“HIM is to make key platform for the design, build and management of healthcare facilities” -Vikas Vij

Vikas Vij, Managing Director, The Ideas Exchange

TFT : Can you please give us a gist of Hospital Infrastructure & Management 2015?
Vikas Vij : The Hospital Infrastructure & Management (HIM) 2015 Expo is the second edition from IDEX. Launched in 2014, the exhibition and conference focuses on tackling some of the critical infrastructure and management issues facing by the healthcare segment in India. The only B2B platform of its kind in South Asia, HIM brings together thousands of decision makers from the health ministry, private, public and military hospitals, architects, and consultancy space to see the latest trends and innovations that companies from across India and overseas have to showcase with regards to building world-class healthcare facilities in India.

TFT : Any prediction related to the number of attendees of Hospital Infrastructure & Management 2015?
Vikas Vij : In 2014, HIM attracted over 3,200 focused buyers who were looking to invest crores in the development of new and existing facilities across the region. In 2015, we’re focused on expanding that visitor base by over 50%, to around 5,000 key buyers.

TFT : Was a good volume of business generated in your last expo? Could you please tell us the volume generated by the Hospital Infrastructure & Management 2014?
Vikas Vij : In 2014, it was estimated that over Rs. 1200 crores of business was generated as an outcome of Hospital Infrastructure & Management, as buyers came from across India looking at spending lakhs and crores each on refurbishing their existing facilities, integrating new technology, installing latest furniture and building facilities housing tens and hundreds of patient beds. And this is just a fragment of the potential and need of the country so we’re expecting HIM 2015 to generate vaster sum of business for the solution providers exhibiting at the show.

TFT : Are there other countries participating at Hospital Infrastructure & Managemant apart from India and if so, can you please name them?
Vikas Vij : As always, HIM will bring brands and solution providers from across the globe together to discuss and disseminate information and ideas that can help transform the healthcare market in India. We’ve got brands from across America, Europe, GCC, South East Asia, China and Japan regions participating, so buyers will get to see the best of the world at HIM 2015.

TFT : Is it an annual event or biannual event? Please explain the frequency and also the cities?
Vikas Vij : Currently HIM is an annual event being hosted in Mumbai. In May 2016, HIM will also expand into Delhi, taking solution providers to buyers across the North India segment, as there is a significant need to build and renovate healthcare facilities across the country.

TFT : Are international markets the target for this expo?
Vikas Vij : Not at all, each IDEX event is actually focused on developing the domestic market as opposed to simply catering to the international market. So we support local companies who represent leading domestic and international brands and work on delivering value and business to those companies by bringing them relevant decision makers looking to invest in upgrading or building new facilities. The focus is on inculcating a platform where buyers from across the region can come together in once place and within three days of the exhibition and conference, understand the key points to financing, designing, building, and managing healthcare facilities.

TFT : What is the purpose of Hospital Infrastructure & Managemant and how will it benefit the participants, sponsors and the industry?
Vikas Vij : The purpose of any good trade exhibition is to bring thousands of key decision makers from the buy side and sell side together to interact, understand and witness latest trends and innovations within that segment. And the Hospital Infrastructure & Management Expo is no different in terms of bringing buyers, exhibitors and the overall industry together to understand how to overcome challenges within the healthcare build segment in India, and then seeing innovations and solutions being showcased in the same place at the same time.
Decision makers from the hospitals, doctors, architects and consultants benefit from seeing the latest trends and products in the market and listening to the subject matter being discussed during the 3 day conference happening at HIM, thereby taking back ideas that will help improve their facilities and impact the plans they have for building new healthcare facilities for the country. Exhibitors benefit from being able to showcase their products and services to focused buyers who come to meet them and their peers specifically with the intention of finding the right solutions for their new and existing projects.

TFT : Congratulations on organising Hospital Infrastructure & Management. What do you expect from this event to achieve?
Vikas Vij : Our intention with HIM is to make this the key platform for the design, build and management of healthcare facilities within the South Asia region. So when the decision makers behind public and private hospitals want solutions to building and refurbishing healthcare facilities they always know where to turn up – HIM!

TFT : How will the expo Hospital Infrastructure & Management 2015 help the people in Hospital Infrastructure & Management?
Vikas Vij : IDEX delivers value to the various stakeholders through its commitment to sourcing the right exhibitors who can share cutting edge ideas and products, enabling the thousands of buyers we bring together to develop healthcare facilities that the nation can be proud of. At HIM 2015, we’ve developed a B2B meeting platform to help our exhibitors connect directly to decision makers, and also built on our conference expanding it to 3 full days discussing challenges around design and build; financing and operating; as well as the utilisation of technology in hospitals, bringing experts from across the region to discuss trends from around the world that can be implemented within India.

TFT : What were the unique things that you learnt and sponsors/participants feedback from the previous edition? How would you implement them for this year’s event?
Vikas Vij : Not only did the three-day exhibition witness major industry players exhibiting at the show but also observed a two-day seminar that covered topics focusing on healthcare design and infrastructure. It was attended by VIPs from Reliance, Hiranandani, Fortis, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani, Hinduja, Apollo Group and other hospitals along with validated industry buyers including key budget holders for hospitals, as well as policy makers, consultants, health ministry and investors in healthcare projects.
HIM received very positive feedback from exhibitors for creating the opportunity and learning interface to network with the hospital industry giving them not just business but a real insight into what the local healthcare sector actually needs. Having delivered a successful first show last year, HIM 2015 promises to be bigger and more power-packed catering to the growing demands of this thriving industry. We also are in the process of reaching out to a larger database of audiences to create awareness about the need of the hour in the hospital infrastructure and management space.

TFT : Any special message for our readers?
Vikas Vij : The healthcare industry in India has witnessed a massive increase in investment, as is particularly evident by the rising number of public and private hospitals, military hospitals, clinics and specialty centers that have been constructed and developed across the country over the last few years and HIM is all set to provide a perfect platform for all.