Snippets from the Odisha MSME International Trade Fair

Are tradeshows good for your business? Apparently so, if the stupendous success of the Odisha MSME International trade fair is any indication. This trade fair was jointly organised by the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department of the Odisha government and the National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC), this week long event attracted 2.67 lakh visitors, spread across 270 stalls with a total business output of Rs. 4.51 Crores. The tradeshow has been unanimously declared as a major success and the future editions of this event are likely to attract an even bigger response.

Tradeshows such as these are rich breeding grounds for B2B trade. Buyers and Sellers from the world over converge upon a common platform to pen lucrative deals, and display their wares and services respectively. A tradeshow of the stature of the Odisha MSME International trade fair managed to attract a large national business contingent, and the organizers are hopeful that foreign participation will significantly improve from next year. The organizers were highly praised for bringing together all the requisite facilities and information in one place, so that prospective MSME can setup shop in Odisha. Aside from the significant business of Rs. 4.51 Crores, many business enquiries were generated that could lead to fruitful business in the forthcoming times.

The major output from this tradeshow however, came at the final valedictory function, when it was announced that NSIC will be setting up a one-of-a-kind MSME facilitation centre at Bhubaneswar to further improve the MSME sector in the state. This facility will be setup at an investment of Rs.60 Crores and is expected to be ready by the turn of next year. This installation will have all the service providers including machinery, technological support, finance and export promotion at one place, while focussing on infrastructure and credit facility, to encourage the development of the MSME sector in Odisha.