More than 50 per cent of the stalls have been booked for the forthcoming CphI India exhibition, which is debuting in India alongside the prestigious annual Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) and Pharma Expo at Bombay Exhibition Centre, December 1 to 3, 2006.

By mid-June, over 3,200 sq. m. of show space had been booked for nearly 90 exhibitors. Over 25 per cent of the take-up has been by international firms, recognising the benefits of linkage with the IPC Congress. China has booked the first two of several expected pavilions, while international exhibitors already include companies from the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Hong Kong and Singapore. Korea is also expected to be represented, informed a press release from the organisers of the exhibition, CMPi.

"Staging the first CPhI India in tandem with the Congress will place the leading international API and pharma manufacturing event alongside the top networking event in the Indian marketplace", noted Kate Chambers, Group Exhibitions director for CMPi Chemical & Pharma Ingredients.

She noted that given Asia's growing importance across the whole pharma sector, and the clear success of the established CPhI Japan and CPhI China annual events, launching CPhI India was a natural further step in developing the brand.

The three-day Congress and Pharma Expo, held every December, attracted 20,000 visitors and nearly 170 exhibitors to its 2005 staging in Hyderabad. The Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association and CMPi are already exploring further co-operation, with the possibility of teaming their events again in 2007 or 2008, the release said.

CMPi's recent Asia region event was CPhI China, which took place on 27 - 29 June at Shanghai's New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). More than 20 per cent growth in both exhibitor numbers and stand space over the 2005 event was anticipated, with 14,000 visitors and over 1,000 exhibitors.

For 2006, the group's flagship CPhI Worldwide show will be staged on 3 - 5 October at Paris-Nord Villepinte, marking a strategic shift of the main European event to within the first two weeks of every October.

CPhI organiser CMP Information (CMPi) is the UK-headquartered professional media division of United Business Media plc (UBM), and produces magazines, exhibitions, conferences, awards, directories and websites for over 20 specialist business-to-business markets. With 50 publications and 35 exhibitions, CMPi is prominent in the healthcare, property, entertainment, travel, agriculture and print sectors. The company recorded 2005 revenues of £177m., and employs approximately 1,400 people in the UK and Europe.