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Trade fair

India International Trade Fair (IITF)

IITF is the India fair buyers search for most and should rely on least. A UK importer who knows the Indian side put the bigger problem well in 2026, saying most real makers are hardly online at all (r/smallbusinessuk, 2026), and an Indian B2B manufacturer said much the same from the other side - "Now we mostly acquire new customers through trade shows, or references" (r/India, 2023). So fairs m…

IITF is the India fair buyers search for most and should rely on least. A UK importer who knows the Indian side put the bigger problem well in 2026, saying most real makers are hardly online at all (r/smallbusinessuk, 2026 (opens in a new tab)), and an Indian B2B manufacturer said much the same from the other side - "Now we mostly acquire new customers through trade shows, or references" (r/India, 2023 (opens in a new tab)). So fairs matter in India. The trick is picking the right one.

IITF is India's biggest general fair, and for most of its two weeks it's a public one, with state pavilions, consumer stalls and food courts taking up most of the floor. We list it because buyers keep asking about it, not because we'd send you there to source. 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 under the sun, with state governments taking the largest pavilions and a long tail of retailers, artisans' groups, public-sector firms and foreign country pavilions.

Being an exhibitor here tells you nothing about export readiness. A stand might be a maker, a trader, a state agency or a retail brand selling to the crowd, which is fine for a public fair but means you do all the filtering yourself. If a stand catches your eye then ask whether it exports today, to which market and under whose name.

Hosted-Buyer Terms

None are published, and we found no hosted-buyer programme for overseas importers at IITF.

Visa

If you're going for business then use the e-Business Visa. 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 at IITF

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

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 are a much better bet, 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.

Crowds among stalls in a large exhibition hall

That maker who wins customers at trade shows wasn't talking about IITF. If you'd rather have exporters in your category found, checked and met on your behalf than hunt for them at 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

Where SourcingSync Helps

Skip the general fair altogether? SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) can find exporters in your category, check them and meet them on your behalf.

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

Ready to act

Met suppliers at the fair and need to follow up?

SourcingSync runs the checks, samples and inspection that turn a fair contact into an order.

Talk to SourcingSync (opens sourcingsync.com in a new tab)

Type a word you met on the page, a product or a place.