31st India International Trade Fair 2011.

Last week I visited Trade fair in Delhi,Pragati Maidan. Being in army ,visited many places and saw so many exhibitions,still the craze for trade fair was something different. Though the stuff were not new for me.different stalls were representing the handicrafts of the respective states, yet the excitement was new.

The question arises that why so much pain and effort is taken. Usually   trade fairs  are organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and-opportunities.

 In contrast to consumer fairs, only some trade fairs are open to the public, while others can only be attended by company representatives (members of the trade, e.g. professionals) and members of the press, therefore trade shows are classified as either "Public" or "Trade Only". 

History of Trade Fair....

Modern trade fairs follow in the tradition of trade fairs established in late medieval Europe, in the era of merchant capitalism. In this era, produce and craft producers visited towns for trading fairs, to sell and showcase products. From the late eighteenth century, Industrial Exhibitions in Europe and North America became more common reflecting the technological dynamism of the industrial revolution.

Here is a glimpse of 31st India International Trade Fair 2011.

 31st India International Trade Fair 2011. 

• IITF is the largest integrated Trade Fair with both B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) components. It presents an impressive range of products from artisans to MNCs covering diverse sectors primarily from consumer goods category.
•  It is one of the largest trade fair in the world both in terms of exhibitor and visitor participation and has evolved its unique character as an iconic national event.
•  The unique feature of the fair is the participation of almost all states and Union Territories of India apart formed Domestic and Foreign companies.
• IITF Offers to participants from different segments of industry adequate visibility for their products and services among fair visitors with demarcated halls representing different sectors. 
• Through its Special Display sections of techmart, representing products and technologies of small and medium enterprises, Saras, Highlighting tribal and rural handicrafts, and Good Living, with focus on products and goods relevant to daily living, the fair ensures a distinct visibility for generic product categories.
•  These represent engineering, software and hardware, automobiles, electronics, telecom, leather, textiles, handicrafts, jewelry, furniture and furnishings besides a wide range of consumer goods.

So friend don't ignore such shows...instead follow some tips given below:

Manage things in order to get your pass ready in advance, not to lose 1 hour in the queue. Equip yourself with a map and have a look at the organization of Halls and decide of your run. This is important mainly for Big fairs, when you must tick the Halls you already visited… Small Tip: Try not to start your run where all others will start, go in the opposite direction!! you won’t be jostled by the crowd and exhibitors will have time to spare you. If necessary, tick the stands you want to go back at the end of the day.

No way!! You’d better not wear your new heel shoes 
They are gorgeous, but they will become a torture after a while. 
Visiting a fair means walking, walking…and walking a little bit more…

Get dressed with correctness and try to adapt the fair you’re going to! Actually, your go there as a buyer, but your clothing reflect a certain image of your company. Customs are different depending on the country:Visitors from USA always wear jeans and tennis, Japanese with their black strict suit…it’s rather funny to ty to guess which country a person comes from according to its garments … the French wears its eternal checkered shirt, the Portuguese trying to make himself taller when they walk next to the blond tall Nordic people, and of course, the Itaaalian with the class that characterizes them….

You’ll probably know other visitors, so have a coffee with them at mid-term,exchanges opinions and discoveries. Do not ignore this advise! They will never see the same things like you did, but above all, they won’t see them the same way!

Bring with you a note-pad and a pocket stapler.
Staple some notes together with the business cards of exhibitors that worth an immediate follow up next to the fair. Ok, it’s not what we can call modern and some will prefer their Blackberry but at least my notepad will not have a battery failure at the end of the day.

My last tip but not least, locate the toilets .

¡¡Enjoy the trade show!!