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New Delhi: After months of planning and coordination, the first day of India\u2019s big-ticket AI Impact Summit descended into chaos, with a patchy mobile network and a breakdown in organization\u2014leaving participants from around the world disappointed halfway through. However, exhibitors remained hopeful of larger footfall over the next four days, as the presence of Big Tech corporations and some of the world\u2019s largest technology enterprises boosted hope of business returns.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Amid security preparations in anticipation of Prime Minister Modi\u2019s <\/span>inauguration of the AI expo<\/a>, thousands of visitors, exhibitors, foreign delegates and even VIP speakers found themselves stranded without access to basic necessities such as water or stuck in overcrowded hallways.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Delegates from the US and South Africa, as well as multiple exhibitors that <\/span>Mint <\/i>spoke with, were plagued by a lack of clarity from on-the-ground organizing and security staff, poor crowd management, and even stalled access to basic necessities such as network connectivity, food, and water.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe paid a substantial, hefty fee for a large-scale exhibition, but for most of the day, there was no footfall as people were confused about entry protocol, and we were asked to leave halfway through the day because of the prime minister\u2019s arrival,\u201d said Romil Rungta, head of sales at Chennai-based YuVerse. \u201cBut overall, there are organizational issues where no one can get in or out for even a bottle of water, and the crowd coming in is also difficult to justify in terms of the money that we have invested.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Foreign attendees, too, found the going difficult. Daniel Otieno, a delegate from Kenya, is an AI literacy specialist who <\/span>uses AI to help those with learning disabilities<\/a>. He said that navigating the venue was one of the biggest challenges. \u201cOn top of that, the security personnel were not equipped well enough to understand global delegates and guide them,\u201d Otieno said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Some, though, were hopeful that the next few days would yield greater returns.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFor a startup of our stage and size, the ability to get this scale of exposure is a massive opportunity. There are also global tech exhibitors and executives, all of which can bolster our scope to get noticed,\u201d said Ishan Kapoor, founder of AI startup, Infutrix Technologies. The startup is an exhibitor at the summit.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nTeething problems?<\/strong><\/h2>\n