City IT Computer Fair most successful

Md. Fazlur Rahman | Published: March 08, 2009 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

The 'City IT 2009 Computer Fair' at Agargaon was able to attract a huge number of visitors after overcoming an out-of-the-blue blow borne out of the BDR mutiny in the capital, organisers said on the closing day of the annual exposition Saturday.

ASM Abdul Muktadir, convener of the fair committee, told the FE that the response and sale were considerably high although it had to pass the test of the time.

"This is the most successful fair in the history of the BCS Computer City."

He admitted that the largest IT fair of the country organised by BCS Computer City on its own premises at IDB Bhaban at Agargaon received a blow on its very opening day because of the mutiny by the border guards at their headquarters at Pilkhana in the city on February 25-26.

"We did not have a good start because of the mutiny. The response of the visitors was nominal on the first day as the city-dwellers opted for staying inside their houses because of the rebellion which killed over 55 high-ranked army officers and a number of civilians."

But the fair got momentum the following day, said Muktadir, also the general secretary of BCS Computer City.

He said the number of visitors at the fair this year was much higher than that of the previous years as IT users in the country increased substantially in recent times.

However, he could not give the exact figure of the visitors. Over 300,000 people visited the fair in 2008, organisers said.

Muktadir also told the FE that the volume of sale was very good. Although he immediately could not provide the exact figure, he said it would be around Tk 2000 million, which was Tk 1000 to Tk 1500 million in 2008.

Laptop and camera of different models topped the choice list of the buyers, he added.

He said the participants had offered their products either at discounted prices or with various gifts on the occasion of the fair.

Participants also echoed the same view about the number of visitors and sale.

Muhammed Zinnatul Habib, assistant manager of Rishit Computers Ltd, said: "We have offered various gifts with our products like other participants. We have made our products competitive. Besides, we have tried to maintain the quality of the products."

"We have confirmed after-sale services of the products."

"The response has been very good as the number of IT users has increased many folds in the country. The sale was also much higher than that of last year," he told the FE.

He said among many other computer products and accessories, Laptop was sold most.

He also admitted that the number of visitors was insignificant on the first day because of the mutiny. Then the rush kept increasing, he added.

Syed Kamrul Hasan, sales executive of Ryans IT Limited, said during the fair the sale volume increased by 30 per cent compared to a normal day's business.

Despite the increase of sale volume, he said, the sale and response were not up to their expectation because of the BDR mutiny.