Sri Lanka’s apparel hub concept needs more space

Sri Lanka needs bigger exhibition space to push itself forward as a regional apparel hub, say the organisers of Sri Lanka’s apparel industry exhibitions.

Organisers of the only industry specific exhibitions for Sri Lanka’s garment industry, Lanka Exhibitions and Convention Services Ltd (LECS), say Sri Lanka needs to invest in exhibition infrastructure urgently, to attract the level of attention required to become an apparel hub for the South Asian region.

“We need big exhibition space if we are to attract the interests of big suppliers and big buyers. To position Sri Lanka as an apparel industry hub we need exhibition and infrastructure that can attract attention internationally,” Imran Hassan, Director, LECS said in a press release.

The company is organising the Apparel Industry Suppliers Exhibition (AISEX) and the Fabric and Accessory Suppliers Exhibition (FASE) from November 9 to 11 this year to bring machinery, fabric and accessory suppliers and service providers closer to the local garment manufacturers. Both exhibitions will be hosted at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre (SBMEC). However, LECS says the exhibition space at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre – the country’s largest exhibition location – is far below requirements.

“We need at least 20,000 square metres of exhibition space that would allow 1,000 air conditioned stalls, to start with. Our maximum capacity for air conditioned space right now is 175 stalls at the SBMEC. With this level of infrastructure we can’t compete with India and Pakistan let alone countries like Dubai, Singapore and Thailand to attract suppliers and buyers,” Hassan says.

Large exhibitions in Colombo are also constrained by inadequate parking facilities and security requirements. The exhibition organiser says exhibition locations must be accompanied with adequate support infrastructure like parking, transport, security and speedy port clearance facilities, to make the country more attractive to exhibiters.

Exhibitions and conventions generate millions of dollars through direct, exhibition related transactions. They also lead to indirect returns by enabling business contacts and investments and by encouraging tourism and industries that provide support services. Although Sri Lanka has been promoting MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) tourism, the growth of the segment, says LECS, is limited by lack of infrastructure.

The company points out that today exhibitions are a major international business because of their many money spinning possibilities. Some countries even specialise in providing exhibition services and infrastructure, as an industry in its own right.“Singapore doesn’t have an apparel manufacturing industry. Cologne in Germany doesn’t have an apparel industry. But two of the biggest apparel industry exhibitions are held in Singapore and Cologne. IMB Cologne is a huge apparel exhibition. So why not Sri Lanka? Sri Lanka is a natural hub for the MICE industry and we also have an apparel industry. But what we see now, is everyone going to Singapore or Cologne,” he said.

The company says that it has received nearly 3,000 pre-registrations of confirmed industry participants for the exhibitions in November, indicating that almost all of Sri Lanka’s apparel industry will be attending the events.