Trade fairs and buyer-seller meets: finding buyers and government support

Updated 15 Oct 2026

This guide is for exporters who want to meet buyers face to face at trade fairs and buyer-seller meets, or online. It covers choosing events, preparing, following up, and the government support available, including Market Access Support under the Export Promotion Mission.

The main formats

International trade fairs: large sector shows abroad. Many export promotion councils (EPCs) take an India pavilion, which is usually cheaper and easier than booking your own stand.
Buyer-seller meets (BSMs): an EPC or other organising agency takes a delegation of Indian exporters to a foreign city and arranges meetings with pre-screened local importers.
Reverse buyer-seller meets (RBSMs): foreign buyers are brought to India to meet exporters, often alongside a domestic show. These cost you far less than travelling.
Trade delegations: visits to new or priority markets, often with meetings arranged by the Indian mission.
Virtual meets: online B2B meetings run by EPCs and missions, useful for testing interest before you spend on travel.

Choosing the right event

Start from your target markets (see choosing export markets). A fair in a country you have not researched is an expensive gamble.
Prefer sector-specific shows where the visitors are importers, distributors and retail buyers, not the general public.
Ask the organiser for visitor numbers by country and type, ideally audited. Ask past exhibitors from your EPC how many serious leads they got.
Check the timing against your buyers' purchasing cycle. Many sectors place orders for the next season months in advance.
Compare the full cost: stand, design, freight for exhibits, travel, visas, samples and your time away.

Your EPC's events calendar is the best starting point. DGFT's Trade Connect platform (trade.gov.in) also lists worldwide trade events, and under the Market Access Support guidelines a rolling calendar of supported events is to be published several years ahead so you can plan.

Government support: Market Access Support

The Export Promotion Mission, approved by the Cabinet in November 2025, has two sub-schemes: Niryat Protsahan (financial support such as interest subvention) and Niryat Disha (non-financial support, including trade fair participation). The Mission consolidates the earlier Market Access Initiative (MAI), which no longer runs as a separate scheme.

Support for fairs and meets now comes through the Market Access Support (MAS) intervention under Niryat Disha. DGFT issued its guidelines in Trade Notice 19/2025-26 of 31 December 2025, amended by Trade Notice 08/2026-27 of 1 July 2026. In outline:

MAS funds buyer-seller meets abroad, participation in international fairs and exhibitions, reverse buyer-seller meets in India and trade delegations.
Funding goes to EPCs and other eligible organising agencies, which share the event cost with participants. You join through the organiser, not by applying to DGFT yourself.
At least 35% of participants in supported events must be MSMEs.
Small exporters, with turnover up to ₹75 lakh, can get part of their economy airfare reimbursed. Each EPC sets the rates, claim procedure and deadlines in its circular.
Proposals, approvals, participant onboarding and fund release are handled on the Trade Connect platform (trade.gov.in).
Participants must give online feedback on the quality of buyers and the leads generated.
The July 2026 amendment lowered the minimum delegation size for a BSM from 50 to 25 and requires any advance grant to be refunded within 15 days if an event is cancelled.

The guidelines also limit how many supported events one firm can join in a year. Ask your EPC for the current limits, the participant contribution and the airfare rules before you sign up.

Other support

Ministry of MSME, International Cooperation Scheme: Market Development Assistance helps MSMEs take part in fairs and buyer-seller meets abroad, through eligible organisations, and the Capacity Building of First-Time Exporters component reimburses some costs such as RCMC, export insurance premium and testing.
Commodity boards such as APEDA and the Spices Board, and the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), organise India pavilions.
State governments: several states reimburse part of fair participation costs for local exporters. Check with your state's export promotion department.

Preparing for the event

Book meetings in advance: ask the organiser or the mission for the buyer list and email buyers four to six weeks before.
Prepare a price list at the Incoterms buyers in that market expect, with minimum order quantities and lead times (see pricing an export quote).
Carry catalogues, certificates (ISO, organic, product approvals) and samples. Restricted or prohibited items cannot be sent as free samples. For exhibits that will come back, ask about an ATA Carnet, which lets goods enter many countries temporarily without paying duty.
Apply for business visas early; the organiser can usually provide an invitation letter.

Following up

Most of the value comes after the event. Grade every contact the same evening, send a personalised email with the quotation or samples you promised within a week, and track each lead to an order or a reason for loss. Before you give any credit, verify the buyer and check the country's risk on the ECGC country rating.

Common mistakes

Choosing a fair because it is famous rather than because your buyers attend.
Arriving with no pre-booked meetings and no export price list.
Missing the EPC's deadline for the MAS airfare claim or documents.
Taking orders on credit from new contacts without checks.

Related on Exportsmitra

Sources

Last checked 1 October 2026. Rules change: confirm with your export promotion council before you act.

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Our guides are drafted with the help of AI and checked against official sources, but rules change often and mistakes can slip through. Please confirm with DGFT, CBIC, RBI, ECGC or your bank before you act. General information only, not legal or financial advice.