Excon 2008- Construction Exhibition of the year -Says CCI

Excon 2008 – annual trade fair of the Chamber of Construction Industry Sri Lanka, (CCI) will be held for the sixth successive year during the period 9th to 11th May 2008 at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Hall.

"The trade fair will be inaugurated on 9th May 2008 at 9.30 a.m. by Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, in his capacity as the Minister of Construction and Engineering Services with the participation of a large number of cabinet ministers handling construction related subjects, said CEO of the CCI, Dakshitha Talgodapitiya.

He said the CCI is the apex body founded by all institutions and associations of construction professionals comprising of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Institute of Town Planners of Sri Lanka, The Surveyors Institute of Sri Lanka, Insurance Association of Sri Lanka, The Institute of Valuers of Sri Lanka, The Association of Consulting Engineers, in addition to the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka thus representing every stakeholder of the domestic construction industry.

Excon 2008 is designed to facilitate enhancement of industry capacities and competitiveness by promoting linkages among different stakeholders drawn from large multinationals to the SME sector.

It is the gateway to establishment of strategic partnerships and expansion of markets as this is essentially an initiative for market entry and access.

This is an ideal opportunity to promote and discover new products, services and appropriate technology. It is the most cost effective media to promote products and services related to the construction industry.

Excon 2008 will have 150 trade stalls providing opportunities for vendors of plant and equipment and other construction inputs, financial services and other service providers to meet their target clientele.

GTB Colombo Corporation (Pvt) Ltd. a leader in the construction steel industry having a highly automated plant becoming the first in Sri Lanka to produce TMT (thermo mechanical treated bars) is the main sponsor with "Bankers to the Nation" Bank of Ceylon, providing sectoral sponsorship for Excon 2008.

The co-sponsors of the event include Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Roads Development Authority reflecting the importance of the event to national development endeavours. Ceylinco Insurance will mark it’s prominence as the insurance sector sponsor with Dax Engineering Ltd. being the product sponsor.

Holcim Lanka Ltd will also brand it s strategic alliance with the Chamber at Excon 2008.

The event will be attended by leading Construction Consultants, Developers, Construction Contractors, Vendors of Construction Equipment, Raw Materials and Technology, Professional Service Providers, Public Sector Institutions and Home Builders.

In addition to an anticipated 30,000 visitors from the general public, a large number of foreign guests from India, UK, State of Qatar and Malaysia are expected to visit the Exhibition.

Launches of new products such as TMT Bars in Sri Lanka, new courses by City & Guilds for the construction industry, and CCI’s own distance learning programme are among the many concurrent events that will take place at Excon 2008.

For the benefit of Small and Medium Enterprises which account for over 90% of the construction industry, CCI in collaboration with ICTAD will host an interactive session to discuss issues and impediments faced by the SME sector of the construction industry on Saturday 10th May 2008 from 9.a.m. at the ICTAD Auditorium under the distinguished patronage of  Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Minister of Construction and Engineering Services.