Messe Frankfurt ropes in new strategic alliances

In a further bid to expand its footprint, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd, the German group’s Indian subsidiary, announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance with Gifts & Accessories, the Exhibition Division of Netlink Solutions (India) Ltd, a public limited corporation listed with Bombay Stock Exchange for the Stationery & Write Show, Corporate Gifts Show and Houseware & Kitchenware Show. Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd marking its 20th anniversary in India this year, now holds 22 trade fairs and 35 conferences in its portfolio.

The Stationery & Write Show is regarded as India’s largest exhibition for stationery and writing instruments. With the two companies coming together for a strategic alliance, the 4th edition of this fair will now be named Stationery & Write Show presented by Paperworld. The concurrent Corporate Gifts Show will add to the innovative showcase corporate and promotional gifting as well as merchandising.

Talking about the continued growth strategy, Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding Ltd. said: “Messe Frankfurt is committed to investing in India and has completed two decades of serving Indian industries and promoting Indian brands across the globe. The strategic factors that led to the association is based on common business principles to provide enhanced exhibition experiences. While we aim to enhance the quality of the platform with new propositions for our domestic clients, the alliance will also open the doors for our international exhibitors to tap the growing market segments represented at the trade fair.”

Be it for stationery and writing instruments or corporate gifting, India is a very lucrative market for various brands worldwide simply because of its sheer size. While the writing instruments market is estimated at 1,600 to 2,400 million pieces a year and INR 22 billion (USD 32 million) in value, the Indian gift market is an INR 10 billion (USD 15 million) which is looking up to progress at a rate of 10 per cent. A number of Indian and international players vying for their shares are looking at entering the Indian market. Messe Frankfurt will leverage its years of knowledge and expertise in this industry sector to support the further development of the show. The association of the two organisers is also expected to include joint marketing and customer engagement strategies.

The Stationery & Write Show presented by Paperworld and Corporate Gifts Show take place annually in Mumbai and over the last three years have strategically bridged the gap between the key buyers and sellers of the industry – bringing them together under one roof. The 2018 edition featured above 375 exhibitors and 12,000 plus visitors.

Minesh Modi, Director, Netlink Solutions (India) Ltd: “We are excited to join hands with Messe Frankfurt, a partner with a wealth of experience, credibility, strategic planning and global reach that complements our approach. We are confident of taking the Stationery & Write Show presented by Paperworld to its next stage of development and deliver a quality platform for business and networking.”

The 4th edition will be held from 9 – 12 January 2019 at the Bombay Exhibition Center and is proposed to be larger, presenting the latest innovations, value added products and the latest solutions in their respective segments. Building upon their individual exhibition scope and portfolio with the new management, the co-located fairs will benefit from substantial synergies.