Indian Wedding Industries Conclave and Expo-2026 begins, Tourism Minister says – Positive environment for investors in UP, Government will walk shoulder to shoulder for growth of wedding industry. The world of the wedding industry was seen at more than 50 stalls; President Manish Agrawal Rawi demands a 10-member committee for the industry from the government, Agra.
In the shadow of the Taj, deliberations on new possibilities of wedding business began on Monday. The second edition of the Indian Wedding Industries Conclave and Expo-2026 was inaugurated by the State Tourism and Culture Minister Thakur Jaivir Singh by cutting the ribbon at Hotel Taj. The Minister visited more than 50 stalls set up at the Expo and interacted with entrepreneurs associated with the wedding industry to get information about their business, products and possibilities.
Present on the occasion were MLA Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha, BJP District President Prashant Pauniya, City President Rajkumar Gupta, Program Patron Sunil Agrawal, Guardian of Wedding Industries Association Rajesh Goyal, President Manish Agrawal Rawi, General Secretary Sandeep Upadhyay, Joint Commissioner Industries Anuj Kumar, Deepta Gupta and others. A group of 10 children from Maa Anand Bhavan Pathshala, who came from Assi Ghat, Varanasi, presented Aarti.
Government is shoulder to shoulder with you: Jaivir Singh
Addressing the conclave, Tourism and Culture Minister Thakur Jaivir Singh said that the Government of Uttar Pradesh stands shoulder to shoulder with entrepreneurs associated with the wedding industry. With the new tourism policy, security, facilities, better law and order, connectivity and infrastructure work, a positive environment for investment has been created. He said that tourist places in the state are being continuously developed and the government is sensitive and committed to the development of the industry, trade and tourism sector.
He said that after giving industry status to the tourism sector, possibilities of investment have increased in areas like hotels, resorts, heritage hotels, wellness, eco-tourism, adventure tourism and destination weddings. 12 major tourism circuits are being developed in Uttar Pradesh for tourism.
Mentioning the provisions of Tourism Policy-2022, the Minister said that eligible tourism units are being given capital subsidy benefit according to the category of investment. As per the official policy, there is a provision of up to 25% capital subsidy on eligible investment from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 10 crore. There is a provision of an additional 5% subsidy for women and SC/ST entrepreneurs. The total limit of various incentives is up to a maximum of 30% as per the policy.
Jaivir Singh said that there are wide possibilities for destination weddings in historical forts, palaces, old princely states and heritage sites in Uttar Pradesh. On the lines of Rajasthan, historical sites of the state can also be developed as wedding and tourism centres.
He called upon entrepreneurs associated with the wedding industry to come forward in these possibilities and said that the government is continuously working on development of necessary basic facilities, connectivity and tourism facilities. He also instructed the officials to provide information about the incentives and facilities available under the tourism policy to the investors.
The Minister said that the tourism and wedding industry are important means of employment generation. With the arrival of one tourist, about six people get employment directly or indirectly. Similarly, one wedding provides work to many people associated with wedding planners, caterers, hotels, hospitality experts, fashion designers, photographers, artists, makeup artists, jewellery designers, decorators, flower sellers, lighting and events.
Manish Agrawal Rawi demanded a 10-member committee
Welcoming the guests, Wedding Industries Association President Manish Agrawal Rawi said that in the two-day conclave, various aspects of the wedding industry are being discussed in six special sessions. He demanded that the Tourism and Culture Minister form a 10-member committee for the wedding industry.
He proposed that five members from the government side and five members from experts and representatives associated with the wedding industry should be included in the committee. This will enable regular dialogue between the government and the industry on the problems, policy needs, new opportunities and development possibilities of the industry.
He said that this event is an important platform towards developing Agra as the country’s leading wedding city along with the City of Love.
Deliberation on making Agra a wedding city
After the inauguration, in the session ‘From City of Love to City of Weddings’, keynote speakers Sunil Kothari, President of Bombay Metal Exchange, Rituraj Khanna, Mahavir Sharma, Arshad Hussain, Tarun Agrawal and Suraj Katoch (Delhi) expressed their views. Moderator Sandeep Upadhyay discussed the possibilities of the wedding industry in Agra through questions and answers with the speakers.
Now emphasis on packaging along with variety of sweets
In the ‘A Sweet Affair’ session, the changing form of sweets and their role in the wedding industry was discussed. The session was moderated by Firoz Haider Naqvi. Anchal Shewani, Vinay Nagpal, Timir Sanghvi, Deepti Gupta, Amit Goyal, Jai Agrawal and Sandeep Goyal expressed their views.
Speakers said that food and any feast are considered incomplete without sweets. The world of sweets has also changed with time. While earlier only a limited number of traditional sweets were used in wedding ceremonies, now more than 100 varieties are available. They called upon event planners to work together, so that new experiments and more creativity can come to the fore. Today, more emphasis is being placed on packaging along with a variety of sweets.
Unity will give new strength to wedding industry
In ‘The Power of Unity’ session, Arshad Hussain played the role of moderator. Preeti Sharma, Gunjan Singh Sharma, Balram, Mahavir Sharma, Sanjeev Kapoor and Sandeep Upadhyay expressed their views on the need for cooperation, networking and unity in the industry. Speakers said that if businessmen and service providers working in different fields come together on one platform and work, then apart from providing better services to the customers, new opportunities will also be created for the industry.
Wedding decoration goes beyond flowers
In the ‘Beyond the Flowers’ session, modern wedding decoration was discussed. Saurabh Singhal, Rahul Kumar (Dubai), Raja Richa Bhadauria, Piyush Singhal, Swapnil, Pranjal and Kavisha Singhal expressed their views on changing trends, designs, themes and new experiences in wedding decoration.
Speakers said that today wedding decoration is no longer limited to flowers only. Theme-based designs, lighting, technology, installations and setups prepared according to personal preferences have taken wedding decoration to a different level.
The digital world reaches from reel to real business
In the last session of the first day, ‘From Reel to Real Leads’, changing wedding business through digital marketing, social media, AI and digital platforms was discussed. Rahul Basant Sharma and Ashish Arora expressed their views, while the session was moderated by Mayank Gupta.
Ashish Arora said that social media is no longer just a medium of promotion, but has become an important platform for reaching potential customers, building brand identity and getting real business leads for the wedding business. Strategic use of digital content, social media and new technology is playing an important role in the expansion of the wedding business.
Complete world of wedding industry on more than 50 stalls
More than 50 stalls have been set up in the Expo. These include wedding planners, events, hotels, gift items, crockery, fashion, dry fruits, photography, music, decor, perfume, entertainment, band, cruise, DJ and various products and services related to weddings. Visitors visited the stalls and got information about new services, products and changing trends of wedding organization.
Representatives associated with the wedding industry, hotel, tourism and event sector from different parts of the country are participating in the two-day event.
Artists of culture and heritage should get a platform in weddings: Geetika Ganjudhar
Addressing a special session, film actress Geetika Ganjudhar said that Indian weddings are not limited to rituals and ceremonies only, but are also a medium to pass on our culture, values and heritage to the next generation. Today, new experiments are happening in the wedding industry; in such a situation, organizers and event planners should give an opportunity to folk artists, classical artists and artists associated with our heritage art on the stage of weddings.
She said that by including traditional music, folk dance, classical presentations and local art in wedding ceremonies, the event gets its own distinct identity. On one hand, this will preserve Indian culture and values, while on the other hand, artists who have been keeping their art alive for years will get respect and employment opportunities. She said that in a historic city like Agra, this association of the wedding industry and heritage artists can present a beautiful picture of Indian culture in front of guests coming from India and abroad.
Shyam Babu Garg given Lifetime Achievement Award 2026
In the program, the Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 was given to Shyam Babu Garg Ji of Kunjamal Associates. Considered the centenary man of the wedding tradition continuing since 1910, Shyam Babu has kept alive the glorious tradition of 115 years in the wedding industry and has made the seed sown by his ancestors in 1910 into a banyan tree today. Even at the age of 78, he is nurturing this industry with hard work, honesty and dedication.
Apart from this, in the evening cultural event, Singhal Creations, GKS Events, Gopal Das Pethe Wale, R Events, Nitya Wedding, Wedding Saathi, Rhythm Entertainment, Mana Caterers, ATH Wedding, Key Events, SNJ Group and Resorts, The Grand Marquis, Raj Devam, VG Craft, Star Dream, Mewa Bite, KNCC, Creative Wedding by Sunny, Deviram, and Expert Events were honoured with the All India Icon Award 2026.
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