Which is the hottest destination for expos -- Delhi or Bengaluru?

Bengaluru--the Silicon Valley of the East--has always been a hotspot for major expositions. Yet, the latest trends indicate that Delhi, too is becoming a destination of choice for these expositions, particularly in the electronics domain. After the long lull for the last three years, some major electronics trade fairs are to take place in Delhi. Between December 2010 and February 2011, Delhi will witness four major events--the LED expo, Componex Nepcon, Electronics Next and EFY Expo 2011--and all share the same venue, Pragati Maidan.  

Factors that favour Delhi
The most important reason for Delhi becoming a favourite destination is that it is surrounded by major manufacturing hubs like Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, etc. Many exhibitors feel that it is an added advantage for them as they have easy access to some serious visitors coming in from these areas.

Another factor promoting the city is the infrastructure, which has improved over the years. The metro has become a lifeline that has dramatically improved the travel experience within the city. International and domestic airports cater to the needs of thousands of travellers who come from different states and countries. Moreover, hotels and tourist accommodation all over the city cater to all budgets, thus making the city a clear winner when organising mammoth events.

However, there are differing opinions among exhibitors. Favouring Delhi, Manmeet Sabarwal, who heads Exposium India, says, "If we compare other cities, Delhi stands out for the  simple reason that it has the best connectivity, internationally and within the country. Bengaluru in itself is not a good location, and Mumbai, though it has vast trade potential, lacks a good venue." 

Factors that favour Bengaluru
On the other hand, Bengaluru is a natural choice for many others when it comes to aspects like investment, service, etc. The city is located at the centre of the southern and western corridor, is well connected to manufacturing cities and has progressive investor-friendly policies. It also has many state-of-art facilities.

"Bengaluru also has easy availability of trained technical manpower, the research and development facilities of several central government institutions and also houses some of the most hi-tech industries in India. No wonder it is called the Silicon Valley of the east. Besides being a manufacturing hub, it also has the salubrious climate which is preferred by all international and domestic travellers. All these support Bengaluru as a preferred destination for business-to-business contacts and investments," explains Ubaid Ahmed, director, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).

Echoing the same thoughts, Suresh Nair, director, Leaptek Corporations, feels, "Cities like Mysore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Chennai have a good number of electronics manufacturing companies and this is an advantage for Bengaluru. Delhi is also a good destination, but Pragati Maidan does not seem to be a preferred location any more as its lacks parking space, and has an uncontrolled and irrelevant crowd.  Another point that goes against Delhi is that there are too many similar shows organised within a span of about two months; exhibitors find it difficult to make a good choice."

"Industry needs the business capital and not the political capital. Bengaluru has nurtured talent in this field more than any other city in India. So the key ingredient of the industry is met because of the availability of industry professionals. Even though the infrastructure needs vast improvement, the drive for people to move into the industry has grown over a period of time. Bengaluru is a global hubfor software and, hence, there is global acceptance for its products and services, which has led to a certain comfort level that makes any event held there, successful," says Raghunandan, associate vice president, PV & Engineering, Kotak Urja Pvt Ltd. 

Events	Duration	Venue
LED Expo	Dec 17, 2010	Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
Componex Nepcon	Dec 16-18, 2010	Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
Electronics Next	Jan 7-10, 2011	Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
EFY Expo	Feb 16-18, 2011	Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

--Richa Chakravarty