- Igor Palka, CEO, bC Expo India BC India is now called BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA. And, for the upcoming expo, the new dates and a new venue have also been decided. This fourth edition of the international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles will take place from December 12 to 15, 2016, at the HUDA Ground in Gurgaon in the national Capital Region. Igor Palka, CEO, bC Expo India, shares more on the upcoming event. Is there any particular reason for planning a new name for the expo? Now, after three successful trade shows held under the name of bC India, we have agreed on a new name for the event: BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA. By doing this, Messe Mnnchen and AEM are establishing a joint brand with consolidated brand management for their co-operations BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA and BAUMA CONEXPO AFRICA. Along with a new name, the event also has a new venue and new dates this year. Tell us about the benefits of the same. The new location is much closer to the domestic and international airport, has numerous hotels in close distance and is well-connected by road and public transportation as it has the metro station IFFCO Chowk just next to the ground. Plus, there are many offices and companies already located in Gurgaon that are interested in visiting the expo in December. Do you see any challenges in creating the infrastructure at site? Similar to the editions at BKC in Mumbai in 2011 and 2013, we will again plan and build everything from scratch. Whoever has seen the first editions of bC India can assure that we have managed to transfer a huge lawn area into an organised exhibition venue. We are already in the process of finalising the hangar constructions, measuring the load-bearing capacity and compacting the grounds and will take care of further logistics like electricity, water and Internet supply at this temporary ground. How many exhibitors would the new venue be able to accommodate? We are occupying about 150,000 sq m in Gurgaon and have the big advantage of planning the venue individually as per our requirements. That means we can increase or decrease indoor or outdoor space as per our actual need. At the new venue, we will be able to easily accommodate around 800 companies, of course, depending on the respective stall sizes the companies will book in 2016. In terms of response, what are your expectations this year? We have received excellent comments and ratings; over 75 per cent of the exhibitors rated the show as very good or excellent. Although the market sentiment was still away from its peak and the economic hurdles were a challenge in the whole of 2014, exhibitors were excited about the profile of customers that attended bC India 2014. Seeing the recent upward trend, I am expecting a much larger show at the end of this year, with more exhibitors, more machinery and more visitors from across India and abroad. How do you view the current construction market scenario contributing to the success of BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA 2016? For a few months now, we are witnessing a slight upward trend building upon the positive sentiment and an increased demand in certain sectors like the road equipment industry. Forecasts predict an increased demand in earthmoving equipment, concrete equipment, material handling equipment and a modest growth of around 6 per cent in terms of equipment sales and up to 10 per cent growth in terms of revenue. As exhibitions are usually the mirror of the industry, our show will certainly grow with respective sectors and, therefore, welcome more manufacturers, leading to an increased number of component manufacturers and suppliers and eventually potential buyers or contractors. Any other highlights of the upcoming expo? With a new name, new logo and new venue, we are looking forward to a BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA that is bigger and more attractive than ever before. For the first time, we are introducing a loyalty bonus applicable for past participants and are also planning a huge demonstration area for the first time, where exhibitors will be able to showcase and compete with their newest machines and technology.