IEE Expo 2015 in Dhaka

Successful event brings new possibilities to the emerging Bangladesh vertical-transportation market.

The International Elevator and Escalator Industry (IEE) Expo 2015 was held on February 10-12 at the under-construction International Convention City in Bashundhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The event was graced by Mosharraf Hossain, minister, Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Bangladesh. It included enthusiastic participation by the Real Estate & Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) and more than 70 vendors from India, China, South Korea, Italy, Spain, Greece, the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Switzerland, Germany, the U.S. and France.

As the IEE’s first iteration in Bangladesh, the expo showcased the latest elevators, escalators and related components from leading industry players. It spread across two halls over approximately 3,000 m² and welcomed more than 2,000 visitors. The rapid growth of the building and construction industry in Bangladesh is driving the market for the emerging elevator and escalator industry. Organizers feel the country’s sector is growing rapidly and that the time, nature and scale of the expo were ideal. Participants found that the delicate political situation in Bangladesh did not deter the expo’s success.

Speaking on the occasion, Anitha Raghunath, director of organizer Virgo Communications, said:

“It was an excellent beginning and definitely brought to light the immense opportunities that exist in the elevator and escalator industry of Bangladesh. We saw an extremely enthusiastic response from both participants, as well as visitors. I am really happy to say that the whole environment was extremely conducive for the development of this sector.”

The builders and real-estate community in Bangladesh said they saw an opportunity to grow and offer their own products at a quality comparable to that of global leaders. Alamgir Shamsul Alamin, president, REHAB, and director, Shamsul Alamin Group, one of the leading builders of Dhaka commented, “I warmly welcome the first IEE Expo to Dhaka. This event supports the real-estate developers in Bangladesh to come across newer and quality products, which will be cost effective and add more value to the customers.”

IEE Expo Dhaka 2015 helped create brand presence and explore partnerships and joint ventures by providing a global opportunity for building and construction industry players. It also promoted the interaction and networking of elevator experts and brands. Tarunesh Mathur, manager, exports, Schindler, said of the event:

“This is a first for Dhaka, and the first for me, as well. The response was quite good – more than what we expected. People have been showing interest in our stalls, and. . . our brand is getting a lot of footfalls. I think this is a very strong platform in Dhaka, I have been pleasantly surprised with the mix of visitors, a lot of vendors, a lot of architects who are coming in, and a lot of interest from the public works department, so we have been very happy. There have also been lots of people who are end users. For me, it’s all the same, because at the end of the day, they are customers. I think we are in the right industry in the right time. Bangladesh is booming; we have a city [that] is growing at 3.5% every year. Urbanization creates a need for elevators. Events like this should happen more often, definitely at least once in two years.”

Uday Roy, general manager, ThyssenKrupp Elevator Bangladesh, added:

“This has been a good decision, to be part of this exhibition in Dhaka. There has been a good return on investment for us. I think the quality of visitors is [greater] than our expectations; we were not expecting so many visitors due to the political scenario. But, it was a very good day, and this initiative would be good on a biannual basis. Your initiative to make the awareness program will be very useful for Bangladesh and Dhaka, and we must appreciate this.”

Participants from Bangladesh were excited to have an opportunity they had long awaited, while those from outside were pleased to find a new business opportunity open to them. Biplob Mondal, managing director, Future Powertech Ltd., remarked: “This is the first elevator exhibition in Bangladesh, which makes a great platform for both national and international elevator companies for longer business [relationships] that support our elevator industry.”

The well-received event was supported across the allied industries, as well as the governance. Enthusiastic visitors and participants have indicated they would like an event on this scale with similar organization to be held in Dhaka at least annually.