The Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC), the venue of some of the biggest expos in the country including some of the leading printing and packaging ones, has decided to offer its space to accommodate migrant laborers who have been affected due to the 21-day lockdown. The venue, owned by Nesco Group, located in Goregaon, will accommodate over 10,000 people.
“Thousands of migrant workmen who have been adversely affected due to the closure of the Mumbai metro, vital link-roads, coastal road and construction sites, have been left homeless. Although the BMC and the state government have been trying to accommodate them, they need much more space,” Nesco chairman Sumant Patel was quoted by Press Trust of India as saying.
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 many upcoming printing and packaging exhibitions that were slated to take place at BEC in the coming months have been deferred. The last major expo related to the printing or packaging industry that took place at BEC was Media Expo Mumbai 2020 held in late-February.
Some important events slated to be held at BEC that have been postponed include Screen Print India 2020. Taking into account public health concerns, travel restrictions and market volatility due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India has decided to postpone the Mumbai edition of Screen Print India 2020 scheduled to be held from 24 – 26 April 2020. The Mumbai edition is now planned to be held in the latter part of the year, and the new dates will be announced in the coming weeks, after consultations with the fair’s international and local supporting associations.
Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India also decided to postpone Gartex Texprocess India, which was slated to make its debut in Mumbai last month. Gartex Texprocess India is a comprehensive tradeshow on garment and textile machinery.
BolognaFiere Group and Informa Markets, organizers of Cosmoprof India, have announced the postponement of the 2020 edition. The exhibition, initially scheduled for early September, will be held from 29 to 31 October at the BCE. Cosmoprof India in Mumbai is the business-to-business event for the fast-growing beauty market in India. A lot of cosmetics and pharmaceutical packaging companies participate in the expo.
