Starting the year on a positive note, the employees of Messe Frankfurt India came out in big numbers at the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 to support the cause of Habitat for Humanity India – which will support the construction and rehabilitation of new homes to low income, marginalised families across India.

Enthusiastic about the run as well as united by the common goal of supporting the “We Build” cause, the participation has drew a mix of all age-groups, with many of them being first time runners. The employees participated in different runs covering the half marathon, 10k run and the 6k dream run.

As an ardent fitness enthusiast himself, Mr Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings Ltd said: “We are proud to be associated with TATA Mumbai Marathon which is a fantastic step to bring people together, while also promoting fitness in the corporate world.” Supporting the cause of “Habitat for Humanity India”, he added “We’re always looking for opportunities to support a worthy cause and one that can have a positive impact on our employees or that they can be a part of. I am very happy to see the participation – 95% of the participants ran for the very first time and that speaks volumes for the cause they are coming forward to support.”

The beneficiary families in Karjat belong to the Katkari tribe whose main occupation is agriculture and the principle crop is rice. They live in kuccha houses built of mud and reed with tiled roof. Two weeks after the Tata Mumbai Marathon, employees will also take part in a one-day build at Karjat, Raigad District of Maharashtra, India where volunteers will build alongside beneficiary families as confirmed by the Indian subsidiary.

Messe Frankfurt India, a 100% subsidiary of one of the largest event organisers in the world – marked its milestone last year as it celebrated its 20th anniversary and with that, two decades of trusted trade partnerships through trade fairs and conferences in India. The company since inception has been committed to supporting developments, contributing to economic growth and improving the quality of life for the communities where it operates. In the past the company has also used its exhibition platforms to support causes that endorse the skills of differently-abled people and provide direct business links to make them independent. Special training course with the specially-abled were carried for this initiative in the Sunder Nagri and Jaunti villages in India.

More recently, Messe Frankfurt India was involved in providing financial support towards providing mobility appliances like wheelchairs, calipers, prosthesis etc to persons with disability. These appliances were fabricated in-house at NASEOH, thereby also providing the opportunity to those with physical impairment to be trained in fabrication, welding and assembly skills. The company distributed over 300 appliances through this initiative.