Our idea is to bring international companies in India: Raj Manek

Indian fitness and wellness market is growing rapidly with more number of people dedicating time for fitness and wellness activities. This is also inversely giving a push to the nutrition market. Therefore seeing large numbers of health and wellness companies entering India and the future potential of fitness market, Messe Frankfurt, world’s largest trade fair organizer has ventured into fitness space in India. Thus, talking about the company’s future plans in the health space in India, Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding spoke to Wellnessindia.com.

What is your understanding of the Indian fitness market?
I have a good understanding of fitness market in India and market potentiality.  The fitness institutes like gyms, aerobic activities, wellness activities and nutrition market is changing its form rapidly.  Bollywood and Cricket are influencing consumer with its fitness quotient along with feeding into a social lifestyle change. Simultaneously people are growing more aware of nutritional benefits also. Not only young but also older people over 50 years of age are getting more conscious.

Why is Messe Frankfurt venturing into the Indian fitness space?
Messe Frankfurt is a German company, professional exhibition organizers. We see that the fitness and wellness market in India is growing rapidly with growing health consciousness and future potential. This market has a young population compared to China’s aging population and is trying to grow at par with western markets. Thus, Messe Frankfurt Indian subsidiary is the first venturing into fitness exhibition. We also hold shows in technology, automotive engineering, media and entertainment and textile space. We are building a core competency in India with increasing our portfolio. We want to be in all the key industries in India.

What kind of fitness exhibitor’s profile that you have?
With our shows, we connect the equipment and nutrition companies with distributors and buyers. In the market, there are Indian subsidiaries of international companies. In our shows, we have the combination of Indian and international companies. Along with equipment and nutrition companies we also fitness and bodybuilding shows, Zumba, individual classes of spinning and aerobic.

What are future plans of bringing international brands in India?
Our idea is to bring international companies who are not in India. In future, we will also have sports apparel. We hold 20 trade fairs and 35 conferences out of which 12-15trade fair is held annually and rest are bi-annual. In the year 2018, we will have 13 fairs. There are 80 percent equipment exhibitors and 20 percent are nutrition players. We are expecting 25-30 percent YOY growth in India.

According to you how big are the fitness and sports apparel industry in India?
Fitness market size in India is $1.1 bn that is Rs 7,000 crores and it is growing by 17 percent YOY. The equipment industry is growing by 28-29 percent. Sports apparel industry is going to grow by 24-25 percent in the next 3-5 years.

Retailers are driving the nutrition market in India. There are probiotics and Ayurvedic nutrition brands in the market. There are protein bars to mixes to shakes to supplements to tablets every nutrition form of products are available in the market.