PAMEX 2023 was a success even before the show opened its doors to visitors on the 27 March. The optimism that was detected among the printers in the roadshows across the country leading up to the event was also evident among the exhibitors. It had visibly manifested in the investment that they had made in setting up their customized booths. “It’s not unusual to see happy exhibitors at the end of the first day of the exhibition. I’m seeing happy exhibitors even before the show has started,” remarked Prof. Kamal Chopra, Past President of AIFMP.
“The enormous turnup from the industry people can certainly be attributed to the path of revival of the markets and return to normalcy,” said Reveendra Joshi, President, All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) and Chairman, PAMEX.
The good cheer and bonhomie were infectious and percolated into the inaugural function. Though the start was suitably solemn, with the address by Raveendra Joshi that was followed by messages by Prof. Kamal Chopra and Manoj Mehta, Past President, AIFMP & President, Forum of Asia Pacific Graphic Arts (FAPGA).
Raveendra Joshi, in his inauguration speech welcomed and appreciated the participation from the industry. In his address, Manoj Mehta mentioned how the show has grown over past editions in terms of area and the number of exhibiting companies. He also added that the special zones for product and technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Flexible Packaging and Labels added lot of value to the Show.
Then followed a pledge taken as ‘a Proud Printer’ that was conceptualised by the Poona Press Owners’ Association (PPOA), where all dignitaries that included the Presidents of supporting associations, office bearers, past presidents, and the members of the governing council of AIFMP all joined in.
The dignitaries at the function included Raghabedra Baruah, General Secretary, AIFMP; P Chander, Imm & Past President, AIFMP; Nitin Narula, Vice President (North), AIFMP; Bidyut Ranjan Nag, Vice President (East), AIFMP; Anant Vishwanath Joshi, Vice President (West), AIFMP; Rahul Mahajan, Joint Secretary, AIFMP; Rakesh Sondhi, President, Indian Printing Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (IPAMA); Sandesh Tere, President, Screen Printer Association of India (SPAI) and Manish Shah, Vice President, Indian Corrugated Packaging Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (ICPMA), joined by Tushar Dhote, Co-Chairman, PAMEX- AIFMP and Anil Arora, Director, Print-Packaging.com Private Limited.
The guests stayed on for the unveiling of the exhibitors’ catalogue and then also the cutting of the ribbon taking the program into unscripted territory. Not to be left behind, Seeta Ram, a prominent printer and industry stalwart from Nepal arrived with scarves from the Pashupatinath temple to facilitate the dignitaries. He also presented models of the famous temple to Joshi and Chopra.
Even while Tushar Dhote, Co-chairman, Pamex led the dignitaries on a guided tour of the exhibition, the visitors started filling in the halls making the exhibitors busy, and it stayed that way for the next four days till the curtains came down on the 2023 edition of PAMEX. During these days 33,812 unique visitors had been recorded.
The show had grown by over 25% over the previous edition and boasted of over 450 exhibitors. Running machines all over the three halls added to the allure. Many products were launched for the first time in the Indian market. All the action was captured on the four large screens adorning the exhibition for all the visitors and exhibitors to witness.
The visitors came from all over the country and abroad. At least 31 Indian states and union territories and 28 countries were represented among the visitors. The feedback from the visitors was unanimous in the appreciation of the value they got from the visit. “World class!” remarked a visibly impressed Ramesh Kejriwal, Chairman, Parksons Packaging- who spent several hours at the exhibition. While exhibitor after exhibitor spoke eloquently about the quality of visitors and the amount of business that they concluded on the grounds itself. “At PAMEX this year, our focus was on showcasing sustainable and low-wastage machines. The Show has really been successful for us as we sold nine of our machines here,” shared Pooja Rajpal from Zhongke India.
“Since the 80’s we have been participating in PAMEX and have seen it grow over the years. This year we could see even more high-quality visitors who showed great interest in our products and also in the new demo centre we have recently launched. We are connecting the visitors LIVE from here to the centre, helping them ‘experience the new’. We are pleased to get such a tremendous response at the Show.” said Sheena Parikh from Technova Imaging Systems.
