Chennai Trade Centre

Chennai Trade Centre is a permanent exhibition complex in Nandambakkam, Chennai, hosting several trade fairs and conventions round the year. It is the first fair infrastructure that has been developed by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO)—the premier trade promotion agency of the Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry—outside Delhi.[1] A joint initiative of the ITPO and the Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation, which hold 51 and 49 percent stakes, respectively, the Trade Centre was designed by C R Narayan Rao,[2] and was commissioned in January 2001, while the convention centre was commissioned on 1 November 2004. The exhibition hall was constructed at an estimated cost of ₹ 23 crore and the convention centre at a cost of ₹ 22 crore.[3] Together, these centres cover 10,560 sq m and are fully booked for 75 days in a year.[4] Built over an area of 25.48 acres, the centre comprises four modules of 4,400 m2 each of exhibition halls and support services to be built in a phased manner.[5] In the first phase, two air-conditioned halls without pillars or columns encompassing areas of 5,000 m2 and 1,850 m2 were constructed. There are three halls, viz, Hall No. 1 (4,400 m2), Hall No. 2 (1,760 m2) and Hall No. 3 (4,400 m2). The halls feature a height of 6 m to display all merchandise including machinery. These have been supplemented recently with a modern, fully air-conditioned convention centre. All the halls are inter-linked, and Hall No. 3 is connected with the convention centre. The convention centre can accommodate 2,000 people with a provision for dividing the hall into two equal parts and has an audiovisual facility suitable for multi-purpose use such as conferences, conventions, cultural shows, and so forth. The Chennai Trade Centre is managed by Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation (TNTPO), a joint venture of ITPO and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).

Chennai Trade Centre
A bird's eye view of the Chennai Trade Centre
General information
TypeExhibition Centre and Auditorium
Architectural styleEthnic
LocationNandambakkam, Chennai, India
Coordinates13.0148°N 80.1909°E / 13.0148; 80.1909
Construction started2000
Completed2001
Inaugurated2001
Cost₹ 300 million
OwnerTamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation (TNTPO)
Technical details
Floor area8,348 m2 (90,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)C R Narayan Rao

Location

The Chennai Trade Centre is located in Nandambakkam on the arterial Mount-Poonamallee Road. It lies in the northern fringe of the Chennai Airport at a distance of about 6 km from the airport and 1.5 km from the Kathipara Junction. The nearest railway station is St Thomas Mount Railway Station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network.

Facilities
Fountain at the Trade Centre
Chennai Trade Center in January 2021
Chennai Trade Center Entrance

The Trade Centre is 6,714 m2 which includes a multi-purpose hall of 1,900 m2, a stage of 500 m2, a banquet hall of 750 m2, a lounge of 269 m2, and business and meeting rooms. The multi-purpose hall can accommodate 1,500 people. The open plaza at the entrance is about 800 m2 with a uniquely designed porch. There are also VIP lounges/rest rooms and green rooms for the stage performers.[6]

The special facilities available in the convention centre are sliding partition, infra-red digital interpretation systems, theatrical lighting system, fire protections with sprinklers and smoke detectors, modern audio and video system, meeting rooms, banquet hall, protocol and VIP lounge, business centre, information booth, parking facilities, multiple screen backdrops with cyclorama screen and multiple interpretation facility for 1+5 languages, video projector facility, integrated remote control for stage lightings, video and audio.

The Chennai Convention Centre, with 67,000 sq ft of air-conditioned space and 75,000 sq ft of lawns, provides conferencing and banqueting space ranging from 250 sq ft to 20,000 sq ft to accommodate 25 to 2,000 persons.

Other features of the Trade Centre include a couple of 1,000 kVA transformers with a couple of HT feeders and 100% stand-by generators, 200 lines with Department of Telecom (DoT) exchange for telephone facilities,[7] heavy-duty flooring with a bearing capacity of approximately 5 tonnes per square metre and a sewage treatment plant.

In 2009, 135 events were held at the venue and the three halls and convention centre were used for 279 days in the year.[8] In 2010, 84 exhibitions and 107 conventions were held occupying 357 days as against a solitary show in 2001.[9][10] As of 2020, the occupancy rate is 75 percent, which is the highest in the country.[11]

The annual international leather fair is a permanent fixture at the exhibition centre.[7]

The performance of the exhibition centre is shown in the table below:[3]

Year Number of
events		 Number of
occupancy days		 Total area
(in m2)		 Revenue
(in crore ₹)
2001-02188843,2113.1472
2002-03281252,41,8665.1229
2003-04351564,33,0726.1758
2004-05412206,06,2547.2865
2005-06382175,74,5836.9771
2006-07[12]4985

From the day of its inception till March 2005, the convention centre hosted 25 events with an occupancy days of 38 generating a revenue of ₹ 70.21 lakhs. During 2005–06, it hosted 80 events with 130 occupancy days generating a revenue of ₹ 2.3473 crore.[3]

Expansion plans

ITPO has acquired an additional 10 acres of land from the Tamil Nadu government for the expansion of the Chennai Trade Centre. There are plans to add about 10,000 m2 with two more halls and to double the exhibition area at a cost of ₹ 1000 million.[13][14]

Former Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin launched the ₹ 2500 million expansion work of the Chennai Trade Centre on 26 February 2011. The expansion work will commence in July 2011 and will be completed in March 2013. It includes the construction of six air-conditioned exhibition halls, each on 66,000 sq ft, on each of the two floors, and a basement parking facility of 74,000 sq ft with a capacity to accommodate 2,000 cars and an equal number of two-wheelers.[15] Taamaesek Engineering Consortium have been appointed consultants for the expansion work.[16]

As of 2020, the Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation (TNTPO) is in the process of doubling the centre's capacity at a cost of ₹ 2890 million to 40,000 sq m. An additional 9.5 acres of land will be added in the expansion. It will have a convention hall to seat 4,000 people and a multi-level car parking to accommodate 1,000 cars. The process is expected to be completed in 18 months.[11]

See also

References
  1. ITPO. "Chennai Trade Center - A Profile". India Trade Promotion Organisation. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 15 Oct 2011.
  2. "Chennai Trade Centre-Chennai". Dorma. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  3. "Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation". Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  4. Anand, N. (2 February 2012). "Expansion of Chennai Trade Centre: bid to clear hurdles". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  5. "Chennai Trade Centre: An ideal location for Aahar". FnBnews.com. FnB News. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  6. "Chennai Trade Centre". nTradeshows. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  7. Ramakrishnan, N. (19 August 2002). "Chennai Trade Centre a hit as exhibition venue". Business Line. Chennai: The Hindu. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  8. "Chennai Trade Centre looking to double floor capacity". The Hindu. Chennai. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  9. PTI (26 February 2011). "Chennai Trade Centre expansion launches". Business Line. Chennai: The Hindu. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  10. "Chennai Trade Centre expansion project inaugurated by Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister Thiru.M.K. Stalin" (PDF). Press Release No. 186. DIPR, Chennai. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  11. Govardan, D. (9 January 2020). "Chennai Trade Centre to double in space at Rs 300 crore". The Times of India. Chennai: The Times Group. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  12. "India Trade Promotion Organisation". AAHAR 27th International Food & Hospitality Fair. Aahar International. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 15 Oct 2011.
  13. "Bangalore to get Rs 100 crore expo centre | ITPO | | Indian Express". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  14. "Expansion of Chennai Trade Centre: bid to clear hurdles". The Hindu. Chennai. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  15. "Chennai Trade Centre to be expanded". The Hindu. Chennai. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  16. "Stalin launches expansion work of Chennai Trade Centre". MSN News. 26 February 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
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