It was in the late 1970s and a group of manufacturers from Coimbatore had gone abroad to attend a trade fair. In India, industrial exhibitions were mainly held in New Delhi then. Hence, on their return, they decided to organise an exhibition here for industrial goods made in the city.
What started as a catalogue show, has now developed into an industrial trade exhibition and the city has a sprawling trade fair complex too.
Hospitality and travel industries see Coimbatore as a potential destination for meetings, conventions, exhibitions, etc. Over the years, exhibitions have only increased here. Throughout the year, there are several exhibitions in the city, attracting participants and visitors from far and near.
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President of Coimbatore District Small Industries' Association E.K. Ponnuswamy says that both business to business and business to consumer events are organised in Coimbatore. Apart from the basic infrastructure, exhibitions for the consumers need publicity. Annual events, quality products and participants and the profile of the organisers help in the success of the expo, he says.
In the case of business to business, the participants look at brand building and getting leads. They fix appointments for discussions with potential customers, well in advance.
For the small and emerging businesses, this is an opportunity to reach out to more customers without spending much on publicity and getting to know more about the products in the market. Those who are unable to take part in business to business events generally launch their product or service in the consumer fairs.
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There are several consumer fairs held regularly in the city — some are sector specific. There are textile fairs, automobile expos, housing exhibitions, etc. The consumer events also have entertainment programmes, discounts, etc, to attract more visitors.
An official in the district administration points out that there are several permanent fairs in Coimbatore — these events are held throughout the year. Some events are organised at the same venue every year. The timing of the event, venue, and facilities such as car parking are also factors that ensure the success of a fair.
Since exhibitions are a common platform for businesses and industries to market their products — directly to consumers or to other industries — development of more infrastructure suitable for all kinds of expos will only improve the scope for more expos here, say industry sources.