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The present industrial climate may not be favourable for participation in fairs, but the overwhelming response received from exhibitors expected to participate in the 13th edition of the International Industrial Trade Fair Coimbatore (INTEC 2012), scheduled between January 4 and 9 at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex here, suggests otherwise.
INTEC Chairman, Mr D. Gandhikumar, told Business Line that for the first time in years, bookings had crossed the 9,500 sq metre mark.
The bookings touched 9,000 sq m at the 10th edition of the fair, but the subsequent two editions failed to make a mark as the industrial climate turned bad, Mr Gandhikumar said, adding “though there have been some cancellations in bookings since September, it is not worrisome. The initial response was overwhelming. We have a space constraint now,” he added.
The INTEC expo series has since inception drawn exhibitors from across the globe. The forthcoming event would have participants from Germany, Japan, the US, Luxemburg, Spain, Switzerland, Singapore, Kuwait, Taiwan and Rwanda apart from major Indian companies, said the INTEC Chairman.
Around 490+ exhibitors are expected to showcase their products, including 200+ Coimbatore-based companies and 25 international exhibitors.
Asked how many exhibitors have consistently participated in every edition of INTEC so far, he said “just about 2 per cent”.
He attributed this to the size of the unit participating in the event, the constraints in terms of deploying dedicated staff at the stall while focusing on production, delivery schedules and installation of machinery, the cost of participation and the return on investment. “For small companies, it makes sense to participate in fairs across different geographies, instead of showcasing the product – edition after edition – from the same platform,” he said.
The event, which was initially mooted by Codissia as a platform for transfer of technology and entrepreneurship development, seems to be gradually moving to the next level.
And from the response it has evoked in the forthcoming edition, Codissia is not ruling out the need to establish another hall of 50,000 to one lakh sq ft area. “For this, we will need Rs 40-50 crore. This may not happen immediately, considering that we are yet to wipe out our commitment to SIDBI and Syndicate Bank. We have space; we will take it up at an appropriate time,” Mr Gandhikumar said in reply to a question.
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