MESSE FRANKFURT INDIA
Messe Frankfurt India is the most established events organiser in the country, responsible for organising dozens of exhibitions and conferences every year. The company, a 100-percent subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt GmbH, has been active in India for more than two decades and today has offices in Mumbai and Delhi with a team of over 100 staff.
Raj Manek is a Board Member and the Executive Director of Messe Frankfurt Asia. In charge of operations in India, he answers a few questions on the local industry…
Q: What are some of the challenges and opportunities for the exhibitions industry in India?
India’s exhibitions industry is growing at 12 percent a year, and there is a lot more growth to come, partly because it is isolated from geopolitical tensions and economically in a good place. Events infrastructure and safety standards need to improve, but promising new venues are opening this year, for instance with government-owned facilities in New Delhi and Mumbai. Another challenge the industry faces is joining up support from government and overcoming some practical roadblocks like importation of goods.
Q: What are your secrets to success?
Messe Frankfurt brings its experience and expertise in trade fair marketing from all over the world, and we take lessons in best practice from each market and apply it within a local context. It is vital to understand local customs and cultures in order to prove your concept. Also, at Messe Frankfurt, we operate with a must deliver ethos, as we do in Germany and all over the world, which implies we will not finish until a job is complete. Q: What advice would you give for organising trade fairs/conferences in India?
My biggest piece of advice would be to establish a local team on the ground as this gives more control than organising an event or conference from afar. There can be a relaxed attitude to deadlines with third-party contractors, so the more control you can have the better.
Q: How does Messe Frankfurt plan to build on its presence in the Indian market?
We are the number one exhibitions company in India with 22 exhibitions and 35 conferences. Our aim is to continue building on this organically and through acquisitions, investing in the local market as it catches up with other parts of the world.