ICT Branding Expo - Version 2.0

  8 min 41 sec to read

The fifth ICT Info-Trade Fair 2012, the ICT Branding Expo, will be organised from 5 January by Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Association of Nepal at Exhibition Hall in Kathmandu. The five-day long exhibition will showcase latest and innovative information technology products. According to Sagar Dev Lakhe, President of the ICT Association of Nepal, the expo is being promoted as a branding expo for the second year in a row. Lakhe said it is a challenging job to promote a branding expo in the market where extensive use of IT is primarily limited to only the urban centres.

Last year's expo was successful so we have improvised on it and given continuity to the event, he added. ICT Association has been organising expos every year. According to Lakhe, such an expo must look and feel like an IT expo. So, we are using social media and IT to the utmost level and the visitors will be seeing and experiencing technology right from the entrance to the exit,” Lakhe said.

The slogan of the event is Bridging digital divide in IT Trade. The expo will showcase branded products popular in Nepal and abroad along with the latest innovative products and technology. Avid, Baleyo, CHIMEI, Creative, Delta, Digicom, EV, Fujikura, Hasee, Inktech, Philips, Smart Cell and ZTE are some of the brands participating in the expo. TP Link is the title sponsor of the expo. The event is expected to increase demand for technology products.

Lakhe said It is not a sales expo but a pre-sales expo which is expected to create future market prospects. We are expecting visitors to acquire as much information as they can about the products and technology on offer and meet their needs. The provision to book and purchase tickets online has been arranged. The fans on its Facebook page are entitled with certain discounts on entry charge. Around 200,000 visitors are expected to visit the expo. Lakhe assures that visitors need not worry about the parking space and quality food available at the food court. TechKnow Zone, Wi-Fi Lounge, VIP Lounge, Business Development Room, Food court are some of the specialities of the expo. The association has planned to inaugurate the event by an especially able person who has been making a living with the use of IT. It is also planning to felicitate persons who have been contributing to the sector for more than three decades but remaining away from the limelight, during the closing ceremony of the expo on 10 January.

focus








Nikhil Bansal

Director Hitech Distribution Pvt Ltd and Spokesperson,ICT Association of Nepal

The fifth ICT Info-Trade Fair 2012, the ICT Branding Expo to be held from 5 to 9 January is an exhibition in the true sense. Unlike other expos, it is not merely a selling point for products. At this expo, one will get to see and experience IT from the time of planning to visit the expo right till the time they come out of the venue. It is not only about uniting potential clients and exhibitors at a place but also about disseminating information about brands, products and innovations and sharing necessary information required for making a purchase decision.

The success of the expo will not be calculated on the amount of sales and number of products sold. This year's ICT expo will be the true exhibition of latest innovations, technologies, products in addition to creating a brand image in a manner that the established image actually begins giving desired outcomes after the event. The expo is intended to be of truly international standards and managed in such a way that visitors and stalls management are fully taken care of. The Visitors will mainly comprise those who are tech savvy and have a certain level of understanding on technology. While it is not possible to spend hours to introduce a simple product for a novice, we don't mean to devalue visitors as this is also an exhibition for anyone who is interested in it.

Apart from utilising the technology to its fullest, this expo will also showcase extraordinary quality in terms of stall and visitor management. We expect people to gain as much information as they can and exhibitors can share all they have. We want to ensure that people neither ignore the stalls nor do they gather at one stall for a long period of time.This is an upgrade to previous years expos and the association is dedicated to take it to the next level.


focus








Sagar Dev Lakhe

President ICT Association of Nepal


What are the preparations so far for the expo?

Almost 99 per cent of the preparations are over. All sponsors, dates, venues and events are finalised. Similarly, almost all the stalls are booked.

What are you doing to change the trend of expos being treated as a shopping destination of late?

We have made a provision of e-ticketing through http://ict.org.np/ where users can print the ticket on their own which is totally a new practice for expos. Similarly, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube are used to the fullest to ensure quality visitors. As per our analysis, this is the first expo that has properly used the social media. It is not a sales expo but a pre-sales expo which is expected to create future market prospects. We are expecting visitors to acquire as much information as they can about the products and their needs.

You have promised to have quality visitors at the expo this time around. How are you planning to achieve that?

The use of social media and provision of online registration is a step towards this. Similarly, we have doubled the price than the expos held earlier and discount can only be secured through online registration and Facebook page. Executive level visitors are quite hesitant to visit expos as they are afraid that their profile may be devalued or may not get the deserving attention. We need to change this so we have arranged a separate entry point for the executive visitors. Similarly, separate gates are being arranged for the entry of corporate level visiting card holders, discount holders, pass holders, students etc. All these initiatives can at least make executive visitors mentally prepared that these expos are for them too.

You have named this a branding expo. How will it be different and help promote exhibitors respective brands?

Last year's expo was a successful one and it encouraged us to organise its version 2.0 this year. At a branding expo, visitors get to see the difference between general expos and a branding one. Stalls are set up as per international standards where different brands portray themselves. This is an important and meaningful platform for brand promotion to the intended customers. We have also put retail stores in a fish market manner so there will be a comparison of quality of participating stalls which will leave a huge difference on impression.

focus








Ashok Agrawal

Managing Director Action Point Nepal Pvt Ltd (TP Link - Title Sponsor of the event)

The last year's expo successfully portrayed its quality and the theme of being a branding expo. It truly gave an impression of an international standard expo by its look, venue, stalls and the quality of exhibition. We expect the same this year too. Our main focus during the event will be on branding and we hope our brand TP Link finds recognition in the market.

We want our customers to identify with the brand and are not looking for one time sales from the event. Our objective is to share our information, promote ourselves and educate customers so that our brand gets established in the market. We will be showcasing some of the brands we deal with, during the fiveday long event.



Roshan Bhandarifocus

Managing Director Human Click (Gold Sponsor of the Expo)

The ICT Info-Trade Fair has been doing well since the time it began and has been successful in managing stalls and visitors well. We expect 300-400,000 visitors turning out at this year's expo. At this year's branding expo, only the branding channel, distribution channel and authorised channels will be having their stalls in the main hall.

The branding expo proves better than other expos for both visitors and businesses as they will be trying to know each other and gather information for future deals. We are showcasing Philips monitors and Creative brands professional audio and visual products. The 3D monitor from Philips, which we will be launching during the expo, is expected to be one of the major highlights. Similarly, we are also displaying energy efficient monitors with IPS technology that can save up to 70 per cent of energy compared to other monitors available in the market.  

No comments yet. Be the first one to comment.