“Whilst there are good events across India addressing the every day purchasing needs of practitioners there was an obvious deficit in terms of an international quality exhibition connecting quality supply side vendors to the key decision makers”

– Vikas Vij, Managing Director, HIM.

TFT : What is your primary objective for organizing HIM 2014 in India?
Vikas Vij : There are two key segments that will need the greatest attention and development in India over the coming decades; education and healthcare. Currently India has some of the lowest statistics in the world for availability of healthcare services per capita which correlates to the lower life expectancy ratios, low detection and treatment rates for illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer and shockingly high infant mortality rate.

At IDEX we felt that there was a gap in meeting the needs of the healthcare industry in terms of bringing the value chain together to address the critical need to build and renew more clinics, hospitals and healthcare centres around the country. Whilst there are good events across India addressing the every day purchasing needs of practitioners there was an obvious deficit in terms of an international quality exhibition connecting quality supply side vendors to the key decision makers behind refitting and constructing new clinics and hospitals throughout the region.

Out of this was borne our desire to launch the Hospital Infrastructure and Management Expo (HIM) with our vision for HIM to become the leading industry platform serving the needs of India’s healthcare development needs over the coming years.

TFT : What is the theme for Indian HIM 2014 in India?
Vikas Vij : The theme for HIM is very simple: serving as a highly focused, effective networking and business generation platform for the healthcare construction and management segment. We want to make it as easy as possible for those interested in serving the healthcare needs of the country through renewing and building new facilities to come together and connect with those innovative suppliers dedicated to building world class clinical and hospital facilities in India.

TFT : Who are the target audience, and how would they benefit from participating in the event? How many delegates do you expect?
Vikas Vij : In addition to the supply side exhibitors we are bringing together, we are also bringing together thousands of decision makers focused on the build and management of hospital infrastructure in India, from doctor’s and clinic owners to architects; project managers and consultants; CEO’s, GM’s, Medical Directors, Facilities and Procurement Managers of hospitals; to Government Planners and members of the Health Ministry.

TFT : How was the response in the last edition of HIM ?
Vikas Vij : We’re excited that HIM 2014 represents the first such initiative by IDEX in the region, a much needed platform that we envision will support the healthcare developments needs of the country.

TFT : What are the highlights of HIM 2014 in India?
Vikas Vij : Key highlights for HIM 2014 include an exciting line up of seminars addressing latest techniques and innovations from around the region and world which will translate into the development of better healthcare facilities for the India market. In addition to the seminar series we’re also excited to have leading Indian and global brands displaying innovative solutions for the hospital build segment such as Asian Paints who will be showcasing latest research and solutions on how the right paint solutions can lead to better patient recovery; Gerflor demonstrating new flooring solutions to improve the clinical management side for hospitals and clinics; and Mandev Tubes launching their patented tubing solution can ultimately result in a safer hospital environment benefiting those running hospitals as well as the end user. And ultimately the key highlight is the opportunity for thousands of buyers and key decision makers from across the region to interact and understand new developments from the hospital build and construction point of view, ensuring India gets the opportunity to further build world class hospital infrastructure meeting the critical healthcare needs of Indian citizens.

TFT : How many foreign delegates are expected at HIM 2014?
Vikas Vij : In terms of exhibitors we’ll have representation from across the globe with latest technologies being showcased by brands from the US, Europe, GCC & MENA region, South East Asia, and Japan. And we’ve received numerous confirmations from visitors from similar regions that they will also be visiting HIM to gather a better understanding of the hospital development needs of South Asia in order to identify how they can contribute to the region’s development.

TFT : Who are the major sponsors of the event?
Vikas Vij : Major sponsors for 2014 include our Title Sponsor, Asian Paints; Platinum Partner, Draeger; Silver Partner, MEC with further support from GMP Hospitec and Janak Healthcare.

TFT : Who are the speakers at the HIM 2014?
Vikas Vij : bC India – We’re delighted to have leading corporates such as Asian Paints, Attune Technologies, Draeger, Gerflor, Janak Healthcare delivering sessions on cutting edge techniques hospital developers can adopt to improve their existing and future constructions. In addition we’ve invited leading architects, consultants and hospital directors to discuss the infrastructure and build requirements from the client point of view tackling issues such as the future of healthcare facilities in India, green hospitals, implementing best practice for facility and supply chain management in healthcare Institutions, analysing the impact of pain solutions on patient care and recovery, what mistakes to avoid when retrofitting hospitals and clinics and other such innovative discussions.

TFT : How many members HIM has from India, do you expect the membership to grow?
Vikas Vij : At the moment HIM has around 75-80% of its exhibitors directly from India and the balance international exhibitors who are looking to connect with distributors and intermediaries. We envisage following a similar ratio over the next few years as we look to grow the domestic market bringing more local distributors who represent Indian and international brands into play and connecting them with thousands of local buyers.

TFT : What are your expectations for HIM 2014 in India?
Vikas Vij : In essence we have one simple expectation for HIM 2014; establishing this as the key industry platform for the hospital build and infrastructure segment across South Asia. From the response we’ve had so far from clients signing up to thousands of visitors already confirmed as visiting we’re really excited that we’re on track to fulfil that expectation and objective. Giving the Indian healthcare segment a quality, professionally organised platform to discuss, ideate and witness latest innovations and trends in the build and construction of clinics and hospitals facilities is something we’re excited to be a part of and working tremendously hard to ensure we deliver.

TFT : Are you a regular reader of TradeFairTimes, what is your take on this publication?
Vikas Vij : I am absolutely a regular reader of TradeFarTimes. In fact, TFT was one of the very first publications that I’ve hold in hands once I arrived in India. It gave me, especially in my first weeks here in India, a constant good overview of what is happening in the Indian Exhibition Industry and now I am happy and proud to be more involved and a part of it. 12-Best of luck for bC India 2014, we look forward to have a great debut at NCR.

Thank you very much, I also look forward welcoming you and all the readers to bC India from 15th to 18th December.