Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of the group, has acquired the license to organise the Indian edition of Busworld – the world’s leading B2B exhibition for the bus and coach sector from Busworld International CVBA. The agreement strengthens Messe Frankfurt’s position as the leading exhibition organiser for the mobility segment. Busworld India 2020, the 9th edition in the series, will be organised in Bengaluru. The mobility and logistics industries are facing radical changes globally. With 50 trade fairs, conferences and other events worldwide, Messe Frankfurt showcases the current state of the art in the automotive aftermarket, transport and logistics sectors – and where the future of mobility is headed. With Busworld India now in its fleet, Messe Frankfurt is targeting further portfolio development and expanding expertise in defined industry sectors in line with its corporate strategy.
“Businesses have to transform to meet the new market imperative. The Indian economy has already seen transport move up the public agenda and focusing on this niche segment and business interests of our stakeholders, Busworld India will prove to be an excellent addition to our mobility portfolio. With this, Messe Frankfurt now has fairs covering automotive manufacturing technologies, auto components, OEM manufacturing and aftermarket in one of the world’s largest automotive markets -India”, said Raj Manek, Managing Director, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India.
In India, Busworld made its debut in 2005. Starting its journey in 1971 in Kortrijk, Busworld has gone worldwide with several exhibitions covering all continents in Turkey, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Indonesia and Colombia. With over 45 years of experience, it is today the oldest, biggest and most famous bus and coach exhibition.”
With its consistent growth pace, Busworld has carved a niche as the most recognised international exhibition exclusively for the bus and coach industry. “With some of the world’s leading mobility shows, Messe Frankfurt demonstrates the right model to be a preferred partner for us in India. We see a lot of opportunities for the growth of this sector and are sure that with our global reach and Messe Frankfurt’s regional expertise, it will be an ideal combination that can turn into a new growth phase for Busworld and its stakeholders globally”, said Vincent Dewaele, International Business Development Manager, Busworld International CVBA. India is on an ambitious journey to electrify 30 per cent of its vehicle fleets by 2030 as proposed by government think tank NITI Aayog. The Indian government is exploring new ways to switch to electric vehicles with a number of initiatives being implemented. Testing of operational feasibility of electric buses, cars, two-wheelers, rickshaws, taxis and goods vehicles, are already making in-roads.
Buses are one of the leading segments driving this change, with the most aggressive efforts from stakeholders seen in terms of successful electrification, since the first electric bus trial started in Bengaluru in 2014. The central government in India is working with state transport departments for the deployment of 5,000 electric buses.
The growing opportunities in the country have also led to a sharp growth for Busworld fair that has doubled the number of visitors in India and grown in space. Its latest edition in 2018 played host to over 115 exhibitors from 11 countries and 8,000 visitors. Under the umbrella of Messe Frankfurt’s mobility events, the first Busworld India will take place in Bengaluru from the 27-29 August 2020.
