As many as 10 different exhibitions are planned to be held in Karachi at Expo Center during the year 2005 - the Expo Pakistan being the biggest one to be held from February 2 to 5.
To be held under the aegis of Pegasus, the exhibition organisers, the Expo Pakistan will feature with the collaboration of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Ministry of Commerce.
This was stated by Chief Executive Pegasus Consultancy, Asim Siddiqi while talking to newsmen here on Tuesday.
Some 500 buyers from South America and the East Asia have given a sound response, Asim said adding that this exhibition will be a complex project highlighting the Trade and Industry of Pakistan through the participation of some 600 local companies.
He said in view of growing participation in different exhibitions, particularly the IDEAS-2004, the sprawling Expo Center is being further expanded with the construction of two more specious halls, halls No 5 and 6.
He said during the course of Expo Pakistan, plans are being chalked out for technical conferences, evening entertainment programmes for participants and other side line events.
Siddiqi informed that heads of some 200 top companies are being personally invited by Chairman EPB, Tariq Ikram for the forthcoming exhibition.
Besides, he continued, some 150 world associations of trade and industry are being sent letters for sending their representatives for the exhibition.
To a question, he said that during the last four years, Pegasus organised 13 exhibitions related to textiles, handicrafts, auto parts, engineering goods, jems and jewellery, food, surgical and Pharma, sports, fabrics besides three IDEAS Defence exhibitions.
During 2005 an exhibition on textile machinery will be held in April and three exhibitions on oil and gas, food technology and plastic and packaging will be held in the month of May, machine tools and automation for November with more being planned for coming months.
He pointed out that Far East is the larger exporter of automation.
To a question, Asim Siddiqi said that while Pakistan is now being recognised world over through exhibitions, a thought is now being given to organise Pakistan's single country exhibition abroad with the collaboration of Export Promotion Bureau.
He pointed out that some 977 foreigners came to IDEAS-2004, which is unprecedented and they took with them a good impression about Pakistan while back home. They compared IDEAS with other world-fame exhibitions.
Asim said the country's image was well projected in the backdrop of Pakistan's war on terrorism and so called law and order and security concerns here.
He said the companies from whom we were learning are now coming to Pakistan to sell their products through exhibitions being organised here which is a great achievement. He informed that front pages of various defence journals gave prominent space to defence equipment which were displayed at the IDEAS and also carried articles on the event.