As India sits on the cusp of a major development leap, another edition of bauma CONEXPO India, the international trade fair for construction and mining machinery, is slated to be held in Gurgaon from December 11 to 14, 2018. Tushar Alekar, Commercial Director, Messe München India Pvt Ltd spoke to Shrikant Rao on the sidelines of a roadshow to promote the event in Mumbai.
We are just a few days into the conduct of bauma CONEXPO India 2018. At this point what are the CE sector’s numbers which generate confidence from the point of view of an exhibitor?
If you see the figures which iCEMA reported for 2016-2017 around the time of the last edition of bauma Conexpo India, it was close to about 56,000 equipment sold annually in India. This year, by December, they are expected to cross more than 80,000 units and the projected numbers for 2020-2021 and 2021-22 is that they will cross 125,000 units. In 2011 the industry reached its peak of close to 70,000 equipment units. We feel this year it is already looking to cross the 2011 numbers, which is the highest ever in its history.
Quality of visitors has always been bauma Conexpo’s biggest strength unlike other exhibitions. Could you expand on that aspect in the light of the current market perceptions of the event?
I guess that understanding is very apt. In fact the tag line of our exhibition is ‘Our Quality, Your benefit.’ That is the crux of bauma CONEXPO and we try our best to live up to the promise. Whatever we do in terms of providing our services to all our stakeholders, be it exhibitors, visitors or partners, quality is of utmost importance and there is no compromise on that. And when it comes to visitor quality, we have some special engagement programmes we have organised there which are focused on enhancing the quality of the experience, like the conference which we are doing, or the buyer-seller meets which we are showcasing. There are a lot of VIP buyers who are coming to the show, and we see top end contractors and builders are getting registered under this forum, and we have a specialised team which is reaching to all the top contractors and buyers to invite them and register for the buyer seller forum.
So very obviously you are working in tandem with your US partner, Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Can you talk about the value the partnership has brought to the exhibition over the years?
If you see the entire network of MM and AEM, we both offer global brands and therefore have an international advantage. The combined strengths of two strong brands coming together as JV partners in India will always help the show. If you see bauma is the leading exhibition in the world for the construction fraternity and CONEXPO is the biggest event in the North American market. AEM which is a leading exhibition organisers from the United States, is also promoting bauma CONEXPO India 2018 at a global level, also getting important stakeholders from the American industry some of whom are going to be speakers at the event. For example we are holding skill workshops for various product categories at bauma CONEXPO India 2018. On day 1, the product category on which we are focusing is cranes. Graham Brent, who is CEO, The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), is coming all the way from the US to conduct a skill workshop. So the leverage we can have with partners like AEM, who bring the right experts and key people from the right associations, can add tremendous value to the event. I am delighted to inform you that Megan Tanel, Senior Vice President, AEM will be present for the show.
Another aspect of bauma Conexpo as an international brand has been the technological impact it offers. In terms of the products to be displayed at Gurgaon this time, what kind of sophistication, or breakthrough, can we expect to see?
We are going to have conferences specifically for that. There are several launch events which have already been pre-planned. Many companies are expected to launch or present new machines and have already reached out to the media with information. A few companies though would like to reserve their plan for the event and will unveil their products as the exhibition unfolds.
The 2018 edition at Gurgaon is expected to excel previous chapters of the show in various aspects including size of the operational area. What are the on-the-ground improvements one can expect this time?
We are definitely going to provide a lot of facilities to make the participants’ exhibition experience enjoyable. For example, there will be a shuttle services for visitors looking to come to the event all across Delhi and NCR. There will be a free shuttle service from the airport. Onsite too based on our 2016 edition experience, we have picked up small lessons there, and are looking to add a lot of other conveniences.
Can you talk of the learnings from the last edition?
In Gurgaon there is a lot of loose soil and dust which leads to settling of dust on footwear. When we did the last show we did take a lot of care to address this issue but we felt what was done wasn’t enough, especially in the parking area for visitors and exhibitors, the moment any care is parked there is a lot of dust. This time we have invested a lot of money to ensure that the issue is sorted out with regular soil compacting – the parking area is the first point of arrival and it is our view that if visitors don’t have a good parking experience, they don’t have a good experience overall. The exhibition is happening right in the city centre and there is a large buzzing area near the venue called Leisure Valley where traffic was an issue. We have written to the authorities to provide assistance for smooth manoeuvring of traffic in and around the venue. But we are not depending solely on them, we have also recruited security people to ensure that the traffic arrangements around the venue is hassle free and smooth.
What is the support you are getting from government bodies and your partners?
From the government side our CEO has personally invited Nitin Gadkari for the inauguration of the exhibition and he has verbally assured us of his presence. We are getting encouragement from various departments like Ministry of Heavy Industry, NHAI, Border Roads Organisation and have requested support from the Ministry of Skill Development since we are doing a lot of initiatives in the form of skill development workshops. In 2016, we had support from eight associations, this year we have support from 30 associations, which is a very big jump. New associations like CERA for construction equipment are going to bring their 500 members, which are into leasing and renting of equipment, at this show. They are also doing a conference. We also have new association like Concrete Association and the Cement Manufacturers Association. Then there is NAREDCO which is under real estate and housing and has the support of builders and contractors, CIDC, Indian Roads Federation, and many more.
Do you see this increasing support for the exhibition as evidence of the urgency to serve the national development cause?
That most certainly is. But it is also a sign of the growing awareness of the importance of infrastructure in the last 3 to 4 years. Now when we have aggressively started reaching to the associations they have also been very forthcoming in their support to us. People have increasingly begun to view exhibitions such as bauma CONEXPO India as key to national development. The realisation has come in now that supporting us is the best way for their members to see the latest innovations and solutions at the event and profit from the experience. It is now a win win situation both for the exhibition organiser and the association body.
What we are now going to witness will be the 5th edition of the bauma CONEXPO brand event. How would you say the exhibition has become a differentiator over the years?
With the bauma brand’s core focus being ‘innovation at its best’, international construction and mining equipment firms have always preferred to exhibit the latest global innovations and products, available in foreign markets, on our platform. It is a measure of their respect for the brand that whenever exhibitors like Volvo, Liebherr, Wirtgen and JCB display their innovations at bauma in Munich they also bring in those same technological innovations to bauma CONEXPO India. So that is the differentiator which vendors and buyers can expect to see. Plus we have other supporting programmes which focus on the latest and urgent needs of the industry.
From a bauma CONEXPO perspective, has India grown as an exhibition venue destination?
Certainly, but the exhibition infrastructure is still developing. I am happy that the two new venues coming up in Delhi-NCR will address the current need of the exhibition industry. The India International Convention Centre at Dwarka, whose ground breaking ceremony recently took place, is expected to come up in 2020. Even Pragati Maidan has been redesigned and rebuilt.
Overall you expect a grand show this time?
Absolutely, the numbers speak. We have grown by 35 per cent in terms of size, around 20 per cent in the number of exhibitors, we are also expecting around 40,000 end visitors. The exhibition is a reflection of the industry. The industry is doing well, and that we expect will naturally reflect on our numbers. Our recent roadshows in Sri Lanka and various cities in India too have been well received, and we are optimistic of the successful conduct of the show.