How are the preparations for the second edition of bC India going on?
The planning for bC India 2013 are going well. With regards to all operational issues, we gathered a lot of experiences through the first event of bC India 2011 which helped us a lot for the upcoming event. As far as marketing issues are concerned, we did an extensive visitor’s survey during bC India 2011 wherein the results helped us tremendously to focus on the right marketing channels and to achieve our goal to attract more visitors from especially the north of India and neighboring countries. It looks very promising.
Please generalize its details in terms of space allocation, visitors expected and particularize details in terms of participation profile of leading overseas and domestic CE companies participating in the event. Will there be Country’s pavilions to make it a truly International show?
The Bauma Conexpo Show– bC India – held 8-11 February, 2011 at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, exceeded all expectations: 508 exhibitors from 36 countries and 24,823 visitors from 71 countries attended the first edition of the International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining Machines and Construction Vehicles. The event is a joint venture between Messe München International (MMI) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
This result shows clearly that our decision to launch bC India just came at the right time at the right place. Furthermore, the number of exhibitors as well as the feedback from all participants evidence impressively that bC India truly is a new dimension for the construction industry. Ninety seven percent of the visitors rated bC India as good to excellent according to a survey conducted during bC India 2011. Ninety nine percent of the visitors said that they would come back to visit bC India 2013. Regarding to the exhibitors, 91% rated bC India as good to excellent which is an outstanding result.
bC India 2013 will take place from 5 to 8 February, 2013 at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Responding to very strong demand from exhibitors, the exhibition space for bC India 2013 has been extended to a total of around 150,000 square meters. All in all, more than 700 exhibitors will showcase their latest products and innovations with regards to construction equipment, mining machinery, building materials machinery, construction vehicles and spare parts. Around 40,000 trade visitors from India and abroad are expected. We are again offering an online registration for bC India visitors. All who register online will receive their badge by e-mail free of charge whereas those who do not register online, will have to queue up on-site and pay an entrance fee. With this concept, we guaranteed a top quality audience at bC India 2011 wherein 84% of the exhibitors rated the quality of bC India 2011 visitors as good to excellent – which we are very proud of. The online registration is already functional. Please visit our website www.bCindia.com/register.
The international character of bC India will be underlined through national pavilions expected from China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain and UK all showcasing state-of-the-art technology produced in their countries.
Apart from showcasing developments in construction equipment, building material machineries, mining machines and construction vehicles; what other products are expected to get focus in bC India? What is its theme and tagline highlighting CE sector message.
The construction equipment, building materials machinery, mining machinery and construction vehicle segment will again be strongly represented at bC India 2013. Furthermore, we have received a lot of application forms from formwork and scaffolding companies. The growth within bC India of those companies give us the feeling that this segment has a high growth potential in India. Around 30 formwork and scaffolding companies have confirmed their participation until today and everyday more applications being received. Road Construction Equipment is another field which will be represented strongly during bC India 2013. This trend correlates with the need of road development in India. More than 20 exhibitors from that segment will be taking part at our show. Traditionally the component and service suppliers will also play an important role at bC India. Our tagline “Quality makes the difference” shall underline the quality level we are targeting for our show. This refers to the service level we are offering to our exhibitors and visitors. It has become vital to have a well maintained and actual website. Furthermore, we want to highlight the quality of bC India visitors.
What are the related events like CE conferences, buyers meet, and industry meets etc coinciding with the show?
bC India is not just a platform for global companies to showcase their innovations to the industry. We also offer our trade visitors and audience to participate in first class conferences and buyer forums that are held concurrently to the trade fair. There are conferences organized by the Builders Association of India (BAI), ASAPP media and the Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (iCEMA). iCEMA’s Conference for example, will deal with the topic “Infrastructure Development - Deliverables and Imperatives.” More details on the conference programme can be found on www.bCindia.com
For a mega event like bC India Expo, support of local agencies to beef up security arrangements, smooth regulation of traffic flow, work out effective transportation logistics,accommodation reservations etc are very essential for the success of the event. How bC India is garnering support from the local agencies to ensure safety of the participants and visitors?
The support from the local government for bC India 2013 is very strong. We have a good relation to the respective governmental bodies and could raise the awareness of the importance of such a mega show for the city of Mumbai and the state of Maharashtra. You can imagine the economic impact for the city and state because of all exhibitors and visitors who come from more than 71 countries. Exhibitors need local craftsmen and service providers for their show participation, they and the visitors stay in hotels in the city, eat in Mumbai’s restaurants and go shopping. Furthermore, the tax income of the government through exhibitors and visitors are an important factor for the city and state. The local government understood those effects very well and supports us which is highly appreciated by us.
What is your overview of projection of CE demand and supply in the next 1-2 years, given the fact that CE market is in a slow gear currently?
The construction equipment market will largely be driven by the planned development of infrastructure and the economic growth of the country according to the 12th Five Year Plan (April 2012-March 2017). The government has planned investments of nearly trillion on infrastructure which is the highest ever for any Five Year Plan. I am confident of having positive effects on the construction industry and eventually also on the construction equipment market. A lot of work is yet to be done with regards to infrastructure projects in India which primarily favors the future growth of the construction industry and construction equipment market.
While the economic situation and sales figures for construction equipment are declining in 2012, the research organization “Off-Highway Research” forecasts an increase of sales figures of earthmoving equipment of 16% in 2013, 9% in 2014, 11% in 2015 and 10% in 2016. The recent governmental announcement of further Highway and Port projects underline the positive development which is likely to happen in the coming years.
Despite the current challenges, Off-Highway Research is positive about the long-term prospects of the construction equipment market. It forecasts sales of construction equipment will reach 71,255 units in 2012, which are likely to rise to 114,165 units by the end of 2016.
How would bC India happening pep up the market sentiments for the benefit of participating companies?
India, as the world’s seventh largest country by area and second biggest by population, is one of the most dynamically growing, but has largely untapped construction equipment markets. In the recent years, the country has witnessed massive investment in the construction industry from both the public and private sector.
The consequence of governmental investment in infrastructure development for large and fast track projects and the requirements to realize these projects will be an increased demand for specialized construction equipment. The variety of latest technologies which are going to be showcased at bC India 2013, will give visitors the opportunity to compare equipment from Indian and International manufacturers in order to meet the requirements for these kinds of projects.
The launch show in 2011 did an impressive job of putting this quality standard to the test. bC India provides the construction industry with a professional platform for networking, investment and the exchange of ideas and information. In 2013, bC India will again be highlighting themes which will shape the future of building, and which are of outstanding importance for all segments of the construction industry.
The exhibition market in India is growing very fast but is handicapped due to deficit in exhibition infrastructure facilities available in other international business hubs like Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai etc. It would augur well for the growth of exhibition business in the country; if international agencies like MMI and AEM, the main organizers of bC India sensitize this need at policy makers end co-jointly with other governmental or non–governmental agencies. Is it not the right time for bC India to consider moving to some of other international hubs of the country?
I fully agree with you on the fact that not only Mumbai needs state-of-the-art exhibition centers but also the cities of India. There are hardly any centers which can accommodate shows like bC India. This is why our shareholders under the umbrella of UFI, the world association of exhibition organizers is already in touch with the central and the local governments in order to raise the awareness of the importance of international standard state-of-the-art exhibition centers in this country. The economic impact of such exhibition centers for the region is huge as explained in one of the other questions. Just to give you some figures: According to AUMA, the leading association of the German trade fair industry, trade fairs boost the annual output of the German economy by 23.5 billion Euros and employ 226,000 full-time jobs – impressive figures according to me. Considering the growth potential of the construction industry due to the need of infrastructure development in India, we are sure that bC India will grow further. In case if our current venue hence becomes too small, then of course we will have to consider other options. We are already working on this and will keep you informed.
