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Phygital Event 28th Convergence India and 6th Smart Cities India Expo 2021 Concludes on a High Note
by EVENTFAQS Bureau Business Events | March 31, 2021 | News
Convergence India Expo Smart Cities India Expo
Technology and infrastructure event, the 28th Convergence India including the 6th Smart Cities India Expo 2021 held from March 24 to 26, 2021 concluded on a high note at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
The three-day event brought together founders and start-up enthusiasts from around the country at the Start-up Pavilion. The event was curated for creators and innovators to share their projects, knowledge, passions and insights. It was a platform for networking and a meeting point for aspiring entrepreneurs building cutting-edge technologies for the future.
The Start-up Pavilion, supported by ‘Start-up India’, featured 35+ start-ups across various segments of ICT and Smart Cities technologies, bringing to light new innovations this year, and promoting the Government of India’s initiative of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. The dedicated pavilion at the expo displayed solutions from the realm of smart cities, healthcare, robotics, intelligent building, energy, transportation, water management, gaming, and more.
Some of the start-ups featured at the Start-up Pavilion were Transight, Greatasthan, CoreIoT, Groupe Cahors, Panelstack, IIIoT Infotech, WebSoftIoT, among many others. The Department of Information and Technology, Government of Bihar had set-up an independent booth featuring the latest tech innovations.
Aniruddha Bendarkar, Business Development Executive, mPHATEK, said, “Over the last year, we have attended various expos and conclaves but all were virtual. It was just amazing to be a part of this expo in-person. We have come from Pune andthis expo provides us with a great platform to network, especially inperson. It has been a great three days.”
Praveen Kumar, COO, Tech Scooper said, “These three days have just been better than we expected. We, in fact, received quite a few interests, that may help us convert to leads. I am glad to be a part of this phygital event, that let us be connected not just in person but also virtually.”
This year’s edition also featured a ‘Start-up Pitch’ competition, sponsored by Incubation Centre, IIT Patna, across various sectors including Internet of Things (IoT), Automation, Mechatronics, Robotics, Medical Electronics, Industry 4.0, Smart Cities and other related ESDM. Nimble Vision Pvt. Ltd emerged as the winner in the unique Start-up Pitch competition and was awarded a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. The two runners-up were CorIoT and Swiftheal.
The expo adopted a hybrid approach, being simultaneously held in both physical and digital formats. Sixty international brands joined virtually at the hybrid event, with interactive features including virtual booths, exhibitor meetings, exhibitor live chat, video calls and virtual room, exhibitor product marketplace, exhibitor lead capture, and more.
The expo witnessed a total of 500 participating brands, 50+ conference sessions (on-ground and virtual), and 250 eminent speakers speaking concurrently across a vast range of topics at the event.
The 28th Convergence India and the 6th Smart Cities India Expo 2021 concluded with the Smart City India (SCI) Awards, a platform designed to felicitate, recognize and encourage individuals, policy-makers, companies, municipalities, government bodies and associations to showcase the work done across both urban and rural sectors.
The award felicitation was presided over by Chief Guest Jibesh Kumar, Minister, Department of IT, Government of Bihar, who congratulated the organisers of the event and said, “The 28th Convergence India and 6th Smart Cities India expo has deftly demonstrated over the last three days how it’s time to restart growth in the country with B2B exhibitions, and how trade events can be held with appropriate safety measures in place. My congratulations to the organizers- Exhibitions India Group and India Trade Promotion Organisation- for curating an excellent industry gathering towards the incredible cause of building a digital and smart India. India’s IT and IT-enabled Services (IT-ITES) industry has the potential to be a driving force in harnessing new technologies, impacting all sectors including agriculture, health, education, manufacturing, and more; thereby creating significant employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the country. India has emerged as the digital capabilities hub in the world, with around 75% of global digital talent present in the country.”
Anju Bhalla, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Science & Technology, said, “The successful conduct of the event that culminates today is a harbinger of hope at so many different levels. Not just for the future of the smart cities, but also for all the habitations of the country. It is very appropriately called the ‘Convergence India’ as we have seen convergence of so many different sectors of the economy coming together to present this holistic vision of a futuristic India.”
Awards were given to 19 city projects for their innovative solutions and contributions across various categories. Amongst the winners were Jabalpur Smart City Ltd for Kamaniya Gate/Ghanta Ghar, Jabalpur, in the category Heritage City; Dehradun Smart City Ltd. for Migrant- Tracking & Health Monitoring System for COVID-19, in the category Health Project; Apollo Gleneagles Hospital Ltd., in the category Green Building; Govt. of Telangana for Haritha Haram Project, in the category Green and Clean City; ESRI India for Varanasi Smart City in the category Digital City; Jabalpur Smart City Ltd for Solar Rooftop Power Plant in the category Energy Efficiency Project, etc.
The three-day expo witnessed a total of 500 participating brands, 50+ conference sessions, 250 eminent speakers along with 60 international brands who participated virtually.