CIOB participates at 8th Smart Cities India Expo

Delegation from Mumbai meets at the expo 

Government of India Road,Transport and Highways Union Minister Nitin Gadkari 

Panel discussion 

•  Key event jointly organised by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, India Trade Promotion Organization (Ministry of Commerce) and Exhibitions India Group from 27-29 March at New Delhi 

With the theme of ‘Innovation Driving Sustainability’ the 8th Smart Cities India and 30th Convergence India expo and conference celebrated India’s digital and infrastructure growth triggering its rising influence as a global digital powerhouse. 

The Expo which was jointly organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs – Smart Cities Mission (MoHUA), India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), and Exhibitions India Group (EIG) provided a unique platform to domestic and overseas clients, technocrats, innovators, policymakers, bureaucrats, government officials and start up hustlers with an in-person networking, sharing of best practices and trends, expanding business opportunities, and making new alliances in domains across various segments and also demonstrating India’s growing prowess of modernisation and development landscape by showcasing the integration of transformative technologies with the key pillars of urban development, i.e. green buildings, rooftop solar, renewable and clean energy, clean environment, clean water, water conservation, urban mobility, and the use of smart ICT solutions for optimising resources and making cities smart and sustainable along with Telecom, 5G, Wireless Technologies, Fintech, Embedded Tech, etc. 

The event was inaugurated by Government of India​​ Road Transport and Highways Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Gadkari said, “Smart Cities is a successful story in India. We have got a huge potential here and I am driving it personally. To achieve India’s Prime Minister’s vision of making India a $ 5 trillion economy, it is imperative to develop smart cities and villages for which public-private partnership is key.”

Exhibitions India Group (EIG) Managing Director Chandrika Behl said, “For 30 years, we have been creating an ecosystem of opportunities for India’s fast-growing digital technology industry through the Convergence India series of expos. Meanwhile, the Smart Cities India expo has evolved in tandem with the needs of the Smart Cities Mission. Together, both events have provided a platform for domestic brands to showcase their work in technology, smart cities, and start-up domains. At the same time, they offer a platform for international players to connect and explore business opportunities in India by forging new relationships. We are glad to host industry stalwarts at the 8th Smart cities expo and 30th Convergence India Expo.”

This year, the expo witnessed participation of 1,015 companies, including 182+ start-ups, from approx. 37 countries. The conferences, being organised alongside the expo, had about 150 speakers, including those from the Union and State governments, industry, think tanks and academia. The three-day Expo saw footfall of 44,170+ unique visitors.

8th Smart Cities Expo saw participation of several international delegations, one of it being Ceylon Institute of Builders, (CIOB) a premier professional body for construction management and leadership in Sri Lanka.

Under the umbrella of CIOB Alumex PLC, Woodfeather Industries Ltd. and International Construction Consortium Ltd. were first time participants at the expos and showcased a range of solutions in Aluminum Extrusions, Aluminum Door, Aluminum Window and Aluminum DIY Products; Plywood Sheets; Timber and Precast Building systems and other precast items.

CIOB President Dr. Rohan Karunaratne mentioned, “CIOB has been at the forefront in introducing emerging construction technologies to the Sri Lankan construction industry and assisting Sri Lankan construction companies to venture out to other markets. The construction market in India has been growing at a tremendous space and we are extremely happy to be associated with 8th Smart Cities Expo which would help our construction companies to many modern technologies and concepts such as Green building, Smart Construction, Sustainable Urban Construction and Internet of Things.”

CIOB Vice President Ruwan De Silva, the coordinating partner for SMART Cities Expo in Sri Lanka commented, “We are extremely pleased to have participated in the 8th Smart Cities Expo which showcased Smart building solutions, products for digitising construction, emerging construction automation technologies, and innovative solutions for sustainable building by exhibitors from over 35 countries. Members of Sri Lankan delegation have been able to form partnerships with Indian and international vendors to introduce such solutions in Sri Lanka. This will enable us to embrace these modern technologies, upgrade our business offerings and expand our businesses. 

“All three exhibitors from Sri Lanka had been immensely satisfied with the exhibition. They have been able to demonstrate their products to a larger potential client base and have been able to initiate discussions with Indian companies to form partnerships to market our products in India and other countries. I thank the organisers of the Smart Cities Expo 2023 for giving us an opportunity to participate in the Expo. As a strategic partner, we hope to participate in subsequent Smart cities expos in future with larger delegations from Sri Lanka.” 

“Further to promote our bilateral ties with Sri Lanka and further strengthen our alliance, EIG is happy to announce CIOB as our International Representatives for the 2024 edition of the 9th Smart Cities India Expo which is scheduled from 17-19 January 2024 at Pragati Maidan New Delhi. We look forward to hosting a larger participation and delegation for the 2024 edition.”