ES. Considering the success of India Stonemart 2024, please share with us the highlights of the show ?
Balwinder Singh Sawhney. The major highlights are as follows:
- Stones of Rajasthan Pavilion where in over 90 type of stones were displayed alongwith the unique artifacts.
- Shilpgram being the prime attraction showcasing the handicraft work of artisans from Rajasthan.
- Buyer Seller Meets were held to enhance the business
- Jaipur Architecture Festival were also organised to promote use of natural stones in the Architectural works.
ES. How did you contribute to creating a collaborative environment among diverse stakeholders within the stone industry during the exhibition?
Balwinder Singh Sawhney. We organise Buyer Seller meetings so that a buyer from overseas can meet the genuine Indian supplier to interact for business and collaborations. We also provide the participants an opportunity to meet the Architects by way of joining the Jaipur Architecture Festival.
ES. How did you contribute to creating a collaborative environment among diverse stakeholders within the stone industry during the exhibition?
Balwinder Singh Sawhney. We have initiated a theme pavilion Stones of Rajasthan during Indian Stonemart 2024 to demonstrate the different varieties of natural stones
available in Rajasthan with a motive to promote sustainable practices within the industry.
ES. What strategies were employed during India Stonemart 2024 to enhance their global presence?
Balwinder Singh Sawhney. Promotional visits were undertaken to all the prominent stone exhibitions around the globe. Agents were appointed in Stone rich countries to maximise outreach. India Stonemart 2024 advertisements were also published in various international magazines and portals.
ES. How did the choice of Jaipur as the venue, particularly at JECC, contribute to the overall success of India Stonemart 2024, and what unique advantages did it offer for the stone industry exhibition?
Balwinder Singh Sawhney. Doing the event in Jaipur is advantageous to the surrounding stone rich clusters in Rajasthan but also the clusters across India because of the excellent connectivity with Jaipur via road, train and Air which allows companies from across India to come there to showcase the various kind of Natural stones, Value added items, Tools & Machinery. The second advantage is the availability of all kind of stones like Marble, Granite, Sandstone, Kota Stone, Quartz Stone, Slate in Rajasthan allows the buyers to see such vivid variety of Natural Stones at one place. The buyers can also visit the Mining areas & factories which are very close to Jaipur. The organisation of this event at JECC is not new as it was happening at the same place since its beginning but then it was held in temporary facility but with JECC
ES. Considering the outcome of India Stonemart 2024, is there any key focus areas or initiatives that FICCI envisions to strengthen further?
Balwinder Singh Sawhney. Yes we would be focusing on increasing the number of country pavilions / Individual overseas participation at the exhibition as well as getting more genuine international buyers of Indian Natural Stones across the globe. This will not only elevate the event’s profile but also foster meaningful collaborations, knowledge exchange, and business opportunities at international scale benefitting the Indian Stone Industry.
ES. How do you assess the impact of events like India Stonemart on the economic growth of the industry?
Balwinder Singh Sawhney. When the exhibition was started in year 2000 the exports were limited to 300 crores but now it has gone over 4000 crores, so this export increase itself tells the growth of Indian Stone Sector which directly or indirectly impacts the economy positively.
ES. Considering the increasing emphasis on digitalization, what digital strategies or technologies did FICCI incorporate to enhance the reach and engagement of India Stonemart 2024?
Balwinder Singh Sawhney. Our IT team ensured that the event website will appear on top in the online search engines to engage masses. We also utilized the Social Media marketing tool to increase the reach of event to engage more & more visitors/ buyers to the event. Emails and WhatsApp messages were also sent to maximise the reach.
