In July, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) announced that the entire floor space for the 2016 Auto Expo was sold out. It was in the previous 2014 edition that the largest biennial automotive event in India, ditched Pragati Maidan, to move to the bigger India Exposition
Mart Ltd (IEML) in Greater Noida. While the venue for the 2016 edition continues to be the IEML, the organisers – Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) – have taken measures to improve infrastructure, space utilisation, and overall standard of the event.

Despite the large space at IEML, one of the major challenges that the organisers faced in 2014 was the dearth of permanent halls. Of the entire facility, only 27,640 sq. metres were solid structures, while makeshift hangars were created in about 25,000 sq. metres of unutilised space; they were covered, had concrete flooring and were air-conditioned. But now, IEML has constructed permanently air-conditioned halls in those 25,000 sq. metres of area; this has resulted in increased usable space.

In the process, the additional space has increased to around 30,000 sq. metres. SIAM says that taking away the hangars also cleared out space that was occupied by all the utilities and equipment, air conditioners, etc. So technically, the total space includes the original 27,000 plus another 30,000 sq. metres, and all of the hangars have been traded for modern structures with facilities, and the permanent hall-space has nearly been doubled.

The organisers are working towards improving crowd management as well, and the increased space will be utilised to position crowd-pulling stands in a more effective way. That’s not all, transport to and from the venue is being ramped up in collaboration with the state’s transport corporation, and there will be increased co-ordination with the police department to aid crowd and traffic control.

When the Auto Expo shifted base to Greater Noida, which is about 40km away from Delhi, there were doubts on whether the new venue will attract large crowds. Not only were there days when footfall was around 90,000 – 1,00,000, but the overall quality of crowd saw a jump, and more serious enthusiasts showed up at the event.

In 2016, more than 40 manufacturers (two-, three- and four-wheelers) are expected to make their presence felt at the Auto Expo. It promises to get bigger and better, and Autocar will be there to bring you the latest updates as they happen.

Suraj Kannan