IMC Ladies' Wing Celebrates 60 Years of Empowering Women with the 39th Women Entrepreneurs' Exhibition 2026

For six decades, the IMC Ladies' Wing has played a pivotal role in empowering women, fostering entrepreneurship and creating opportunities that help women transform ideas into successful enterprises. As the organisation marks its Diamond Jubilee, it is set to host the 39th IMC Ladies' Wing Women Entrepreneurs' Exhibition 2026 on 25 and 26 August 2026 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, the same BKC venue that has hosted trade showcases such as ProWine Mumbai's convention at Jio World Centre.

Widely regarded as one of India's premier platforms for women-led businesses, the exhibition has evolved far beyond a conventional trade fair. Today, it serves as a dynamic ecosystem where entrepreneurs connect, collaborate, innovate and grow, building on momentum from recent editions such as when Raveena Tandon and Kokilaben Ambani graced the 37th edition.

Celebrating the Spirit of 'Bees and the Hive'

The 2026 edition embraces the theme "Bees and the Hive," symbolising the collective strength of women entrepreneurs and the power of collaboration.

Just as every bee contributes to building a thriving hive, every entrepreneur brings unique ideas, creativity and resilience to a larger business community. The hive represents the IMC Ladies' Wing itself, a nurturing ecosystem where women mentor one another, build partnerships, exchange knowledge and create opportunities that extend far beyond individual success.

The theme reflects a simple but powerful belief: extraordinary businesses are rarely built alone. They flourish within communities that encourage shared learning, trust and collective progress, a spirit last year's committee captured under the banner of Dare to Look Beyond, celebrating women entrepreneurs in 2024.

'Multiplying Impact': This Year's Guiding Philosophy

Complementing the exhibition theme is the Presidential vision for the year, "Multiplying Impact."

The philosophy recognises women as natural multipliers of knowledge, influence and opportunity. Every conversation, mentorship, collaboration and shared experience has the potential to inspire another entrepreneur, creating ripple effects that strengthen businesses, families and communities alike.

Rather than measuring success solely through commercial outcomes, "Multiplying Impact" celebrates the exponential influence women generate by empowering others. It reinforces the IMC Ladies' Wing's longstanding commitment to building an entrepreneurial ecosystem where collective growth takes precedence over individual achievement, a philosophy that echoes the broader collaborative spirit behind WIN's collaboration with FICCI G20 EMPOWER.

The LuxuryAbode View: The Multiplier Effect

LuxuryAbode's read on this exhibition centres on what we're calling the Multiplier Effect: the pattern by which the strongest women's entrepreneurship platforms create value not just for the entrepreneurs directly exhibiting, but for an entire surrounding ecosystem of mentors, design students, NGOs and consumers, in a way a standalone trade fair rarely achieves. An exhibition that pairs commercial stalls with structured mentorship and institutional partnerships compounds its own impact year over year, rather than resetting with each edition, the same durability visible across nearly four decades of the platform's own history, from its earlier years as the Ladies Wing Exhibition set to sparkle to the edition Kareena Kapoor Khan inaugurated as the 36th exhibition.

The Multiplier Effect describes how an entrepreneurship platform that layers mentorship, institutional partnerships and social inclusion onto a commercial exhibition generates compounding value across editions, rather than value that resets with each standalone event.

Over 300 Women Entrepreneurs Under One Roof

This year's exhibition is expected to bring together more than 300 women entrepreneurs from across India, presenting a carefully curated showcase spanning multiple lifestyle categories, including:

• Fashion and apparel
• Jewellery and accessories
• Home décor
• Artisanal crafts
• Gourmet food and beverages
• Wellness and beauty
• Sustainable products
• Emerging lifestyle brands

The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to discover both established labels and emerging entrepreneurs while supporting women-led enterprises from across the country, a discovery model similar in spirit to how iTokri's platform empowers artists and weavers nationally, and jewellery houses such as Zoya's artisanal splendour debuting in Pune continue to demonstrate at the premium end of the category.

A Platform That Extends Beyond Business

One of the defining strengths of the Women Entrepreneurs' Exhibition has always been its commitment to creating opportunities beyond commercial success.

This year, the IMC Ladies' Wing has partnered with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) to facilitate participation by eligible women members and design students, helping emerging designers gain visibility, industry exposure and valuable business connections, an institutional link that mirrors the kind of platform FDCI has extended to designers through showcases such as AJIO Luxe presenting AK-OK by Anamika Khanna at FDCI.

The exhibition also continues its long-standing support for NGOs and social enterprises by offering complimentary exhibition stalls, enabling organisations working for social causes to showcase their products and initiatives to a wider audience.

This inclusive approach reflects the belief that entrepreneurship can become a powerful catalyst for broader social transformation.

Championing Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Sustainability remains a key pillar of the 2026 exhibition.

Visitors can expect to discover entrepreneurs focused on:

• Vegan and ethical products
• Eco-conscious brands
• Eco-printed textiles
• Sustainable fashion
• Responsible lifestyle products

The event itself has also incorporated environmentally responsible practices, including green energy initiatives, waste management, recycling programmes and measures aimed at reducing and offsetting its carbon footprint, an ethos also reflected when the Swedish Embassy in Delhi hosted a sustainable fashion show.

The exhibition demonstrates how purpose-driven entrepreneurship and commercial success can coexist, encouraging businesses to embrace responsible innovation without compromising growth.

Leadership Speaks

Speaking about this year's edition, Anita Chouhan, President, IMC Ladies' Wing, said:

"Together, 'Bees and the Hive' and 'Multiplying Impact' represent the spirit of the IMC Ladies' Wing. Just as every bee strengthens the hive, every woman entrepreneur strengthens our ecosystem through collaboration, mentorship, innovation and shared success. When women come together, they do not merely build businesses, they multiply opportunities, knowledge, confidence and ultimately, multiply impact."

She added that this year's exhibition promises to be the most vibrant edition yet, bringing together more than 300 women entrepreneurs across fashion, lifestyle, home décor, wellness, gourmet products and innovative consumer brands.

Pallavi Sahney Sharma, Chairperson, Women Entrepreneurs' Exhibition 2026 Committee, highlighted the exhibition's commitment to nurturing emerging talent through its collaboration with FDCI while continuing to support NGOs and social enterprises through complimentary exhibition space.

Juveca Panda Chheda, Co-Chairperson, Women Entrepreneurs' Exhibition 2026 Committee, emphasised the growing importance of sustainability, noting that this year's event celebrates entrepreneurs proving that environmental responsibility and business success can go hand in hand, a milestone consistent with the growing calendar of platforms marking International Women's Day programmes that empower and rejuvenate and tributes to empowerment at Women's Day celebrations across the country.

Building an Ecosystem Where Women Thrive

As the IMC Ladies' Wing celebrates 60 years of empowering women and 39 years of nurturing entrepreneurship, the Women Entrepreneurs' Exhibition stands as a powerful reflection of what sustained collaboration can achieve.

More than an annual exhibition, it has become a platform where businesses are launched, partnerships are formed, ideas are exchanged and communities are strengthened, not unlike the everyday gestures of recognition captured in Empower Her Shine's Women's Day gift guide.

In an era where entrepreneurship is increasingly shaped by collaboration, inclusivity and purpose, the IMC Ladies' Wing continues to demonstrate that when women come together, they do far more than build successful enterprises, they create ecosystems that inspire innovation, generate opportunities and multiply impact across generations.