India Expo Centre and Mart to Open

Furniture World Magazine

Global sourcing will be even easier this January, when the India Expo Centre & Mart makes its debut in January 2006. Modeled after the world’s leading international marts, the India Expo Center features over 2 million square feet of exhibition space in addition to large number of showrooms. Located in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, the new building is a state-of –the-art facility. The Center will make its debut in January 2006 with a wealth of vendors, products, services, and amenities designed to make buying Indian products both simple and profitable for retailers of any size. “The purpose behind the India Expo Centre and Mart is to bring the world to India, and to bring Indian products to the world,” says Kevin Stephens, managing director of Saffaire Consultancy Services, which was hired to help build awareness of the Center with U.S. retailers. “Every aspect of the Center and its markets is being devised to make it easy, efficient, and cost-effective for buyers to travel to India and see the full scope of gifts, textiles, and decorative furnishings across the board, all under one roof.” The concept for India Expo Center grew out of the activities of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), a division of the Indian government’s Ministry of Textiles. EPCH coordinates and promotes the export of handicrafts from India, and also organizes trade shows including the Indian Handicrafts & Gift Fair, as well as buyer-seller meetings, conferences, and study tours to keep Indian exporters abreast of the latest trends in the markets worldwide. Open year-round, the India Expo Centre and Mart will be home to more than 1,500 vendors showcasing thousands of unique products and designs – many never shown in U.S. markets. A full event schedule will kick off January 19-22, 2006, with the Indian Furnishings, Floorings & Textiles Expo (IFFTEX), running concurrently with a Stationery & Paper Expo, Festive Deco Show and Indian Fashion Jewelry & Accessories show. Those events will be followed by the Furniture Show in March and Housewares Show in April. What’s more, the India Expo Center is offering a wealth of services and amenities designed to make a trip to India even more attractive and profitable for retailers. The facility itself houses a business center, conference rooms, and bank outlets, as well as multi-cuisine restaurants and extensive parking facilities. Transportation is provided to and from nearby hotels; and on-site lodging is planned in the near future. “For the grand opening year, complimentary lunch will be served every day, and buyers may also qualify for additional travel incentives,” Stephens notes. “Most important, the India Expo Center will offer a host of logistics services – so that once buyers discover the fresh designs and exciting lines they want for their store, they can expedite their shipment easily and cost-effectively.” For more information about the mart, or travel to the shows, contact Kevin Stephens at Kevin@saffaire.com.