It gives us great pleasure to present the report of the India International Mega Trade Fairs (IIMTF) which were held in Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar & Ranchi in the year 2015-16. These Fairs were approved by I.T.P.O (Ministry of Commerce, Government of India). The IIMTF has truly proved to be a major driving force to promote trade & Business in the cities in which they have been organised.

On the sidelines of the IIMTF, the Tourism Fair was held in all the 4 cities and notable to mention is that the Fair was supported by the Incredible India campaign of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

I ] We began with the IIMTF in Kolkata :

▸ The India International Mega Trade Fair (IIMTF) was successfully held from 17th to 27th December , 2015 at the Science City Ground in Kolkata . It was jointly organised by G. S. Marketing Associates and The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

▸ Shri Amit Mitra , Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of West Bengal had formally inaugurated the IIMTF 2015 on 18th December, 2015 in the presence of Guest of Honour Mrs. Meher Afroz Chumki, Hon’ Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Government of The People’s Republic of Bangladesh and other dignitaries.

▸ Our first Tourism Fair was also held on the sidelines of the IIMTF in a separate pavilion. The Tourism Fair was inaugurated by Shri. Bratya Basu, Hon. Tourism Minister of W. Bengal. This Fair was supported by Incredible India.

▸ The reports and photographs of the IIMTF were widely published in leading dailies. Even various television channels also gave coverage to the IIMTF.

▸ A total of 17 countries and 19 states participated in this Fair. The countries include: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Nepal, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bhutan and of course - India.

▸ There was a massive publicity campaign for the IIMTF which included the following :

• Advertisement insertions in leading dailies.
• Hoardings.
• Local Cable TV advertisements.
• The Main Gate of the venue.
• Participation badges.
• Invitation Cards.
• Leaflets.
• Frame Banners.
• Radio Jingles.
• Complimentary VIP passes.

▸ LIC of India was the Principal Sponsor and National Insurance Co. was the Gold Sponsor of the India International Mega Trade Fair in Kolkata. EPCH and Linc Pens were Sponsors. IIMTF 2015 was Co-sponsored by Shalimar’s Oshea, Body Line, Estillo, Amazing Furniture, Ganesh and DAMRO of Sri Lanka.

▸ There were 18 air conditioned pavilions of international standard. There were Octonum system stalls of size 3M x 3M each at the IIMTF-2015 in Kolkata. There were over 900 stalls in all.

▸ A total of approx. 9,00,000 people visited the IIMTF in Kolkata.

II ] The IIMTF was held very successfully for the first time in Visakhapatnam from 1st to 10th January, 2016 at the AU Engineering Ground. 7 countries and 10 states participated in this Fair. A total of approximately 4,50,000 people visited the Fair. The Presenting Partner of the IIMTF in Visakhapatnam was Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL).

The Home & Decor Fair and the Tourism Fair were held on the sidelines of the IIMTF in Visakhapatnam.

Although this was the first time the IIMTF was held in Visakhapatnam and there were 5 exhibitions being held in Visakhapatnam at that time, the IIMTF was a grand success due to its tremendous visibility through its massive advertising and publicity campaign and also due to its high quality, adherence to international standards and the volume of matured business through contacts made at the Fair.

III ] The IIMTF in Bhubaneswar was held from 13th to 22nd February, 2016 at the Janta Maidan in Bhubaneswar. A total of 10 countries and 14 states participated in this Fair. The IIMTF is a well established Fair in Bhubaneswar and attracted visitors to the tune of 6,00,000 people.

The Home & Decor Fair and the Tourism Fair were held on the sidelines of the IIMTF in Bhubaneswar. The Home & Decor was presented by the Real Estate Developers Association (REDA) and the Tourism Fair was supported by Incredible India.

IV ] The IIMTF in Ranchi was held at the Morabadi Ground from 27th February to 7th March, 2016. The IIMTF in Ranchi is also very well known and we had participants from 8 countries and 12 states. The Fair attracted visitors to the tune of approx. 7,00,000 people.

In Ranchi, the IIMTF was supported by the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FJCCI). The Home & Decor Fair in Ranchi was supported by CREDAI Jharkhand. The Tourism Fair was supported by Incredible India.

So, in short, we give below the highlights of India International Mega Trade Fair held in the year 2015 – 16 :

1. It is a Major Fair in India, approved by ITPO, (Ministry of Commerce, Government of India).
2. It had 18 Air-conditioned pavilions dedicated to different products/subjects in Kolkata and 12 – 14 A.C. pavilions in the other cities.
3. It had a very attractive ambience at the exhibition site.
4. The total area of the fair is 300,000 for IIMTF ( plus 1,00,000 sq. ft. for the Tourism Fair so a total of 4 lakh sq. Ft) in Kolkata.
5. Unmatched extensive publicity through Print and Electronic Media, Outdoor Media, hoardings, etc.
6. Impressive footfalls. In the last year we had approx. 9,00,000 visitors at the Fair in Kolkata, in Bhubaneswar, we had 600,000 visitors, in Ranchi we had 700,000 visitors and in Visakhapatnam, we had approx. 4,50,000 visitors.
7. Last year 17 countries and 19 States had participated in the IIMTF in Kolkata. This year, we expect 20 countries and 22 states to participate in this Fair.
8. More than 900 companies participated in the IIMTF in Kolkata last year. Out of this approx. 400 were foreign participants and the remaining were Indian companies.

The advertising and publicity efforts were as follows:
i) High pressure marketing and publicity campaigns were undertaken. Advertisements through Newspapers and Television, Hoardings, Banners, Radio Jingles, Invitation Cards, leaflets, and a wide array of other innovative advertisement exercises had ensured the right visitors of the target market for this Trade Fair.
ii) We had organized a Press Conference in the beginning of the exhibition where reporters from all the leading dailies went around the venue and gave this exhibition good mileage in their dailies.

IIMTF is the biggest trade fair of Eastern India and a leading Fair in India. It attracts a huge number of visitors. Many foreign countries, corporate companies, Government Departments & PSUs, Business Houses and traders from all over the world make this fair truly international. The fair is conducted in an international ambience with A.C. pavilions dedicated to different product categories. Moreover, a highly effective & elaborate advertisement campaign is taken up to attract both B2B and B2C customers.

Altogether, IIMTF offers a very useful platform for manufacturers, service providers, traders and micro entrepreneurs alike to showcase, make new business contacts, networking, make business deals and/or sell their products.

In the new financial year of 2016-17, we intend to take this Fair to greater heights and make it the leading Fair in India. For this, we are working continuously and striving day and night to reach this goal.