Excon 2009 in October

Excon 2009 will be held from October 30 to November 1 at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre by the Chamber of Construction Industry Sri Lanka, as Sri Lanka's First International Construction Trade Fair. Excon 2009 is the sixth in the series of trade fairs presented by the Chamber. It is designed to enhance the capacities and competitiveness of the domestic construction industry by:

* Introducing cost effective, environment friendly and alternative construction technologies and materials.

* Building linkages between the SME sector and regional contractors with bigger constituents and overseas contractors.

* Promoting export of construction related professional services and contracting capacities.

* Facilitating foreign direct investment in infrastructure development, urban regeneration and other construction related projects.

Excon 2009 is endorsed and supported by the Ministry of Construction and Engineering Services and the Ministry of Export Development and International Trade.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Sri Lankan Missions abroad has provided wide publicity for the event in overseas markets. All these endorsements have served to cement the position of "Excon 2009" as an event of National importance.

Excon 2009 is expected to record large scale participation of Indian Companies as trade stall holders, in addition to a few enterprises from Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. This will facilitate the transfer of technology to the local industry and linkage building with regional counterparts, which could lead to mutually beneficial joint ventures and other partnering arrangements.

Visit of trade delegations from the Asian region has been facilitated by Sri Lankan Missions in India and Malaysia, in addition to a few countries in the Gulf Region. Attraction of investable surpluses from the Gulf Region in particular, for infrastructure development and urban regeneration in Sri Lanka, is a key focus area while the Chamber will collaborate with the Board of Investment to promote Foreign Direct Investment in these areas.

Excon 2009 will also enjoy the presence of "Kedella - Art of Living", the premier interiors exhibition which will have the participation of 50 or more trade stall holders. This will provide visitors with an insight into the world of interior and exterior solutions for homes and other building applications.

Industrial Development Authority of the Western Province will also present "Karmantha Navodaya" as a concurrent event of Excon 2009 which will feature around 100 industrialists from the SME Sector. This is aimed at providing them with much needed exposure and to facilitate building of linkages with major players in the industry for capacity development.