NOIDA: The lingering shadow of the novel coronavirus and a slump in the auto sector trailing it, the Auto Expo 2020 expects a footfall of at least 70,000 a day this time. While organisers said Asia’s largest auto show, which had a soft opening on Wednesday, will shore up the local economy, entrepreneurs sought more lasting business engagements from the show.
“February 7 (Friday) will be dedicated to business-to-business interactions and we expect footfall to go up substantially Saturday onwards,” said Debasish Majumdar, director of trade fairs organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Last time, the expo had seen a record footfall of over six lakh in six days.
To put the show together, 7,500 people had been working at Knowledge Park II over the past week and more are expected to be engaged over the next few days. “At least 3,000 local people will get employment opportunities during the expo,” added Majumdar. Most of these jobs will be back-end ones — drivers, parking attendants, among others.
The local hospitality sector is also looking at a bump in numbers. Most hotels reported 60% occupancy by Wednesday, expected to go up to 90% by Friday, when the Auto Expo is formally off to a start. This, despite fewer delegates from China this time. The 20 Chinese nationals who attended the event on Wednesday were screened for novel coronavirus. “Seventeen showed no symptoms and three returned,” said Dr Anurag Bhargava, chief medical officer of Gautam Budh Nagar. “China has its own problems this time. So we think other players will be more active this time,” said Sushil Kumar Jain, convener of the Confederation of All India Traders, Delhi-NCR.
The dip in number of Chinese delegates may just help avoid the problem that came up last time, when there had been a shortage of hotel rooms. This time, the city is better prepared – Greater Noida, where the Expo is being organized, has about 200 hotels and guesthouses, while Noida has two five-star hotels. With people coming in from outside the city, retail outlets and eateries are also expecting a spillover effect. “People like to explore the city after visiting the city. So a 10-15% rise in footfall at malls and local shops is likely,” said Jain.
The economic windfall, however, may be just that — a sharp surge with no lasting impact. “The Auto Expo is a one-off event. It has, so far, failed to boost Noida’s economy in the long run – barring the limited effect on the hospitality sector, only over the few days of the event,” said Vipin Kumar Malhan, president of the Noida Entrepreneurs’ Association, adding, “Opportunities should be built around the event.”
With this in mind, the Indian Industries Association has lined up networking events to showcase local industries which it expects will benefit local MSMEs. “We will take visitors around to show our industries. The auto show can be a boost to the local economy. The interaction between local entrepreneurs and visitors could lead to a productive exchange of ideas,” said Kulmani Gupta, president of the Indian Industries Association.
“February 7 (Friday) will be dedicated to business-to-business interactions and we expect footfall to go up substantially Saturday onwards,” said Debasish Majumdar, director of trade fairs organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Last time, the expo had seen a record footfall of over six lakh in six days.
To put the show together, 7,500 people had been working at Knowledge Park II over the past week and more are expected to be engaged over the next few days. “At least 3,000 local people will get employment opportunities during the expo,” added Majumdar. Most of these jobs will be back-end ones — drivers, parking attendants, among others.
The local hospitality sector is also looking at a bump in numbers. Most hotels reported 60% occupancy by Wednesday, expected to go up to 90% by Friday, when the Auto Expo is formally off to a start. This, despite fewer delegates from China this time. The 20 Chinese nationals who attended the event on Wednesday were screened for novel coronavirus. “Seventeen showed no symptoms and three returned,” said Dr Anurag Bhargava, chief medical officer of Gautam Budh Nagar. “China has its own problems this time. So we think other players will be more active this time,” said Sushil Kumar Jain, convener of the Confederation of All India Traders, Delhi-NCR.
The dip in number of Chinese delegates may just help avoid the problem that came up last time, when there had been a shortage of hotel rooms. This time, the city is better prepared – Greater Noida, where the Expo is being organized, has about 200 hotels and guesthouses, while Noida has two five-star hotels. With people coming in from outside the city, retail outlets and eateries are also expecting a spillover effect. “People like to explore the city after visiting the city. So a 10-15% rise in footfall at malls and local shops is likely,” said Jain.
The economic windfall, however, may be just that — a sharp surge with no lasting impact. “The Auto Expo is a one-off event. It has, so far, failed to boost Noida’s economy in the long run – barring the limited effect on the hospitality sector, only over the few days of the event,” said Vipin Kumar Malhan, president of the Noida Entrepreneurs’ Association, adding, “Opportunities should be built around the event.”
With this in mind, the Indian Industries Association has lined up networking events to showcase local industries which it expects will benefit local MSMEs. “We will take visitors around to show our industries. The auto show can be a boost to the local economy. The interaction between local entrepreneurs and visitors could lead to a productive exchange of ideas,” said Kulmani Gupta, president of the Indian Industries Association.
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