Now Spread Over A Dazzling 3 Halls At Bombay Exhibition Center, The 31stedition Of Index, Boasting A Focused Industry Exhibitor And Visitor Profile Will Showcase Exhibits from across India, Plus Products From Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, Germany, U.A.E., Taiwan, Poland, Italy And China This Year.
by Suman Gupta
Index Fairs, India’s premier international furniture, interiors & design expo at Mumbai opens its doors today to an eager audience, whose expectations have been buoyed up by the excellent showing last year. Index fairs is a leading international trade fair and India’s largest focused commercial platform on the sector, bringing together suppliers and buyers in a design atmosphere. A pioneer in its segment, this trade fair will be hosting its 31st edition in Mumbai this year.
Index is the one-stop sourcing and buying destination for furniture, lighting, artifacts, materials and design for home, hospitality, office and kitchen and a must visit show for architects, designers, dealers, distributors and builders.
The four-day exhibition begins on Wednesday, the 1st of May and continues till Saturday, the 4th May, at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre at Goregaon (E) in Mumbai. The event would be inaugurated by the illustrious Shri Rajeev Sethi, Founder &Chairman, Asian Heritage Foundation; Mr. Prem Nath, Prem Nath Associates; Ms. Supatra Sawaengsri, Executive Director(Commercial),Thai Trade; Shri. Alfonso Coca, Trade Advisor,Consulate General of Spain, Mumbai; Smt. Manisha Verma, Principal Secretary, Tribal Development Department, Government of Maharashtra; Smt. Swati Kale, Director – Art &Culture, Government of Maharashtra; Mr. Pinaki ranjan Mishra, Partner &National Leader, Consumer Products &Retail, Ernst & Young; Shri Mukesh Mehta, Chairman, Silver Group &Vice President, NAREDCO; Mr. Yayati Kene, Founding Member, AGNI & Co-Founder, Amala Realty; Shri Ketan Vaidya, Chairman, IIID, Mumbai; Shri Nitin Nagarale, Founder & Secretary, Hospitality Procurement Managers Forum; Shri Baldev Krishna Sharma, Chairman, All India Wallpaper Association; ShriAlay Nagori, Vice President, ATMA, Ahmedabad Timber Merchants Association; Shri Jayeshbhai Chavda, President, Rajkot Hardware Manufacturers Association; Shri Bharat Dinesh, President, Jodhpur Handicrafts Exporters Association; Mr. Ajay Nahar, Managing Director, Nahar Projects and other dignitaries.
This year, Index exhibits an impressive array of products from a large number of suppliers from the Kitchen, Office and Residential Furniture segments,complemented by the best of Indian design and production at the special pavilions dedicated to Indian Designers (IDP) and Indian manufacturers (IFFA). The new, dedicated fair Innomat, in Hall 2 will showcase an outstanding display of materials while Hall 3 will see an even larger display of furniture and architectural fittings and hardware, in the dedicated fair Interfurn. The event will also witness the participation of celebrated architects, builders and designers, industry luminaries, international trade commissioners and country representatives as key visitors.
The Times of India showcases this powerful new partnership between India’s leading newspapers and India’s pioneering industry event, Index fairs, in the presence of leading industry members and dignitaries. Liyakat Ali Khan, Managing Director, UMG Index Tradefairs Pvt. Ltd. explains that the industry has grown with newer and bugger companies from both India and abroad, having entered the market. “India is a key market for the world and acknowledging the fact, we have also introduced many ‘first-time in India’ products which, we are happy to say, adds tremendous value to our clients. We are proud to introduce and be the launch pad for numerous new products from design brands from India” he says.
The four day event, spread across 300,000 sq. ft., will boast over 350 companies promoting over 1400 brands, including products fromCanada, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Indonesia, Czech Republic, Germany, UAE, Taiwan, Poland, Turkey and China along with prestigious and reputed Indian brands. The fair aims to connect manufacturers and traders dealing in furniture and accessories, lighting, kitchen and appliances, office furniture, hardware and fittings, with architects, interior designers, builders, project managers, consultants and procurement heads across the hospitality, corporate and government sectors and is expected to draw over 45,000 professional and trade visitors from all over India and overseas.
Key industry and professional associations continue their strong support of Index, adding power and prestige to the event while raising the business component of the fair. These include the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), Indian Society of Structural Engineers (ISSE), Hospitality Purchasing Managers Forum (HPMF), Association of Designers of India (ADI),Ahmedabad Timber Merchants’ Association (ATMA), Jaipur Handicrafts Exporters’ Association (JHEA) and Rajkot Hardware Manufacturers Association (RHMA).
Special dedicated spaces which are a hugely successful initiative at Index include,the Indian Furniture, Furnishings and Artifacts (IFFA) Pavilion; the highly successful India Design Pavilion (IDP), country pavilions and the Art Enclave, in association with Aura Art. Numerous platforms for b2b interactions abound, from b2b meetings to presentations and discussions, seminars and focused industry meets at the ‘e! Events @ Index’. Index will also recognize talent and landmark achievements through the Indexcellence Awards for architects at the exciting ‘Smoking Hot!’ event and the industry awards at the ‘Bollywood Nite!’ The Kudos Gallery will salute great work through project displays of eminent architects and builders.
