India International Trade Fair (IITF)

An Indian B2B manufacturer put it simply on a forum - "Now we mostly acquire new customers through trade shows, or references" (r/India, 2023 (opens in a new tab)). A UK importer in another thread agreed from the buying side, saying most real makers are hardly online at all (r/smallbusinessuk, 2026 (opens in a new tab)). So fairs matter in India. The catch is picking the right one, and IITF is the one buyers search for most and should rely on least.

IITF is India's biggest general fair, and for most of its two weeks it's a public one. State pavilions, consumer stalls and food courts dominate it. We list it because buyers ask about it, not because we recommend it for sourcing. This page tells you what it is, when the business days fall and where to go instead.

Next edition

• Dates: 14 to 27 November 2026 (45th edition). Business days are 14 to 18 November only, and the public comes in from 19 November. (ITPO's IITF page, read 25 September 2026.)
• Venue: Bharat Mandapam
• City: New Delhi
• Buyer registration: no separate overseas-buyer registration is published. Visitor registration is on the ITPO IITF page (opens in a new tab).

Who exhibits

ITPO, the government's trade promotion body, runs the fair. Exhibitors cover every product group, with state governments taking the largest pavilions and a long tail of retailers, artisans' groups, public-sector firms and foreign country pavilions.

Exhibitor status tells you nothing about export readiness. A stand may be a maker, a trader, a state agency or a retail brand selling to the crowd. That's fine for a public fair, but it means you do all the filtering yourself. If a stand interests you then ask whether it exports today, to which market and under whose name.

Hosted-buyer terms

Not published. We found no hosted-buyer programme for overseas importers at IITF.

Visa

Use the e-Business Visa if you're going for business. Apply at least two weeks ahead and ask the organiser for an invitation letter.

Getting there

Bharat Mandapam is at Pragati Maidan in central New Delhi. ITPO says the 123-acre complex has metro connectivity and underground parking, so check which gate serves your hall before you set off (ITPO, read 25 September 2026). For IITF 2025, ITPO named entry Gates 3 and 4 on Bhairon Road and Gates 6 and 10 on Mathura Road.

What to expect

Crowds, even on business days. The B2B window is the first five days, and if you go then go in that window. Don't expect exporter-only halls, buyer lounges or pre-set meetings.

Where IITF can help is breadth. The state pavilions show you what each state wants to sell, which is a quick way to see which regions push which products. Treat it as a scouting walk, not a sourcing trip.

For real sourcing in a sector, the export council fairs serve you better, because every exhibitor is a registered exporter and many run meeting programmes. Try IHGF for home and lifestyle, Indusfood for food, BFLEX for leather and footwear, or the full list on our India fairs page.

That maker who wins customers at trade shows wasn't talking about IITF. If you want exporters in your category found, checked and met on your behalf instead of hunting a public fair, SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) does it.

Past editions

• 2025: 14 to 27 November 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, with the first five days for business visitors only (ITPO, read 25 September 2026).

Sources

• ITPO: 45th India International Trade Fair 2026 (opens in a new tab), official page, read 25 September 2026
• ITPO venue facts for Bharat Mandapam (opens in a new tab), read 25 September 2026
• Indian maker and UK importer on finding manufacturers, r/India, 2023 (opens in a new tab) and r/smallbusinessuk, 2026 (opens in a new tab) (from our forum research, spot-check before publish)

Where SourcingSync helps

If you would rather skip the general fair and have exporters in your category found, checked and met on your behalf, SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) does it.

All India fairs: /india/fairs/ · All fairs: /fairs/