Witt is currently in India as a special invitee of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. He is no stranger to this country. Witt says that he travelled to almost all parts of India during the last 20 years and would now like to use this experience to build bridges with the small and medium entrepreneurs situated in various parts of the country. His immediate goal, of course, is to get as many Indian companies to participate in the Cologne Fair.

``For businesses of all sizes, international fairs are the best way to reach new markets, countries and cultures. Even for the very largest corporations, an exhibit at an international fair is an excellent way of reaching their intended customers,'' he says.

Witt says that he would like to call the fair ``a communications platform'' because there is no better way of ``reaching across cultural barriers, demonstrating your wares, and learning about the individuals who will become your customers''. ``A fair allows the participants to present their products in a way that no brochure, no Web page, and few salespersons can ever do.

So, if you are selling a speciality food, your potential customers will stand there and taste it. If you are selling furniture, they will sit themselves down in your chairs. And those chairs better be strong. If you are offering bicycles, expect buyers to squeeze the tires and test the strength of the frame,'' he says ``When you exhibit your ware at Cologne, Europe lies at your doorstep. 180 million consumers, who are responsible for half the GDP of the European Union, live within 500 kilometres of the fair,'' Witt says.

Essentially, the fair covers eight segments: food and food technology; home furniture and furnishings; home, garden and leisure; communications and media; fashion and clothing technology; environment; health; art and culture.

In the immediate run, Witt would also like to see more German players, especially the small and medium business houses, to come and invest in India. ``As of now, they have no idea of the Indian market, business ethics and philosophy. From my experience, I would tell German investors to take a keener interest in India, understand the culture and invest in the emerging fields of business. I would easily say that India is a safe place to invest,'' he says.

Witt is all for multiculturism. Having spent five years in Canada while working for a German-Canadian joint venture in Toronto, he believes that future businesses will have to open up to diverse business cultures.

``Canada typifies the strengths of a multicultural society. And I would say that Germany too should take a liberal stance towards immigration. An ageing population in Germany cannot power future industries,'' he says.

Born in 1952 in Schwerin, Witt joined the German navy in 1971. In 1973, he joined for studies in law at the Gottingen University. Ten years later, after serving as a post-graduate judicial service trainee at the Hamburg higher regional court, he became a lawyer in Hamburg. Witt worked as management spokesman for the Potash company of Canada, Toronto, and in September 1998, he joined the management of KolnMesse GmbH. Within a month, he assumed the position of president and CEO of the group.