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| Wednesday, 3 December 2003 |
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Spacious exhibition center needed for Lanka by Shirajiv Sirimane Sri Lanka should provide basic infrastructure before claiming to be the so-called gateway or the hub for the region,' said Prof. Lakdasa Fernando. Speaking at a press conference held with regard to the fifth Apparel Industry Exhibition (AISEX) he said that Sri Lanka today do not have a large enough exhibition centre to accommodate growing exhibitions such as AISEX. "There are many other international and regional exhibitions that can come to Colombo if Sri Lanka can provide large exhibition halls which are similar to Singapore," he said. Sri Lanka have only two major convention halls, the BMICH which offers only 4000 square meters and the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre, 3840 square meters. He said that both convention venues could not accommodate more than 205 stalls each. "The new BMICH hall has narrow entrances, steps, and marble floors are not functionally built. Globally exhibition halls have concrete floors which can take loads of 30KP or more which cannot be carried on marble surfaces." The Pragathi Maiden in Delhi has 60,000 square metres of covered exhibition space which can host 6000 stalls while Singapore's EXPO centre has 62,000 square metres and could accommodate 6,900 stalls. He said that this is an area where the government should get involved as with the geographical, economic and political factors in favour of Sri Lanka it is high time that this problem is addressed. He said that Sri Lankan garment industry has to be more competitive if it is to compete with other countries in the region. The AISEX exhibition will be held from November 18 to 20, 2004, at the SLECC Colombo and the organisers are expecting a visitor turn out of around 10,000. The Textile and Apparel Industry is one of the most significant and dynamic contributors to Sri Lanka's overall economy. As a fully integrated industry with a firm resource base and superior logistical support service, it has grown over the years to become the primary export earner and the largest single employer of the manufacturing industry in the country. |
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