Coronavirus sets int’l expos on hold
About seven large-scale international expositions and corporate conferences to be held in Bangladesh have already been postponed following a coronavirus outbreak in China, denying organisers and other vested parties from about Tk 250 crore in income from the events.
Chinese companies are key participants at the exhibitions on Bangladesh.
And offered the coronavirus pandemic within their home region they possess withdrawn their participation, said Meherun (Kanka) N. Islam, president and group managing director at CEMS-Global, a professional multinational exhibition organiser.
A lot more than 34,800 people have already been infected with the brand new coronavirus worldwide, the vast majority in China.
And the amount of coronavirus deaths has overtaken that of the Sars epidemic in 2003. In 2003, 774 persons had been killed by Sars (severe severe respiratory syndrome) in a lot more than two dozen countries.
CEMS was compelled to postpone three of their international exhibitions to come to be held between February and April because of the novel virus.
"I will not get even $ 3 million in revenue from these exhibitions. The exhibition can be directly related to hotel and tourism businesses. Hence, the sector will feel an impact," Islam said.
By impact, she is discussing a fall in earnings.
One such function that is postponed may be the Bangladesh Plastic, Packaging and Printing Industrial Good 2020, which was scheduled to take place between February 12 and 15 at the Worldwide Convention Metropolis Bashundhara (ICCB).
Its organiser, the Bangladesh Plastic material Goods Companies and Exporters Association (BPGMEA), previously announced that the function will be postponed citing the Community Health Organisation's declaration of the coronavirus epidemic due to a global emergency.
The BPGMEA also said that many international and local exhibitors wanted to the fair to be postponed as public gatherings could spread the virus.
This was among the five international expositions that the ICCB, a favorite venue for trade fairs because of its 7 lakh square feet space, was scheduled to host through the February-April period.
However, almost all five bookings were cancelled as a result of spread of coronavirus, costing the venue at least Tk 20 crore in earnings, MM Jashim Uddin, chief functioning officer of ICCB, advised The Daily Celebrity yesterday.
"This is the ICCB's peak period for hosting expos."
A major source of revenue for the ICCB will be the various expositions held by several business groups during this time of the year.
Even events which were not but finalised have been cancelled.
"We are now looking at a big hole in our revenue," Uddin added.
Like the BPGMEA, the Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association (BTMA) defer the 17th Dhaka International Textile and Garments Machinery Exhibition (DTG) 2020, that was actually scheduled to be held between February 20 and 23 at the ICCB.
Coronavirus has now turn into a serious wellbeing hazard worldwide, the BTMA said found in its notice.
As far as the BTMA is concerned, all countries have taken steps to avoid the spread of coronavirus, keeping their respective nation's needs in mind, and Bangladesh is not any exception.
Although the BTMA and Yorkers Trade and marketing Services Co. decided to postpone the DTG, they include resolved to carry the exhibition in June at the same location.
Syed Abdul Muakhir, catering director of the Bangbandhu International Meeting Centre, said the venue escaped the quick fallout of the coronavirus as there were no bookings designed for international exhibitions but just domestic fairs.
