisory Board mee ng, Dr. Stephan Keller, Lord Mayor of the state capital Düsseldorf, was elected new Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Dr. Stephan Keller: “As expected, the annual results ended up lower than in the previous year in view of Covid-19. It

Keller goes on to emphasise the importance of the trade fair as an economic driver for the loca on: “The numerous cancelled leading interna onal trade fairs not only proved a tough setback for Messe Düsseldorf but especially for local business and all associated sectors of industry. Travel restric ons prevented exhibitors and visitors from travelling, which led to slumps in food service sales, in hospitality, in transport, in retail and in skilled cra s. This is another reason why we must do everything we can to overcome the Covid pandemic.” Board of Managing Directors ini ates package of measures As things currently stand, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH forecasts sales of EUR 107.3 million and a loss of EUR 77 million for the business year 2021. “Against the backdrop of the nega ve eﬀects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the exhibi on industry we focus on long-term strategic measures in order to counter the current, Covid19 induced decline in opera ons in a sustainable manner that secures the substance of the business,” stresses

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Global News

December 2020

Wolfram N. Diener, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. The central aim is to secure liquidity, emphasizes Bernhard J. Stempfle, Managing Director Finance & Infrastructure. This is why short- me work will be extended to the end of March for the me being, new hires will be suspended and vacancies not be filled, fix-term contracts will expire and par al re rement schemes are being discussed. Furthermore, other planned budget lines as well as investment and maintenance will be cut back to an acceptable minimum. In 2020 investments stood at EUR 35.7 million (planned: EUR 70 million) and maintenance costs at EUR 10.2 million. 2021 will see investment total EUR 10.5 million and maintenance EUR 7.6 million. Virtual formats to complement physical trade fairs On top of this, Messe Düsseldorf expands its lines of business by strongly driving digital formats, for example. 20 to 22 October 2020 saw glasstec VIRTUAL being held as the first virtual-only event by Messe Düsseldorf, a rac ng 10,000 par cipants from more than 110 countries. Around 800 exhibitors from 44 countries presented themselves in the so-called Exhibi on Space. Around 45,000 trade visitors from 169 na ons took advantage of the offerings at virtual.MEDICA and virtual.COMPAMED from 16 to 19 November; in addi on, 1,500 exhibitors from 63 countries were present. Wolfram N. Diener, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, stresses: “Our virtual events a ract a broad-based interna onal audience. This is where industry players from all over the

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world can network, find out about industry trends and forge partnerships, even in mes of Covid19.” The virtual commitment of Messe Düsseldorf, he is confident, will also pay off a er the pandemic: “There is a trend towards dovetailing physical and digital formats. For our trade fairs this means that they are increasingly complemented by virtual content. We bet on hybrid trade fairs – i.e. a mix of the physical event on site and digital ranges. This will consolidate the pole posi on of Düsseldorf’s global No. 1 trade fairs as central communica on and informa on pla orms for their respec ve industries – during the physical trade fairs and all year long.“ Trade fairs instrumental to restar ng the economy Messe Düsseldorf has developed a comprehensive hygiene and infec on protec on concept based on the Corona Protec on Ordinance of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in order to make physical trade fairs possible. 4 to 13 September 2020 saw CARAVAN SALON Düsseldorf held with 107,000 visitors as the first major German trade fair a er the lockdown in spring. Add to this the guest event “DoKomi” held by the subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress GmbH, which welcomed Europe’s biggest Anime and Japan Expo with 28,000 par cipants on 26 and 27 September 2020. “We have thus shown that successful trade fairs are possible under the greatest possible protec on for all par cipants, even in Covid mes,” says Erhard Wienkamp, Managing Director Opera ve Trade Fair Business. “The events marked the restart of the trade fair opera ons that the economy urgently needs. It needs pla orms for presen ng, gathering informa on, exchange and

networking. In addi on, there are numerous companies associated with the events,” explains Wienkamp. According to a study of the Munich based ifo Ins tute, the Düsseldorf trade fair and congress business alone induces EUR 2.98 billion of sales across Germany every year (in Düsseldorf: EUR 1.66 billion), secures 27,692 jobs (in Düsseldorf: 16,664) and generates addi onal tax revenue of EUR 567 million Euro (in Düsseldorf: EUR 36.3 million). One third of all overnight stays at hotels in Düsseldorf are accounted for by trade fairs and congresses. Posi ve signals for interna onal event business In 2020 the home base Düsseldorf hosted seven trade fairs in total with 5,558 exhibitors und 534,914 visitors – spread across four Messe Düsseldorf events (boot, EuroShop, CARAVAN SALON, TourNatur) and three partner and guest events (PSI, PromoTex Expo und viscom). Abroad, a total of 16 events were held, most of them in China (7). There, business has already picked up again: from July 2020 the subsidiary Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai successfully organised six trade fairs with more than 3,200 exhibitors and 160,000 trade visitors. The cycle was kicked oﬀ by the 100th China Interna onal Occupa onal Safety & Health Goods Expo (CIOSH) from 3 to 5 July 2020. It was one of China’s ﬁrst trade fairs, held with 1,035 exhibitors and 21,207 visitors, a er the pandemic-induced stands ll. This was followed by the retail trade fair C-star (134 exhibitors and 9,006 visitors), wire China and Tube China (953 exhibitors and 36,552 visitors), All in Print China (687 exhibitors and 70,000 visitors) as well as ProWine China (400 exhibitors and 22,542 visitors).

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Global News

December 2020

LEADiNG PHOTOGRAPHiC TRADE SHOW iN COLOGNE, PHOTOKiNA WiLL BE SUSPENDED UNTiL FURTHER NOTiCE

n view of the massive decline in markets for imaging products, Koelnmesse has decided to discon nue organising photokina at its Cologne loca on for the me being. “Unfortunately, at present the framework condi ons in the industry do not provide a viable basis for the leading interna onal trade fair for photography, video and imaging,” according to Gerald Böse, President and Chief Execu ve Officer of Koelnmesse. “This hard cut a er a 70-year shared history was very difficult for us. The trend in this industry, with which we have always had a close and trus ng partnership, is very painful for us to witness. But we are facing the situa on with a clear, honest decision against con nuing this event, a decision to which, unfortunately, we have no alterna ve.” Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, the imaging market was already subject to strong upheaval, with annual declines in the double digits. The momentum in this direc on intensified massively in 2020, most recently repor ng a 83 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

decline in the 50-percent range. Recently, these developments have had a profound eﬀect on photokina, which – in Cologne since 1950 – for genera ons has been the top address for the imaging industry and ranks among the most favourably and emo onally charged brands in the trade fair world. Since 2014, Koelnmesse, together with the German Photo Industry Associa on, has taken its cue from downward market trends, responding with adjustments to the underlying concept of the trade fair as well as considerable investment in new exhibitor and visitor segments. “These changes in conceptual design, along with a shi in intervals and a change of dates, did not fundamentally improve the situa on of the event,” says Oliver Frese, Management Board member and Chief Opera ng Oﬃcer of Koelnmesse. “While there are more photographs taken today than ever before, the integra on of smartphone photography and videography,

together with image-based communica on, e.g. via social media, was not able to cushion the elimina on of large segments of the classic market. As a result, the overall situa on is not compa ble with the quality standards of photokina as a globally renowned brand represen ng the highest quality and professionalism in the interna onal imaging market. Koelnmesse has made its decision in close coordina on with the German Photo Industry Associa on. Kai Hillebrandt, Chairman of that associa on, remarked: “Our partners in Cologne have done everything in their power to maintain photokina as the leading global trade fair. Nonetheless, an event held in 2022 could not have met the expecta ons of the en re imaging community that those eﬀorts were intended to serve. That is why we, on behalf of our associa on, are joining them in taking this regre ably unavoidable step. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the team in Cologne for a tremendous 70 years together!”

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Global News

December 2020

ITB CHiNA ANNOUNCES TWO iNDUSTRY EVENTS iN BEiJiNG AND SHANGHAi NEXT YEAR

ollowing the successful premiere of the ITB China Industry Meetup Events in 2020, and traveller conﬁdence recovering swi ly in China, the ITB China organizers have announced to launch an ITB China Special Edi on in 2021. The two-day business event will make its debut in Beijing from 7 - 8 May 2021, to deliver an innova ve showcase for business exchanges while providing a stage for sharing industry insights for the travel industry. The regular edi on of ITB China 2021, together with the accompanying ITB China Conference in Shanghai, is being rescheduled to 24 - 26 November 2021. “Fueled by promising news about vaccine developments we all an cipate upward trends in 2021. The way to real market recovery, however, will be a steady and gradual one that our industry will have to walk jointly in order to reach a post pandemic new normal”, said Mr. David Axio s, General Manager of ITB China, further adding: “ITB China successfully kicked oﬀ the journey to recovery for its partners in China by premiering the ITB China Industry

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MeetUp event series in six key regions across China over the past three months.

well as a end an extensive series of content sessions by C-level industry experts, focusing on new traveler demands and travel trends.

As the next major milestone, ITB China is once again leading the way with a tailor-made event format, the ITB China Special Edi on 2021. Taking place in Beijing in spring next year, we expect a promising outlook on cross-border travel and emerging business opportuni es at that me. Lastly, ITB China 2021 in Shanghai is set to once again serve as the leading pla orm to connect with the world's largest travel source market, strategically rescheduled to the end of the year, paving the way for a strong rebound of the industry in 2022.”

Addi onally, the hybrid character of the event will be set up for those professionals who are not able to a end in person. Suppliers will be offered a solu on for remote par cipa on with an easy-to-exhibit package. The keynote speeches and panel discussions during the conferences will be made available to a global audience online through instant live streaming, while simultaneous ar ficial intelligencebased transla on in different languages will be offered for all content sessions.

The ITB China Special Edi on in Beijing, set to take place from 7 - 8 May 2021, is a newly designed and hybrid event format that will feature two exclusive prescheduled mee ng sessions with hand-selected Chinese buyers, represen ng the whole bandwidth of Leisure, MICE, Corporate and Travel Technology. A total of 1500 par cipants are expected to join networking events to establish new valuable contacts, as

The ITB China Industry MeetUp events, a specially designed networking format to bring together experts and representa ves from the industry, were successfully held in six major ci es in China from September to November 2020. The events a racted 53 sponsors and more than 1070 professionals. Altogether 95 speakers covering 36 topics discussed new market demands and eﬀec ve market solu ons in China.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Dec - 2020

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