Thomex.com
Tradeshows have their own dynamics and work best only under defined rules. If a show theme is repeated too often, it loses its relevance and impact. The observation was quite evident during the 3rd International Exhibition and seminar titled 'Aerodrome India 2008, which elicited a lukewarm response from the exhibitors and participants.
Organised at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from April 10-12, the Aerodrome India 2008 was not much different from the 'Airport and Airline Expo' held at the same venue just three weeks back. No doubt, India's civil aviation sector is booming but two shows on the same theme, at the same venue spaced closely doesn't augur good, at least for the exhibitors who have to invest considerably in terms of manpower, finances and logistics.
Organised by Airport Council International (ACI), Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies & Industries (SIATI), Aeronautical Society of India & PDA Trade Fairs, the three-day show was attended by over 140 national and international companies including GMR, GVK, Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Air India, Siemens and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradeep Devaiah, Chairman PDA said, "With such an unprecedented gathering of the global aviation fraternity under one roof, Aerodrome India promises to offer exciting business opportunities."
The show, which was supported by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India, however had some positive note.” Our plenary session received good response from delegates who participated in large number during interactive session with the speakers. In fact, our seminars have become a great success as we cover specific themes related to civil aviation," said KN Krishnamoorthy. Chief Convenor, PDA Trade Fair.
"One of our chief focuses in organising such event is providing networking opportunities to entrepreneurs and in giving them an interactive platform to meet government and civil aviation officials," said Krishnamoorthy. He further informed that there has been 30 per cent growth in the number of exhibitors participating in the show. "This time around there were some 105 exhibitors from 18 different countries including India," he said.
The show, which covered 2400 sq. m. of floor area of the venue, covered featured topics like Development of Dedicated Cargo hubs and Cargo Airports, connectivity issues, Airport Security and Operations, Customer Services and Airport as Economic Gateways.
When it came to the success of the show, there were mixed response from the exhibitors. Venugopal Bangera of Mumbai-based Cargo Service Center said that the response was not as good as in the earlier show. "We received no more than 10 visitors a day during the first and the second day. It seems there was no proper study done to invite more government officials, corporate world or Airlines officials, who could have made a huge difference to the show,” he said.
Bangera felt that the shows organised by FICCI and CII are able to attract more serious industry-related clients than the private event vendors. "As these events are organised every year, the theme and concept of each show should be different from the previous ones. This will not only generate interest but will help diverse participation," he said.
Peter Cabooter of Barco, a Belgium Company which deals in air traffic management said that the officials of various airports and air traffic control who came to visit him showed keen interest in their products and services but overall the numbers of visitors were below his expectation. Peter however said, "We have received some good leads but it's too early to say something about it."
Talking about civil aviation Industry in India, Peter said that it is yet to capitalise on its potential. Moreover, there is a technology difference. "In India, there are some good and big airports and there are others at regional levels which have a long way to go”, he said.
The show was also participated by Airport Authority of India, which had put up a stall. Talking on the condition of anonymity, the official manning the stall said, "We received good response from the public, most of them were interested in knowing the developmental and infrastructural works at various airports in the country."
The official further informed, "For a common man, these shows are convenient and least expensive way of knowing what's happening at the international levels, especially in terms of technology. It also helps the government in planning, implementation and drawing a future strategy."
