Pretty Home, one of the iconic brands of the city and a pioneer in providing platform to the companies launching new household goods and home appliances, completed 30 years of its journey in the city.
Launched in January 1988, by Eknath Kankonar at the Kusumtai Wankhede Hall on North Ambazari Road in the city, the exhibition won hearts of many and created a name for itself.
During the journey of 30 years, it also earned credibility and trust of thousands of Nagpurians, who eagerly waited for the dates of the new show every year.
The exhibition after a gap of two-and-half years, made a comeback this year at the same venue with the same fan fare and needless to say is evoking the same response as it would in the past. Alas, the founder Eknath Kankonar is no more. In his absence his wife, Pooja Kankonkar is running the show now.
Speaking to the TLN, Mrs. Pooja expressed gratitude towards the residents of Nagpur. “I am very very thankful to the people of Nagpur for their encouraging response and faith.
Organising the exhibition in Nagpur is always homecoming, she said. We organize 18 shows (exhibitions) throughout the year and during our long journey, besides Nagpur, we have been covering places like Amravati, Chandrapur, Yavatmal, Akola, Bangalore, Ratnagiri, entire Goa including Panjim and Madgaon, Bangalore and of course Mumbai – the heart of India. In future we would spread our wings to Solapur and other parts of Maharashtra.
Pretty Home has played a significant role in shaping up several businesses and entrepreneurs. There are hundreds of people, who as start-ups displayed their products and services through this platform and today, they stand as successful brand in the market in form of an established company. A number of people meet me at every event just to share their success story as to how they began their journey, Pretty Home’s contribution in their venture and today they are a settled entrepreneur. This kind of feedback certainly gives you a satisfaction.
When asked, that the present era is of online marketing, where a number of portals have come up and are offering various products with special offers and discounts, has this trend affected Pretty Home’s business? Mrs. Pooja said there are always new players entering into the market, no sector is an exception to it. Admitting that these channels had some initial impact but not on large scale, she said, Pretty Home is a place where people actually get to see the product with a variety of choices.
Besides, they get to see the live demonstrations of the products coupled with offers and discounts. And to add to it, at Pretty Home, you get to see a wide range of products from different companies under one roof. It is the place of outing for the families. For the participants, they get to witness a footfall of 15000 people in five days. They get the opportunity to reach a large number of audiences to promote and popularize their products. So, it is a win-win situation for the companies participating in the event and for the people who get to see a whole lot of products with different range and varieties. I think, that is the secret of Pretty Home’s success.
Asked when would be the next exhibition in Nagpur, Mrs. Pooja said, we would be coming up with the show very soon, maybe in a couple of months.
