Low disposable income affects trade exhibitions

ANJANA SAMARASINGHE

Despite the current economic condition in the country, there is no noticeable decline in trade exhibition participation in the business to business segment in Sri Lanka.

Speaking to Daily News Business Executive Director of Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC) Shanti Outschoorn said they have noticed a 10 per cent to 15 per cent decline in the participation of consumer trade exhibitions due to the low disposable income among consumers.

Shanti Outschoorn

“However there is no decline in the trade exhibition participation of business to business segment, she said. Talking about the exhibition organising business in the country she said trade exhibition organisers should adopt standards in the industry to maintain healthy competition in the market.

“When organising trade exhibitions it is important to keep to the limits of the trade exhibition themes. “When there is a specific theme, for the exhibition or we are targeting only one industry, there should be exhibitors only representing that specific theme or the industry.

But some organisers open the exhibition for other exhibitors who are not in the target industry or theme to meet their profit margins. This will badly impact on business to business trade exhibitions and will dilute the standards of the exhibition organising business in the country,” she said.

“The industry also needs to focus more on pricing for maintaining standards in the sector,” she said.

This is a business which has narrow profit margins and it is difficult to maintain facilities such as SLECC with high operational costs. But the current economic condition has created opportunities. But we have to be very creative in adding value to the trade exhibition services,” she said.

At the moment we are organising 12 trade exhibitions in Sri Lanka targeting the SME sector in the country. There are exhibitors from India, Pakistan, Iran and China for these trade exhibitions.

“We expect to increase foreign participation for these exhibitions and we are working closely with the foreign missions and adopting internet marketing strategies to tape these foreign participants,” she said.