Celion Su

Since when did you start your exhibition business in the Indian exhibition market？

Todi： 10Times.com was launched on 24th Jan 2014 as a global platform for eventgoers to discover business events. We have recorded multiple breakthroughs in this journey in the last 5 years， recently crossing over 50+ million professional users. Started as a simple discovery platform， 10Times has grown to become an important networking platform for professionals who want to meet other professionals in-person to do business at events.

While global in nature， we have been serving organizers both in India and interested in tapping the Indian market. We work with over 250 organizers in India to promote their shows. Being a part of IndiaMart， an Alibaba alternative in India， 10Times has deep access and understanding to the Indian market.

From your perspective， could you share with us the advantages and challenges it faces in comparison with that of China？

Todi： At this point， it would be hard to even compare the Indian market with that of China. So， instead of comparing the two giants on the scale， I would like to answer this question in terms of potential and current progress.

The biggest advantage India currently has is that there is a growing demand. With a young population， growing entrepreneurship， improving mobility， the scope for development is tremendous. At this point， India has hardly scratched the surface for what is needed in terms of business events， for both local and international demand. With the governmentspush on industrialization and rising service sectors， there will be a great need for a large number of shows. With over 1.3 billion population and projected$5trillion economy， its a great opportunity to launch shows in almost all verticals.

With limited events， and smaller venue size compared to countries like China， one big advantage is that space utilization has to be maximized. While most dont consider this as an advantage， rather a challenge， with changing event formats and booth size shrinking， we might need more venues in more locations， rather than massive venue in a single location like the Shenzhen World.

Another advantage India has is lowcost semi-skilled labor force. If utilized correctly， India can become the hub for business events in South-East Asia. Lastly， as a growing hub for technology and innovation across industries， India can leap frog in how tech enabled the event is.