The Bilbao Exhibition Centre has embarked on a strategic mission to India this week as part of its international visitor promotion plan for BIEMH – the International Machine Tool Exhibition. Recognized as one of Europe’s leading trade fairs for advanced manufacturing and industrial innovation, BIEMH aims to strengthen its global presence and attract a wider international audience, with India identified as a key market in its growth strategy.
BEC’s Director of Visitors, Cristina Campo, is leading the mission, which is visiting New Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune with the aim of strengthening collaboration with companies, industry associations, and chambers of commerce in this country, which is considered strategic for the industrial sector.
India is one of the Asian countries included in BIEMH’s current international visitor promotion plan, which also covers markets such as the United States, Mexico, Germany, Turkey, Portugal, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, France, and Italy.
“India is a very strong, stable economy with significant growth, especially in sectors such as automotive, defense, and aerospace. It has enormous growth potential, and its industrial sectors are rapidly diversifying,” Campo explained to EFE during his visit to the capital.
The mission seeks to strengthen the relationship that BIEMH has maintained for years with the Indian market—where visiting companies have already participated in previous editions—and to open new ways for collaboration in the medium and long term, as part of the event’s internationalization strategy.
For five days, the BEC delegation will hold meetings with major buyers, associations, and chambers of commerce to gain first-hand knowledge of the Indian market’s needs. “We want to understand what companies currently need and offer them tailor-made solutions,” Campo told EFE, highlighting the importance of direct contact in building trust and generating business opportunities.
BIEMH- International Machine Tool Exhibition will hold its next edition from March 2 to 6, 2026, at Bilbao Exhibition CentRE, kicking off the international calendar of major advanced manufacturing events.
More than 1,000 exhibiting companies from 26 countries have already confirmed their participation in an event that will showcase innovations in machine tools, automation, robotics, and digitalization, as well as components, accessories, tools, metrology, and services for production, consolidating the fair as a global benchmark. In its last edition, in 2024, it brought together more than 37,500 visitors from 67 countries.
“Internationalization is built by being on the ground, knowing the markets, and talking face-to-face with companies. BIEMH continues to be a meeting point where innovation is experienced live and every relationship translates into real business opportunities,” concluded Campo.
BIEMH 2026 is organized by AFM, Machine Tool Manufacturers; AIMHE, Machine Tools Importers; and Bilbao Exhibition Centre, with Diputación Foral de Bizkaia and SPRI – Basque Government as an institutional partner.
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