SmartCards Expo 2008
Mixed response to the 10th Edition
The last day of a tradeshow is as eventful as its first day. There are frantic activities of winding up the stall, organising the transport and getting the organiser’s clearance pass. It also happens to be the day of final reckoning - when exhibitors are busy calculating the gains and losses. A similar scene was witnessed on the concluding day of SmartCards Expo 2008 organised at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi recently.
Organised by Electronics Today, the show was accompanied with four other events - e-Security expo 2008, RFidIndia expo 2008, BiometricsIndia expo 2008 and a new e-PaymentsIndia expo, to provide related solutions at a single venue. Celebrating its 10th edition, the show was attended by a large number manufacturers and suppliers of smart cards; chip cards Electronic Components, Identification systems, Printing, Customising, and Embossing etc.
It was also for the first time that an exhibition on e-payment was organised to tap the growing e-commerce industry in the country. The show focussed on Mobile Commerce and Phone Banking, Internet Banking, EFT, e-Ticketing, Loyalty Programmes, EMV updates, Credit/Debit Cards, Regulations and Security issues etc.
"This is the first time that any show on e-payment is being organised in India with so many exhibitors participating in it," said S Swarn, CEO of Electronics Today, the organiser of the show. Encouraged by good response, Swarn was of the opinion that SmartCard business in India would witness multi-layer growth in recent future.
The show was organised in 4,500 sq m area of Pragati Maidan and was participated by as many 200 exhibitors from 20 countries. There were about 215 companies, which had put their products and services on display at the show. "This is the largest smart card show in Asia and second biggest in the world, in terms of participation," reiterated Swarn. The three-day show was visited by as many as 8,000 people out of whom 6000 were business visitors.
Participating in the show for the last seven years, Soumyajit Das of Lipi Data Systems said that he received 150-170 visitors a day, which was fairly a good number. "It was a friendly atmosphere. It was nice to see customers coming with specific demands and information. I'm sure the exhibitors here would be getting a good business," said Das.
Displaying his Fargo DTC550 Direct-to-Card Printer/Encoder for high-volume card printing and encoding, Das said his products received an encouraging response from business visitors.
V Ravi of Sysco Hi-Stan International echoed a similar experience saying the response was good in terms of good quality customers. A five-time participant to the show, Ravi has been awarded for his exemplary participation and tapping the business potential. He however, had one complain. "There was too much trouble with the power provided to individual stalls and its prices," said Ravi.
Neeraj Sharma of Creed Engineers who was participating in the show for the first time said that he was able to meet his business goals at the show. “I received about 50 visitors a day, most of whom were genuine buyers interested in the product," said Ravi who was optimistic of converting some of those enquiries into real business gains.
While appreciating the organiser for providing a common platform to manufacturers, suppliers and customers for exchange of ideas and prospects of future development in the segment, Neeraj was critical about the space management at the venue. "The total area given to 200 exhibitors was too less. It was all cramped and congested," said Neeraj.
Kumud Tyagi of Bergen Associates, who had been participating in the show for many years, narrated an altogether a different experience. "We have been participating in the show to catch new customers, but what we have seen is the same old faces. Kumud who received 20-25 visitors a day said it was a disheartening experience for a matured industry not to capture the emerging prospects in the SmartCard segment.
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