30 countries to participate in week-long festival

Annual Expo, with 250 business groups under one roof, part of the festival.

LAHORE: The second Lahore Shopping Festival, also known as Business Week, will be held from April 23 to 29 with around 30 countries setting up stalls at Expo Centre to share business-related information.

The organiser Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) has decided modify the event this year and concentrate more to help revive the economy and highlight the soft image of the country.

LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said in a press briefing that the event has been designed in a way that it would send a positive signal to foreign investors. He added that the Lahore Shopping Festival encompasses a range of business and cultural activities.

Sheikh said that the Lahore Shopping Festival would have in its fold Expo 2012 that would be arranged at Lahore Expo Centre. It would be a three-day event where as many as 250 renowned business groups would showcase their products. On the sidelines of the Expo, an energy conference would also be held to formulate a methodology to overcome the energy crisis. The proposal will be sent to the government for consideration.

The very objective of the Lahore Shopping Festival is to expedite business activities in this part of the country, said Sheikh.

He said so far the LCCI itself is managing the events with cooperation of it members and business community of the city but it has also requested the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Punjab Trade and Investment Board (PTIB) to facilitate in inviting potential foreign investors.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2012.