SIE 2016 draws 40,000 visitors
KOTA KINABALU: The four-day Sabah International Exhibition 2016 which opened its doors to the public Thursday afternoon and culminated on Sunday received overwhelming response from the various sectors here especially the business community and the public in general including foreigners.
The exhibition centre located at the Magellan Hotel Grand Ballroom in Sutera Harbour Resort here registered more than 40,000 visitors comprising Malaysians and other foreign nationalities.
The 2016 Expo aimed at showcasing products from other nations as well as to serve as a platform for local entrepreneurs to promote new products and services was officially declared open during a dinner cum opening ceremony at the Pacific Sutera Hotel on September 14 by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman who was represented by Deputy Chief Minister cum Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan. The organizers have been optimistic since day one that the number of visitors coming to the Expo will overshoot its target of 30,000 people.
“We are happy with the turnout of visitors coming to the expo with 145 booths from 20 countries displaying various products and services,” SIE 2016 organizing chairman cum Federation of Sabah Industries (FSI) President Datuk Mohd Basri Abdul Gafar said.
He said the exhibition booths were open daily from 10am-10pm and admission was free. Since the inception of SIE 14 years ago, Basri said over 334,000 people have visited the event and hundreds of million ringgit worth of business transactions have taken place.
“We estimated between 30,000 to 50,000 people would visit this year’s event that carries the theme ‘Sabah-Hub for the Far East’,” Basri said, adding that the organizers had stationed enough personnel to look after the needs of all the delegates, traders, businessmen and visiting public to ensure convenience and smooth flow of the on going trade activities at the venue.
“I personally agree with the Chief Minister that the involvement of the private sector in growing our economy is evident in the commitment shown by leaders and members of the Federation of Sabah Industries and the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MICCI) Sabah Branch,” he said.
Meanwhile, in reading the speech of the Chief Minister Wednesday night, Tan said Sabah has what it takes to attract investors, both local and foreign in its vision to become the hub for the Far East.
Musa added that the state is blessed with abundance of natural resources, rich biodiversity and is in a strategic location within a region of strong vibrant-economies.
“Sabah is increasingly becoming an attractive destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibition (MICE) activities not just for the BIMP-EAGA region but for other emerging markets in the region,” the Chief Minister said.
After the culmination of SIE 2016 yesterday, the next trade and business event will be held two years from now.