IFAT India 2017: Top marks on its fifth anniversary

In demand: Efficient water and waste management

184 exhibitors, and therefore 28 percent more than the previous year, showcased their technologies and products for water, sewage, refuse and recycling on 8,100 square meters of exhibition space. According to Bhupinder Singh, CEO of the organizer Messe Muenchen India, the rise in visitor numbers – an increase of 30 percent – was due to the urgent environmental challenges that the Indian population is currently facing:

“Following the serious water shortage of 2016, this year an exceptionally strong monsoon led to catastrophic flooding in large parts of India. Added to this is the problem of waste blocking water flow in the sewers. Modern solutions for efficient management of water and sewage, and also sustainable recycling technologies, were therefore in especially high demand at IFAT India 2017.”

Apart from industry leaders, the anniversary edition also attracted high-ranking government representatives, municipal corporations and political delegations. During his visit, Shri Vijay Shivtare, Minister for Water Resources and Water Conservation of the Indian State Maharashtra, said:

“It is time for action and to put environmental protection at the top of the political agenda. We participated in IFAT India because we seek change, and this trade fair was the perfect platform for that.”

Technology and knowledge exchange across borders

Not only Indian exhibitors were represented in the Bombay Exhibition Centre. 54 percent of the companies were international brands – from 18 different countries. Among the top exhibitor countries were – after India: Germany, China, Switzerland, Austria, the US (in this order).

Christian Rocke, Exhibition Group Director of IFAT at Messe München, commented: “Especially in the environmental sector international exchange and technology transfer are necessary. Precisely that was our goal when we brought IFAT, the world´s leading environmental trade fair, to Mumbai five years ago. The high international participation in IFAT India 2017 has shown us that we clearly succeeded in this.”

Satisfied exhibitors

Apart from the new exhibitors, there were also many companies that have participated since the very first IFAT India in 2013. N. D. Mundhe, Chief Manager of Excel Industries, is one of them: “We have taken part in all five editions of IFAT India so far. For us each year this fair is highly profitable, but this year most particularly so.”

Philippe Anstotz, Executive Sales Director at the Aqseptence Group, was equally delighted: “It is impressive to see how strongly the show has grown in the five years since launch, and how the quality has increased. It brings together precisely the right audience under one roof. In future, too, we will not be missing out on IFAT India.”

IFAT India also provided a supporting program that is a stage for politics and business. In many presentations, workshops and panel discussions, government representatives and industry experts presented current environmental programs being run by the Indian state and also market developments and technology trends.

Among the highlights was the Environmental Technologies Conference. The high-level conference took place for the first time at IFAT India and was organized by the think tank TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute.

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