Inaugural bC India set for success

The first ever 1260 bC India has opened with a total of 508 exhibitors from over 30 countries.

Exhibitors at the inaugural event in Mumbai, India’s commercial heart, showcased their latest products and innovations in machinery and equipment for construction, mining and building materials at the MMRDA ( 3590 Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development ) Grounds in the Bandra Kurla Complex where 20,000 visitors from some 60 countries are expected by the time the show closes  on Friday (11 February).

Responding to a very strong demand for space, the event was earlier extended by 8,000m² to total of nearly 88,000m², but despite this about 150 would-be exhibitors had to be placed on a waiting list because of the lack of space.

This brought a plea from the organiser, bC Expo India (a joint venture between Messe München International/MMI and the 1100 Association of Equipment Manufacturers/AEM) to local and state officials to look at constructing a new state-of-the-art, world-class exhibition centre in Mumbai.

He said figures for the number of units of construction equipment sold in India (an annual average of 27,700 from 2005-2009 and an estimated annual average of 51,900 between 2010-2014) mean that it is a promising market for international construction equipment and machinery manufacturers who would like to have a share in this expansion of the Indian construction industry.

The bC India event was officially opened (in the absence of Kamal Nath, the India Minister of Urban Development) by Dr Leopold Theodore Heldman, the German Consul General in Mumbai, together with Mr Egetenmeir; Megan Tanel, AEM’s vice president, exhibitions and events, and Bhagwan Deokar, president of the 3591 Builders' Association of India (BAI) joint organiser of the show.

Mr Deokar agreed that the current site is too small, and said that the BAI would approach the state government to see what can be done.

However, the show figures will establish bC India as not only the largest construction machinery trade fair in the country in terms of the exhibitor numbers, but also the most international event within the construction sector in India with some 70% of the registered exhibitors headquartered outside the country.

Thomas Löffler, chief executive officer of bC India, said the number of exhibitors (including nine country pavilions); the estimated number of visitors, and the size of the show (increased from an initial plan of 50,000m²) made it a success.