48th edition of IHGF-DELHI FAIR, the world’s largest congregation of handicrafts exporters under one roof duly recognised by Limca Book of World’s records opened on 16th October, 2019 at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida for the overseas importing community from all over the globe and domestic volume retail buyers.
India Expo Centre & Mart is all set for five action packed days as IHGF-Delhi fair begin its vibrant Autumn edition 2019 from 16 – 20 October, 2019. With selections in a choice of over 2000 + products and more than 300 trend specific design developments, the show will feature 14 display segments of home, lifestyle, fashion, furniture and textiles products by over 3,200 Indian handicrafts exporters from all across the country, spread out in an area of 1,97,000 sq. mtrs, informed Ravi K Passi, Chairman – EPCH.
The 14 product categories such as houseware, home furnishing, furniture, gifts & decorative, lamps & lighting, Christmas & festive décor, Fashion jewellery & accessories, Spa & wellness, Carpets and rugs, bathroom accessories, garden accessories, educational toys & games, handmade paper products & stationery, leather bags will be on display.
Ravi K Passi, Chairman – EPCH said that IHGF-Delhi fair has evolved as a strong support for the exporters and buyers from over the world. The fair is a continuation of an illustrious journey across 48 editions with an endeavour to present multi-cultural inspirations, new innovations, a good mix of exhibits and a conducive sourcing environment.
Passi further said that India’s diversity is very well reflected in the diverse handicrafts products produced in every nook and corner of the country with over 7 mn artisans engaged in production and also earning much needed foreign exchange for the country. The handicrafts sector makes use of the indigenous raw material with minimal import content and low capital investment keeping the tradition of magic of gifted hands alive.
The visitors profile to the show includes overseas buyers from across the globe which includes wholesalers, distributors, chain stores, departmental stores, retailers, mail order companies, brand owners, buying houses and designers and trend forecasters.
Rakesh Kumar, Director General-EPCH said that the Council in its endeavor to encourage sustainable development with the preservation of environment at its core, will be focusing on ‘re-fuse, reduce, reuse and recycle in this edition of the show. Waste materials like plastic, metal, wood, fabric etc. are being reused to enhance and decorate the look and feel of the show.
Further, in order to reduce the usage of plastics, the Council has decided to do away with bottled water and instead we would be offering metal water bottles to the visitors and exhibitors which can be refilled at the water stations spread across the fair venue.
The overseas buyers from over 110 countries including Albania, Austria, Australia, Argentina, Afghanistan, Algeria, Belgium, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium,Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Ghana, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungry, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel, Iran, Indonesia, Jordan, Japan, Korea, Kenya,Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Nigeria, Netherlands, Oman, Philippines, Palestine, Portugal, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, Togo, Turkey, USA, UK, UAE, Vietnam and Zimbabwe andmany more will be visiting the show.
For the first time, regional products such as carpets, shawls, woolen garments, Cushion covers from Mana Gaon, the last village on India-China border will also be on display by 10 artisans from the village.
Looking at the experience of EPCH in providing skill training to the artisans in different craft clusters, ONGC, a PSUNavratna, also engaged EPCH for providing design inputs under its CSR initiative wherein EPCH helped 50artisans produce lace and jute products as per latest designs. Out of those trained artisans, 5 artisans with new designs of lace & lace and jute products will be displaying at the show informed Shri Kumar.
Knowledge seminars on various topics like opportunities through e-commerce; foreign exchange services for SMEs; risk mitigation and credit insurance; designs and trends; achieving next level of excellence; packaging for handicraft sector will be organized during the five day event. Models adorning products sourced from the exhibitors of the show will also be showcased through Fashion shows during the fair days.
