India is witnessing a remarkable surge in the exhibition and trade-show sector. Thanks to initiatives like Make in India, improved infrastructure, and digital adoption, 2025 looks set to be a landmark year for trade fairs across the country. This article explores how the Make in India movement is reshaping exhibitions in India, what’s driving the boom, what challenges remain, and how exhibitors, organizers and visitors can make the most of this shift.
The Backdrop: Why India’s Exhibition Industry Is Poised for Growth
India’s exhibitions and trade shows aren’t just growing—they’re taking off. Back in 2019, this market was worth about $709 million. By 2025? It’s on track to hit $1.28 billion. That’s around 10% growth each year, which is pretty impressive.
So, what’s fueling all this? For one, there’s a real buzz around “Made in India.” Both global and local players want in, whether it’s for manufacturing, exports, or just sourcing better products. The government’s not sitting back either—they’ve rolled out policies and incentive programs like Make in India and those production-linked incentives that actually push manufacturers and traders to step up.
On top of that, the infrastructure’s catching up. You see new, modern exhibition centers popping up, better roads and airports, even smaller cities getting upgrades. Plus, tech is shaking things up. Hybrid events, digital tools, and those immersive experiences everyone talks about—they’re all making trade shows way more dynamic.
Put it all together, and it really feels like India’s heading for an exhibition boom. And Make in India? That’s pretty much the engine driving the whole thing.
What “Make in India” Means for Trade Shows
The “Make in India” initiative was launched by the Indian government to encourage domestic manufacturing, attract foreign investment, and build India as a global manufacturing hub. For trade shows, this initiative translates into several meaningful shifts:
More Indian manufacturers are stepping up at trade shows these days. They’re eager to show off what they can do, meet new partners, and lock in buyers. At the same time, international buyers are paying more attention to India as a sourcing destination. This is pushing trade shows to grow bigger, fill up international pavilions, and spark more export deals. Take the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show (UPITS) 2025 — they’re expecting over 500 buyers from 80 different countries.
You see this shift in the kinds of industries making noise at these events, too. Sectors that Make in India focuses on, like automotive, electronics, renewable energy, textiles, and defence, are all grabbing the spotlight.
And it’s not just happening in the big cities. Smaller cities are becoming exhibition hotspots as well, especially where there are strong local manufacturing clusters. India wants to decentralize its manufacturing scene, and these new hubs are making that happen.
Key Trends Reshaping Exhibitions in India (2025 Edition)
Here are some of the major trends shaping India’s exhibitions in 2025, tied to the Make in India context:
1. Hybrid and Digital-Enabled Formats
Audiences are changing, and trade shows are keeping up. Now, you get these hybrid events—part in-person, part online. There’s live streaming, AI matchmaking, and all sorts of digital tools to keep people connected, even after the show ends. For Indian exhibitors who want to show off “Made in India” products to the world, this means more eyes on their stuff and a much better shot at real results.
2. Rise of Secondary Cities as Exhibition Hubs
Cities like Ahmedabad, Lucknow (Greater Noida), and Bengaluru are stepping up as top spots for exhibitions, not just Delhi and Mumbai anymore. Manufacturing is booming outside the big metros, thanks to better infrastructure. These places usually cost less, have specialized industry hubs, and open up new regional sourcing options.
3. Sustainability & Modular Booths
Exhibitors are increasingly using eco-friendly booth materials, modular designs, and reconfigurable setups. Such practices reflect global best-practices and appeal to buyers and brands aligned with ESG values.
For Make in India-driven exhibitions, showcasing sustainability enhances brand credibility.
4. Focus on High-Growth Sectors
Manufacturing sectors emphasised under Make in India — such as electronics, renewable energy, defence, textiles, pharma — are dominating trade-show themes in India. Exhibitions are increasingly verticalised by sector, enabling deeper networking and relevant buyer-seller matches.
5. Globalisation of Indian Exhibitors
Indian manufacturers are not just content with domestic markets; many are exhibiting abroad and inviting foreign buyers to India. Trade shows serve as bridge-platforms for export outreach, aligned with Make in India’s export thrust.
Implications for Exhibitors, Organisers & Stakeholders
For Exhibitors (Indian manufacturers, MSMEs, startups):
- Exhibit early at trade shows aligned with your sector to ride the momentum of the exhibition boom.
- Make sure your value proposition emphasises “Made in India” quality, cost-advantages, export readiness and compliance.
- Use hybrid tools to expand beyond booth to virtual follow-up, data capture, lead nurturing.
- Choose venues in growth hubs (secondary cities) if cost and logistics allow — to gain early mover advantage.
For Organisers and Trade-Show Planners:
- Build international buyer-sourcing programmes aligned with Make in India sectors.
- Adopt modern infrastructure (digital, AI matchmaking, hybrid streams) to elevate experience and ROI.
- Partner with state governments and manufacturing clusters to tap regional industry strengths.
- Emphasise sustainability and modular booth design to attract future-ready exhibitors.
For Government and Policymakers:
- Keep facilitating infrastructure upgrades, connectivity and ease of doing business in exhibition hubs.
- Promote Indian trade-shows in global forums, highlight export opportunities under the Make in India umbrella.
- Provide incentives or support programmes for MSMEs to participate in national/international exhibitions.
Real-World Snapshot: India’s Exhibition Boom in Action
Just look at the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show (UPITS) 2025. They’re gearing up for more than 500 international buyers from 80 countries, with over 2,500 exhibitors, and crowds expected to hit 400,000 or maybe even 500,000 people. That’s a huge leap in just a few years. It really shows how Indian trade shows are catching up with the global scene and turning into serious, competitive platforms.
And it’s not just UPITS. If you check government data, you’ll see a packed schedule of major trade fairs and exhibitions across all sorts of industries in 2025. On top of that, the country’s getting better venues and better connections, which makes it way easier for India to pull off these big events.
Challenges & What to Watch For
Despite the boom, several challenges need attention:
- Quality of leads and ROI for exhibitors: Just having many visitors doesn’t guarantee business; meaningful engagement and follow-up matter.
- Logistics and cost pressures: Exhibitor costs (booth design, travel, shipping) still represent a barrier for smaller players.
- International competition: Other countries and exhibition hubs are also improving technologies and value-propositions. Indian trade-shows must maintain differentiation.
- Sustainability and environmental impact: Large-scale exhibitions consume resources; organisers must balance growth with green practices.
- Data privacy and digital integration: As trade shows go hybrid, issues around data capture, lead-management and privacy must be handled carefully.
The Future Outlook — What the 2025 + Beyond Landscape Looks Like
Looking ahead, we can expect the following developments:
- Further internationalization of Indian exhibitions, with more global pavilions, stronger buyer-missions and export-linkage programmers.
- Deeper industry verticalisation, meaning trade-shows tailored by niche sectors (e.g., EV manufacturing, AI in manufacturing, sustainable textiles).
- Greater use of immersive technology, including AR/VR-enabled booths, IoT and smart badge-tracking to enhance exhibitor ROI.
- Expansion of regional exhibition hubs, making cities beyond the metro’s meaningful nodes in the trade-show ecosystem.
- Stronger emphasis on export-ready Indian manufacturing, aligned with Make in India goals, showing Indian exhibitors not just as participants but as global players.
In short, the exhibition boom isn’t just about “more shows” — it’s about better, smarter, globally-oriented shows raising India’s profile in the global trade-show map.
FAQs
Q1. What is the ‘Make in India’ initiative?
A1. It’s a government program promoting Indian manufacturing and foreign investment to boost local production.
Q2. How has ‘Make in India’ impacted trade shows?
A2. It’s increased exhibitor participation, international buyer interest, and sector-specific exhibitions across India.
Q3. Which industries benefit most from this initiative?
A3. Automotive, electronics, textiles, defence, and renewable energy are key beneficiaries.
Q4. What are the top exhibition hubs in India for 2025?
A4. Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow are emerging as major exhibition centers.
Q5. Why are hybrid exhibitions gaining popularity?
A5. They combine physical presence with virtual reach, helping exhibitors connect with global buyers cost-effectively.Q6. How can MSMEs leverage India’s exhibition boom?
A6. By showcasing innovation, building export networks, and using digital tools to maximize post-event leads.
