Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair

The Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair (IHGF), organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH),is by far the single largest fair for the handicrafts and gifting industry in India, and is also widely respected and internationally recognized. For buyers looking to source from India, it is a much anticipated trade show, that is held twice every year in Spring and Autumn editions. What started off from Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, the fair grounds owned and managed by the ITPO or the Indian Trade Promotion Organization, one of the most respected trade promotion bodies in India, is now held in the EPCH owned fair grounds, the Expo Mart in Greater Noida, very close to New Delhi. That has been quite a journey for on the one of the most widely anticipated exhibitions in India, in any category.

The EPCH has a very strong network of manufacturers and exporters of the Home, Lifestyle, Fashion and Textiles segments. and facilitates its more than eleven thousand members to customize and offer unique styles and quality products to the world sourcing community. It also provides very comprehensive information about the Indian industry segment to the international buyers and buying agents, and ensures an optimal interface between the two. With its headquarters in New Delhi, the EPCH also has regional offices in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Moradabad, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Saharanpur, Agra, Guwahati and Narsapur.

This year, the Spring edition which is usually held in the month of February, was postponed to be held in April for some reasons best known to the EPCH. However, because of the global pandemic that the CoVid 19 virus has proved to be, it could not be held. Instead a virtual edition of the fair was organized in the third week of July 2020. Naturally, the Autumn edition which is held every year in the month of October has become more important than ever before because of the human interface that it offers, after so many virtual fairs the world over. Whether it will actually be held or will this fair also go the virtual way, is still to be seen though. Travel restrictions worldwide, especially in India where international flights have still not resumed properly, and the rising cases of corona in India, may not make the environment here any more conducive to hold a fair, than it was in April or July. 

If, you would like to discuss the possibilities that this fair, or any other fair in India, the Middle East or in Europe, holds out for you, please do get in touch with us. We will look forward to hearing from you. Studio One has been a brand and display designer for this fair, since a very long time, and has been associated with some of the leading names from this industry, designing for them not only in the IHGF fair, but also, very regularly in the Ambiente and Christmas World fairs in Frankfurt, Germany. To know more about us, please do visit our webpage, or youtube channel.

International Exhibitions - Post the Pandemic!

The Corona or the Covid-19 pandemic has been a destructor like none before. There is no industry any where in the world, that hasn't been badly hit, except probably the healthcare sector, and the factories which have suddenly started manufacturing face masks, sanitizers, disinfectants and such other.

However, businesses worldwide now, need to open up and start functioning to stay afloat and survive. And for that they need to meet people, and discuss. The best platform for that, so far as international business is concerned at least, is the humble exhibition or the trade show. The problem is that the moment we talk about international trade shows, we have to talk about air travel across borders, we have to talk about hotel stays, and we have to talk about the crowds at the venue. What we are effectively talking about is close interaction with potential virus carriers, and a potential spread of the corona virus. We could do away with participating at the fairs, or visiting them, but then that would mean the end of profitable business for many. So it is really a very difficult trade-off, one which does not offer any easy answers.

Thankfully, as the virus gets controlled in most parts of Europe, the area it hit the hardest till a month back. things are looking up. There are fewer postponements and cancellations. Participation at the next few fairs might be a little lower than usual. The visitors might not come in as huge numbers as is normal. But with things normalizing for most part, the exhibitions coming up in Europe, might be the harbingers of good news for many. Precautions will need to be taken, planing will have to be more intense, and there will be many new normals. But things will get back to normal.

Hopefully by September 2020, the exhibition and trade show sector, in Europe will be booming again, and will lead to many more business deals and many more happy stories. Looking forward to it!!

Some Upcoming Exhibitions in India - 2018

As it happens, quite a few major fairs are planned in the remaining few months of 2018. One of the major ones, would be the Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair, at the Expo Mart in Greater Noida, It is the autumn edition of the famed handicrafts fair, held twice every year. The Autumn edition of 2018 will be held from the 14th till the 18th of October.

Organised by the EPCH, or the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, the IHGF, is Asia's largest gifts and handicrafts fair. Conceptualized in the year 1994, the IHGF, has now become the one stop shop for all sourcing needs of international buyers and buying agents. The fair, this year, offers more space, more exhibitors and a categorization of products into 14 distinct categories, for a better and more interactive display. 

Needless to say, we cater to this segment too!! In fact, we have been designing and building for our clients at this fair, since the year 2000, and this happens to be one of the most important fairs for us in our calendar!! 

This particular stand was built for the very reputed export firm, Asif Designs / Atuf Industries, which happens to be based in Moradabad, in the autumn edition of the IHGF 2016.

The product range was so vast and varied, that in spite of having created different sections for the different categories, and in spite of the arrangement to hang the lamps from the beams in the ceiling, a lot of the products ended up on the floor. But, we were able to arrange them meaningfully, and create an impact.

If you would be interested in giving your brand a distinctive identity, and create a lasting impact on the visitors' mind, do get in touch with us at info@teamstudioone.in. We would be happy to help and be a part of your team for all future fairs and exhibitions worldwide.

Blast from the Past .... IHGF 2003!!!

Recently, I started reorganizing and rearranging old pictures from fairs I had worked in long time back. And I came across some pictures of a stand that I had done for a client in the Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair, an export fair organized by the EPCH (Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts) for the handicrafts manufacturers and exporters of India.

Stand design at the IHGF 2003

This stall was built in the Handicrafts Fair in the days when it was still held in Pragati Maidan, before it moved to the Expo Mart in Greater Noida.

Stall Design at the Handicrafts Fair

The high point of the stand design was the use of subdued colors for a very serene and comfortable ambience, and a stand height of almost twelve feet for a stately and majestic look. The interiors of the stand were very uncluttered and open for a more spacious look and feel.

Booth design at the EPCH Fair

I will be putting up more pictures of stands that I have designed in the past few years, as soon as I have them reorganized.

Our Work at the EPCH October 2011 Fair

The Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair, or the IHGF in short, is organised twice every year by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), in the Indian Exposition Centre and Mart, Greater Noida. It is India's premiere show for handicraft producers and exporters.

Designing and fabricating stalls / stands / booths in this fair is, naturally, a very tricky and difficult job, because clients have such a great and unwavering eye for detail and perfection that the smallest of mistakes or the slightest of slipups, can become the cause of a major controversy. The other major problem while designing stands for the Handicrafts Fair, is the highly variable shape and size of the exhibits and their sheer numbers. But, in spite of all problems, and all difficulties, designing booths for the IHGF is a pleasure and a designers' dream, simply because it opens up so many avenues to explore ones' creativity and design abilities.

We are therefore thrilled and excited everytime we are through with the design and fabrication of stalls for the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair and a nod of approval and appreciation from our clients is, even today after almost thirteen years of designing stands for the handicrafts fair, worth more than a million bucks!!

Presenting here with a lot of pride and a great sense of satisfaction, some pictures of our work at this great fair .............

Stand Design for EPCH Fair

Stall Design for Handicrafts Fair

Stall Design at IHGF Fair

Stand Design