With 150k visitors, Delhi trade fair sees record single-day footfall
The fair got more than one million visitors, and raised a record ₹1,500 crore business — 57.9% up from last year, according to ITPO
The India International Trade Fair (IITF) at the revamped Pragati Maidan complex saw a record 150,000 visitors on Sunday — the highest single-day footfall the event has witnessed, officials aware of matter said on Monday, the final day of the 14-day fair.
The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which oversees the Pragati Maidan complex, said the fair this year saw more than 1 million visitors, and generated a record business worth ₹1,500 crore — a 57.9% increase compared to ₹950 crore revenue generated last year.
According to IPTO, the number of visitors to IITF picked up towards the end of the fair, with the final three days all recording more than 100,000 visitors — 110,000 on Saturday and Monday, and 150,000 on Sunday.
A senior ITPO official said, “This year, we focused on digitisation. The success of the initiative can be gauged from the fact that a staggering 90% of tickets were purchased online through digital payments. The tickets also provided link for navigation of the route including the entrance for parking within the Bharat Mandapam.”
This edition of IITF began on November 14, under the theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - United by Trade”, and was the first fair held after the revamp of the Pragati Maidan complex. The fair saw participation of over 3,500 exhibitors, and its area stretched over approximately 115,000 square metres.
“This was over 1.5 times of the area provided in the previous editions,” the official said.
“The redeveloped complex allows more open and exhibition area to plan the pathways. The circulation area inside the halls was 70,000 square metres. The movement of over 150,000 visitors on Sunday was also hassle-free and comfortable,” the official said.
ITPO also, for the first time, used a navigation app to guide attendees through the complex, and introduced specialised areas like a children’s zone and VR zone, which were free of cost for visitors
This year’s fair was also the first time that visitors were able to park their cars in the basement parking facility, which can accommodate 3,000 vehicles. “In all, the parking within the Bharat Mandapam was used by more than 50,000 vehicles over the course of the fair, which is unprecedented. The implementation of traffic management and parking system ensured that the periphery remained free from congestion, elevating the overall experience for visitors,” ITPO said.
For the states participating in this year’s fair, ITPO awarded Odisha with a gold medal, Assam with silver, and Rajasthan with bronze in the “best state” category. In the thematic presentation by states category, Madhya Pradesh won gold.
Among the foreign pavilions, UAE was commended with a gold medal, Thailand won silver, and the bronze medal was presented to Turkey.