"Meet at Agra 2009" held in Agra, on 7th & 8th November 2009, is a trade and networking platform showcasing the very best of Leather, components and technology industry. This year, the expo was attended by a record 17,000 trade visitors, 175 Exhibitors which included more than 30 overseas exhibitors, displayed their products and generated a business worth Rs. 5000 million in the 2 day event. The fair offered to obtain extensive information on the products presented by the key distributors and suppliers of leather & Footwear industry.

The show was inaugurated and attended by Shri Ram Shankar Katheria, Honourable Member of Parliament of India, Mrs. Radha S Chauhan (IAS),Commissioner Agra Division, Mr. Habib Hussain, Chairman Council of Leather Exports, Dr. Zackria Sait, Regional Chairman CLE South, Mr. KL Arora, Regional Chairman CLE North, Mr. B.D. Bhaiya, President IFCOMA, Mr. Prabhat Kumar, Jt. Export Commissioner, U.P. Export bureau. There was great enthusiasm amongst the participants because of the excellent arrangements & business response.

Mr. Puran Dawar, President AFMEC noted “"I'm delighted with the success of the fair. Building on from many recent product launches the show gave all the participants an excellent platform to continue promotion to new and existing customers from across India. We have grown our exhibitor base and managed to attract new markets. I can easily say that without doubt, that next year we look forward to another successful show."

The event offered tremendous business opportunities to all the sectors of the industry. The event had added attractions in the form of Technical Sessions & Seminars. The AFMEC members made the event very exciting by their participation and extended their hospitality by sponsoring Lunch and Gala Dinners on 7th & 8th November 2009. The event concluded with a grand Fashion Show with some of the top models and the sensational show stopper AmanPreet Wahi.

Agra is one of the biggest Footwear manufacturing Centres of India. It has the capacity of manufacturing 200 thousand pairs of various types of footwear per day. Agra produces 65 % percent of countries Total requirement of footwear. Agra’s share in overall export of Leather Footwear from the country is approximately 28 % with an annual turnover of Rs. 15000 Millions & annual growth rate is 20 to 25 %.

Amit Chopra, MD, SHOES & ACCESSORIES magazine states,
“It was truly a very well organised and professionally executed event. The hard work and time put in by AFMEC has been instrumental in creating a unique platform for the key stakeholders in the Footwear Material’s Industry. I am confident that this Expo would open new avenues to greater prosperity for the Indian as well as International footwear materials industry”

Sajid Sheikh, Prime Leathers noted,
“The exhibition was very well organised. The buyers were very focused on their needs,” He said,” As compared to other events we had visited [exhibited] in the past, it was extremely well organised and had quality visitors. We look forward to taking part again next year.”

Naresh Bhasin, MD, Ram Fashions Pvt Ltd. noted,
“We think that this is a very good show as an industry trading platform. It is very good to have all these supporting events which bring in the materials suppliers.”

Manuj Seth, Director, Unifab industries:
“Very well organised fair, professionally managed show, generated good business, however, I feel the time period should be extended to 3 days to accommodate visitors from other II tier cities.”

Yogesh Madan, Enkay Soles, noted:
“ We have just returned from Bologna fair with the trends for Autumn winter 2010, and AFMEC fair is the perfect platform for us to display our collections and meet the industry. The show is very well timed”.

Kshitiz Sachdeva, Director, Trela footwear exports,
“This is the most professional exhibition in Agra and we are happy to showcase all our products here. The event serves as a gateway to all our customers and more avenues for all participants to interact.”

Raman Wasan, Director, AT Exports, noted
“ Its a fantastic platform for the industry. Being 2 months ahead of Riva fair, its been timed perfectly for all the exporters and manufacturers to build their collections. We expect the fair to expand 30% by next year.”

Shahroo Mohsin, MD Young Style Overseas and Sr. Vice President AFMEC.
“All our exhibitors are very satisfied and we hope to bring in new exhibitors next year. I would definitely recommend “Meet at Agra” as a trade show to attend.”