The present times are turning out to be a nightmare for India. The pandemic is sweeping through India at a pace that has staggered the world. Daily case numbers have exploded since early March: the government reported 352,991 new infections nationally on 25th April. Just months earlier, antibody data had suggested that many people in cities such as Delhi and Chennai had already been infected, leading some researchers to conclude that the worst of the pandemic was over in the country. Sadly, this was not to be!
However, amidst this nerve wrecking time, one thing which has stood out is the humanity for one another. People are helping out each other through whatever ways possible. Our industry associations have also come forward to extend support to the fraternity in various ways. EEMA set up help lines in north, east, west to enable guidance, doctor consultation, connect for hospital beds, information about medicines, and home sets-ups etc. The event industry association has also deployed resources in NCR to give real time updates on the availability of oxygen for refilling. The Indian Exhibition Industry Association has created a live verified registry of COVID winners who would like to volunteer donation of Plasma anywhere in India. IESA plans to make Covid help Centres across India. IESA has called its members to act as volunteers across different cities to help arrange oxygen cylinders, medicines and other Covid related supplies. We salute these efforts by our industry associations.
Exhibition Showcase pays its deepest condolences to the families of our industry brave hearts who lost their battles to COVID. As a humble service of tribute, we feature condolence messages on our industry whatsapp groups, social media etc. I hope and pray that the coming month of May sees some respite and this curve settles down. It will also be imperative that everyone gets vaccinated at the earliest.
In this issue, we bring to you some insightful stories from across the world. I hope you enjoy reading our in-depth interviews. Despite these tough times, Exhibition Showcase has been steadfast in serving the industry with full commitment. If you would like to share any feedback then please write to me at raghav@exhibitionshowcase.com.
Stay safe!
