The Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam is the city’s largest dedicated exhibition venue, sitting about 5.5 km from Chennai airport. Its older block alone offers five bookable hall configurations ranging from 2,200 to 8,360 square metres, and a set of newer exhibition halls added in the last few years has pushed its capacity further. It is where Tamil Nadu held its Global Investors Meet in January 2024 and where the India International Leather Fair now spreads across old and new halls.
If you are an exhibitor, an event organiser or a business visitor trying to work out what the venue can hold, who runs it and how the expansion came about, this guide pulls together what official records show.
Who owns and runs it
The centre was promoted jointly by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which comes under the Union Commerce Ministry, and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), a state undertaking, according to the Chennai Trade Centre website. The expansion project was submitted by the Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation, the joint vehicle that manages the complex. ITPO is the same body that runs Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, which is why several national trade fairs organised by ITPO make a Chennai stop here.
Halls in the original block
The venue’s website lists its halls by area, and organisers book them singly or in combination. The figures below are the ones published for the older block.
| Hall option | Area (sq m) |
|---|---|
| Hall 1 | 4,400 |
| Hall 1B | 2,200 |
| Hall 3 | 4,400 |
| Halls 2 and 3 combined | 6,160 |
| Halls 1B, 2 and 3 combined | 8,360 |
There are also two convention centre halls, CC Hall A and CC Hall B, which can be taken separately or together for conferences, graduation events and seminars. The site does not publish a seating figure for them, so ask the venue directly if headcount matters for your booking. Past listings show a mix of users: management institutes, photographers’ associations, insurance workers’ federations, builders’ bodies and corporate offices holding large internal events.
How the expansion happened
The expansion was approved under the Centre’s Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES). A Lok Sabha reply from July 2019 put the total project cost at Rs 288.16 crore, with Rs 20 crore coming from TIES. The first Rs 10 crore instalment was released in 2017-18, and at that point the project was described as being at an initial stage.
Construction picked up pace ahead of the 2024 investors’ summit. On 22 December 2023, then Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena inspected the new building with officials from the Corporation, Chennai Metro Rail, the Public Works Department and TIDCO, and asked for early completion without compromising quality, according to a state press release. CMRL was told to finish road work in front of the centre before the event.
The Global Investors Meet was held at the centre on 7 and 8 January 2024. The state’s official summary recorded 631 MoUs with a stated investment value of Rs 6,64,180 crore. Those are MoU figures, not money actually invested.
What the new halls changed for big fairs
The clearest public picture of the enlarged venue comes from the leather fair. The 38th India International Leather Fair ran from 1 to 3 February 2025, and the Council for Leather Exports’ booking notice split it across Old Halls 1, 2 and 3 and New Halls 1 to 4. Machinery was placed in New Halls 2 to 4, finished leather and fashion goods in New Halls 1 and 2, and chemicals and components in the old halls. Trade press reported that the new halls meant the fair no longer needed temporary structures for extra space.
The same notice gives a sense of what exhibiting costs at a major ITPO fair here: Rs 13,000 per square metre for a shell-scheme stall (minimum 9 sq m) and Rs 12,500 per square metre for bare space (minimum 36 sq m), both before 18% GST. Rates for other fairs are set by each organiser, not by the venue.
Practical points for visitors and organisers
- Check who the organiser is. Many events here are business-to-business fairs where entry is by registration or trade pass. The organiser’s website, not the venue, will have entry rules.
- Book halls early. The venue’s calendar shows several events a month in busy seasons, often running in different halls at the same time.
- Plan for airport-side traffic. The centre is close to the airport, so outstation exhibitors often fly in, but large fair days bring heavy vehicle movement near the gates.
- Ask about the newer halls separately. The website’s published hall list covers the original block; ask the management for current areas and rates for the newer halls and convention spaces.
Quick answers
Who owns the Chennai Trade Centre?
It was promoted jointly by ITPO (Government of India) and TIDCO (Government of Tamil Nadu), with the Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation handling the expansion.
How big is the largest hall option?
In the original block, Halls 1B, 2 and 3 together give 8,360 sq m. The newer halls are additional to this.
What did the expansion cost?
A 2019 Parliament reply put the project cost at Rs 288.16 crore, including Rs 20 crore of central TIES support.
Can the public attend events?
It depends on the event. Consumer expos usually allow public entry; trade fairs often need prior registration.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Chennai Trade Centre: halls and venue (Chennai Trade Centre)
- Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 2744, July 2019: TIES projects (Ministry of Commerce)
- Chief Secretary inspects Chennai Trade Centre works, press release 22 December 2023 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Global Investors Meet 2024 outcome, press release 8 January 2024 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- IILF 2025 second phase booking notice for Indian participants (Council for Leather Exports)
- Chennai prepares to welcome 38th IILF (Leather International / leatherbiz)
