Organisers cite security issues, political developments as deterrents.
“Despite low participation of foreign delegates, we went ahead with the schedule for this event,” said Dr Khursheed Nizam, president of Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan, the organiser of the event.
“We want to give a message to international exhibitors that this is a credible event and its annual calendar is not going to change to maintain our credibility,” he added.
The organisers of the decade old event said that low foreign participation in the event was because of security issues and the upcoming general elections – another major reason that discouraged foreign exhibitors.
Sindh Board of Investment Chairman Zubair Motiwala, who inaugurated the three-day event, said that such events should continue despite security issues in the country.
Motiwala also said that Engro Pakistan and the Sindh government did the groundbreaking ceremony of the Thar Coal project on Thursday. The project will produce 300 megawatts (MW), which will be completed in four years, he added.
In response to a question, he said that he expected that a few more private companies will join the Sindh government in extraction of Thar coal for electricity generation and diesel production.
This year, ITIF attracted over two dozen national and international companies related to engineering and alternative energy sectors. Among the foreign exhibitors, most of the companies belonged to China while very few were from Australia and other countries. Furthermore, ITIF Asia also incorporated the seventh Power and Alternative Energy Asia Exhibition; ninth Oil and Gas Asia and ninth Auto and Transport Asia International exhibitions.
The event was organised in a single hall instead of three or four halls due to lower number of participants. This was not an isolated example in the Karachi Expo Centre, many such exhibitions had seen lower participation of foreign exhibitors in recent years.
The exhibitors claimed that the event attracted over 51 foreign delegates from more than 13 countries including China, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, the US, Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates.
The organisers expected that more than 35,000 trade/corporate visitors will attend the event in three days.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 15th, 2013.
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