Comex 2013 sees shift from consumer show to a networking opportunity

Muscat: The Comex 2013, that concluded last Friday, saw radical shift in focus from consumer show to a networking opportunity for business community as country’s Information Technology Authority (ITA) made every effort to promote Oman as a destination for foreign investment, especially in IT sector.

“One objective of the Comex exhibition was to promote Oman as destination for investments,” Dr Salim Bin Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, ITA Chief Executive Officer, told Gulf News before the conclusion of the exhibition last Friday.

“These types of exhibitions are an opportunity to develop businesses and networking and if we don’t achieve that then there’s a problem,” he explained the reason of business pavilion getting much bigger than the shoppers’ side at the Oman’s leading IT and Telecom Exhibition held for the last 23 years.

He went on to say that it was important for the Omani businessmen, particularly SME owners, to interact with the international business community and we with Oman International Trade Exhibition (OITE) have worked hard to create the opportunity.

He revealed that there were a number of enterprises from Singapore, Estonia, Lithuania, the US, India, France, UK, UAE, Singapore, Egypt, Kuwait and KSA. “I hope everyone found what they were looking for,” he said.

“I cannot specify off hand but we did have several deals post Comex last year and we are optimistic that it would significantly increase this year,” he enthused about business development through Comex.

Fears

In reply to a question, he denied that eventually government-owned ITA would take over Comex from OITE. “The government should only help private sector and that is what we are doing and continue do.”

He also dispelled fears that as business part of the annual exhibition grows the consumer section would fade away. “Consumers also must get what they want under one roof and Comex provides that and would continue to do so.”

Sadiq Khan, Director, B2B Events and Marketing at OITE, also pointed out the shoppers’ side helps being more footfall of consumer that help in business section too. “The consumer section is the biggest attraction so we would continue with it,” he added.

However, Shilpa Ashar, Project Manager, Comex, said that over the years the consumer side had shrunk to almost 20 per cent of the floor area of the exhibition. “When we started 23 years ago, we used to have 70 per cent shoppers’ side and 30 per cent business section,” she said.

As the shows grows bigger, the platform to showcase Oman as an investment destination in IT field gets bigger.