Messe Frankfurt India marks its comeback on Indian soil with the successful edition of Techtextil 2021 that was held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre from November 25 to 27. The event zeroed in with its vibrant presence in India and bringing together major players in the textile industry after a grueling 20-month gap due to the Covid pandemic and lockdown
India’s leading organizer of trade fairs and in charge of promoting Indian brands around the world, Messe Frankfurt India has recently relaunched its on-field operations in India with the successful organization of Techtextil India which is an international B2B trade fair for Technical Textiles, Nonwoven, and composites. The show focuses on bringing together decision-makers from the textile fraternity from across different countries to explore innovative technologies and developments. This edition, this event was able to bring together major industrial players in the textile sector after a 20-month hiatus due to the covid pandemic.
Speaking to the Machine Maker team at the event, Raj Manek, Managing Director, Messe Frankfurt India, stated, “It is important to give exhibitors and businessmen confidence to do business, and Techtextil has been able to provide that so far with some great response from exhibitors and visitors.”
Messe Frankfurt India is a subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt GmbH that has been operating in India since 1991 with a commitment to connecting people and markets. The firm has been active in the domestic market, where it has gained a thorough understanding of the dynamics and professionalism of the Indian market. Messe Frankfurt is the country’s leader in organizing impressive trade fairs and is also in charge of promoting Indian brands around the world.
Physical Exhibitions Offer ‘Human Touch’
“Exhibitions are all about touch and feel, and we cannot compare virtual exhibitions to physical ones because human interaction is a necessary part of these kinds of events.”, Raj said.
The task of organizing such a massive event was tricky because there was a lot of uncertainty about the situation in India due to Covid, and the team had a difficult four months. And speculations in the industry about the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to impose another lockdown fueled the fire of difficulties, as investors were hesitant to give the event a green light. It was later clarified that the declared lockdown would be in effect in the country’s national capital due to severe pollution levels and had nothing to do with the covid situation.
“It is a simple logic that people will not buy expensive machinery just by looking at its images and videos; the investors would want to do a site visit and ask hundreds of questions to the manufacturer about the performance and specifications of the machines,” Raj added while discussing the value of physical exhibitions. The team at Messe Frankfurt worked tirelessly to make Techtextil a reality, and they gave the exhibitors a lot of confidence by assuring them of complete safety and the right target audience.
“It was difficult to convince partners to invest in the event, but we were determined to host Techtextile to bring the industry together. Special thanks to the German companies that participated in the event on such short notice because they value India as a good business market.,” Raj said.
Indian Economy Makes A Strong Comeback
The fact that India’s manufacturing sectors are breaking records on a daily basis and are easily outpacing pre-covid era figures is quite an astonishing fact. “After the third wave, the atmosphere in Europe is very subdued, and I honestly anticipated the same situation in India just before I arrived here for event-related work. But, to my surprise, the Indian ecosystem and atmosphere surprised me with its vibrant economy and Indian people’s mindset,” Raj commented on the Indian market scenario.
India is in an excellent position to capitalize on the current geopolitical situation in the world, and it has the potential to become a manufacturing superpower within the next five years. India has the necessary infrastructure to make a significant leap in the textile industry, and the country has historically been strong in the sector. The Indian industry has found a way to diversify and expand its market in safe ways even in such demanding situations, demonstrating Indians’ ability to quickly adapt to any situation and make the most of it.
Messe Frankfurt India Pursues Exciting Outlook for India
Messe Frankfurt India aims at expanding its presence in the country and connecting the industry through both physical as well as virtual exhibitions and closely followed developments. The company is also in the planning stages for three more exhibitions in India in the coming weeks and is excited to see the floor buzzing with highly valued exhibitors and visitors.
“2021 was all about getting out in the world with determination and kick-starting the hosting of exhibitions once again and giving a morale boost to the valuable exhibitor base in the country,” Raj said of the event’s progression in India.
Messe Frankfurt looks forward to 2022 as a consolidating stage, to host exhibitions with pre-covid era volumes under a new-normal way of life. By 2023, they expect that the figures will grow exponentially as people would have discovered a more stable and sustainable way of dealing with threats like Covid, and a better understanding of the situation which in turn would inspire confidence in foreign exhibitors to participate in such exhibits without any concern for their safety and health.
Marking a strong comeback, Messe Frankfurt intends to host additional exhibitions and trade fairs in India which would attract a global audience.
Messe Frankfurt also aims to strengthen the Indian manufacturing ecosystem through various mergers and collaborations with foreign partners. The company has greatly grown in India over the last two decades and hopes to do so again safely and steadily in the future.
