Paris trade show on Indian shores

Srikumar Bondyopadhyay

New Delhi, May 22: NOT only the foreign merchant-manufacturers, international trade promotion organisations abroad too, are of late taking interest in Indian companies and Indian visitors on foreign shores.

A couple of years ago, the German trade promotion organisation ‘Auto Mechanika’ came to India for the first time. And this year, it is ‘Batimat’, the French trade promotion organiser.

“We have come here looking for Indian visitors to our 23 international building exhibition, to be held from November 5-10 this year at Port de Versailles in Paris,” says Mr Frederic Theux, the managing director of building and construction division of Batimart, who is currently touring India to promote the Paris trade show.

Mr Theux conceded that it is the lack on the part of the organisers that Batimat is not known to Indians and he adds, that it is in this endeavour to promote the international event, which is held once in every two years, in India that the Batimat officials are here. “We have changed our outlook about India and we want Indians to be there,” Mr Theux says.

However, Batimat has come to India this time, looking for Indian visitors only. “The show is already full for participation as an exhibitor,” Mr Theux confirmed, “but we want Indian building and construction companies to visit the trade show first, so that they themselves can decide about participation as an exhibitor next time.”

The exhibition, which include exhibitors from more than 126 coutries, envisages to be a very useful platform for business to business networking. In fact, Batimat’s mission is to promote business to business contacts among manufacturers and distributors and promote development of innovative building products and technologies through its exhibitions. “We will also publish a booklet on new products being exhibited in the show,” Mr Theux added.

The Batimat 2001 show will have four distinct sections—building structure, equipment, joinery and fenestration and a new section for the first time, information and communication technology in the building industry.

Commenting on the global new trends emerging in building and construction sector, Mr Theux says, three distinct trends that can be identified are: regrouping of expertise in building renovation segment, increasing market diversification for buildings and a continuous long-term trend for industrialisation of construction sites. Under the first trend, joinery and fittings manufacturers with age-old expertise are joining hands to develop and offer newer products.

The second trend entails an emerging trend for specialised buildings like old age homes, schools, hospitals, etc. The third trend is more interesting, in the sense that part constructions are being done elsewhere, other than the proposed construction site and then these parts are being assembled at the construction site.

The Batimat 2001, which will focus on environmental concerns, health concerns, safety concerns and comfort concerns as the theme of the show, has roped in Sita, India’s leading tour operator, for the November trade fair tour to Paris.