By Srabani Sen
Despite the recently concluded premier electronics exhibition in Delhi failing to churn out good footfalls, a survey done by Electronics Bazaar in the electronics industry clearly indicates that 
Delhi is still the most preferred destination for an electronics expo. The survey was conducted on Facebook and at the venue of the recently concluded expo at Pragati Maidain in New Delhi. While Delhi leads by 56 per cent of the votes, Bengaluru follows with 28 per cent. Other cities that feature as preferred destinations for an electronics exhibition are Mumbai with 7 per cent votes, and Chennai, Kolkata and Pune with 3 per cent votes, respectively.
Buyers prefer Delhi
Another interesting point that has come up in the survey is that, while the exhibitors preferred Bengaluru, the buyers preferred Delhi. Bengaluru was the choice of the exhibitors as the city is located at the centre of the southern and western corridor, is well connected to manufacturing cities, and has progressive investor friendly policies. It also comprises state-of-art facilities. “Bengaluru has electronics clusters with world class infrastucture, has easy availability of trained technical manpower, and also houses some of the most hi-tech industries in India. Besides being a manufacturing hub, it also has the suitable climate which is preferred by all international and domestic travellers. All these factors support Bengaluru as a preferred destination for business-to-business contacts and investments,’’ explains Manohar Pawar, assistant manager, sales, Statclean Technology India Pvt Ltd.
On the other hand, people who have voted for Delhi as the preferred destination for electronics expos, did so for many reasons. Delhi, they said, is a good and cheap market for electronics goods, hardware and equipment. The city is surrounded by major manufacturing hubs like Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. Good connectivity is another major factor for Delhi being the most preferred destination—Delhi is also well connected to all parts of India.
Another factor promoting Delhi is the infrastructure, which is quite convenient and has improved over the years. The metro rail has become a life line which has indeed changed the transport facilities in the city. International and domestic airports cater to the needs of thousands of travellers in and around the country. Moreover, hotels and tourist accommodation all over the city suit all budgets, thus making the city a clear winner in terms of organising mammoth events.
Favouring Delhi, Rajiv Anand, general manager, SM Electronics Technologies Pvt Ltd, said, “If we compare it to other cities, Delhi stands out for the simple reason that it has the best connectivity internationally and within the country. Here, you get to meet all kinds of buyers—big, medium and small.”
Some of the major expos that take place in Delhi are the Electronica Productronica and SmartCards Expo in September, the Electrical, Electronics and Energy Expo and Conferences in November, LED Expo in December, and EFY Expo in February.
