A rise in disposable incomes, increasing aspirations to lead a better life are some of the tailwinds that the retail sector in India have been receiving to expand. With a focus to make India ‘Aatmanirbhar’ and encouraging people to purchase more from local and indigenous Indian brands, Government of India is taking necessary measures to give Indian start-ups a boost. Past year, that looked grim for retail businesses due to slower out of home consumption and keeping physical interactions to a minimum, has altered the shopping behaviour of the customers. With global pandemic becoming a catalyst of change, businesses need to innovate themselves to remain resilient. Businesses should keep themselves abreast of the new changes taking place in the industry to remain relevant for its customers. Participation of start-ups and small -medium scale businesses in various retail expos and business conferences will increase networking with investors, generate leads and inspire many wannabe entrepreneurs. If any would-be-entrepreneur is planning to step its foot into the retail sector, then the below list of upcoming retail expos and business conferences of 2021 is a must for them to attend.
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Participation of start-ups and small -medium scale businesses in various expos and business conferences will increase networking with investors, generate leads and inspire many wannabe entrepreneurs.
Upcoming Retail Expos and Conferences in 2021-22
1.IREC 2021 organised by SHOPX
Date: 19th-20th May 2021
Place: Hotel Sheraton Grand, Bengaluru
Attractions of the event
This event will bring together genius minds, entrepreneurs, innovators and brands across retail, ecommerce and digital sectors. Apart, from creating new business connections and collaborations wannabe entrepreneurs and retail start-ups, this event will provide knowledge of –
- Retail workforce management in the digital era – Attracting the right talent, upskilling, ensuring productivity, ensuring productivity of staff, better internal collaboration to improve consumer shopping experience.
- Retail innovation by the inclusion of technologies such as Artificial intelligence, data analytics for intelligent retail, and e-commerce automation.
- How to create an immersive shopping experience by bringing in customer personalization.
- Fintech in retail
- New ideas, innovations and trends to be discussed
The speaker panel of the event will consist of CEOs from reputed retail and e-commerce brands such as Amazon, fashion retail company Soch, Zilingo, Metro Cash and Carry, Spencer’s retail etc.
2. Annapoorna – a joint initiative by Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt. Ltd. and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
Date: 06th -08th September 2021
Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India
Attraction of the event
Annapoorna will be organising its 15th edition of India’s international exhibition on its food and beverage trade and retail market in India. The Indian Food market is the world’s 6th largest and fastest-growing retail market worldwide. This conference will be the medium for buyer-seller interaction with leading importers, seminars on current trends and developments and future growth of the food retail industry.
3. Innnovating World of Retail organised by Mapic India formerly IRD (India Retail Forum)
Date: 29th – 30th September 2021
Venue: Renaissance Hotel, Mumbai
About the event
With participation of over 200 global speakers, 750 retailers and more than 100 exhibiting companies, it is India’s premier annual event where retail brands learn, grow, shop and experience the future of retail and retail real estate. With the 2021 it will be hosting its 6th edition showcasing the future of retail tech solutions to decision makers. Entrepreneurs in this event can network with decision makers belonging to more than 600 plus brands, build potential business prospects and discover new opportunities. The event is also conducting exhibitions to showcase various start-up retail ideas and upcoming projects that will serve as food for thought entrepreneurs to come up with innovative solutions to solve customer problems. The speaker panel of retail conference will consist of speakers from renowned retail behemoths such as Anarock retail, Inorbit Mall, DLF malls, Lakme Lever etc. that will help wannabe entrepreneurs to gain far- reaching insights and insider knowledge
4. In-store Asia
Date: 03rd -05th March 2022
Venue: Hall 4, Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (East) Mumbai
About the event
In-store Asia is the largest trade fair in India for retail resources and investments in store design, visual merchandising and in-store marketing. This event boasts of having a congregation of 7500+ retail and brand companies, consultants, service providers and more than 50 Indian and international speakers in 2019. For the upcoming event in March, the delegate profile will consist of experts from lifestyle retail, retail solution providers, retail designers, apparel and lifestyle etc. For 2022, the theme for the event is Store-Ing: In the Age of Shopper Data. The two-day event will consist of panel discussions ranging from topics such as developing a Sustainable Retail Model tier to leveraging Shoppers’ Devices & Driving Store Walk-ins and debates on topics ATL vs BTL (Above the line Vs Below the line) as consumption booster to Human Vs. Digital: What’s More Important in a Rollout Project.The participation of start-ups owners and retail entrepreneurs in such discussions and debates that are held within retail expos helps in the enrichment of their knowledge about the retail industry helps them to give a good start to business.
