Costs for Gitex-Hyd brought down: CM

The cost per square metre of stall has been brought down from Rs 6,000 last year to Rs 5,000 for the fourth edition of Gitex-Hyderabad, the annual IT exhibition for IT and communications industry, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy said at a press conference here today.

The government has waived the sales tax on goods sold at the exhibition, which ranges between four to eight per cent on IT products, he added.

Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) would be organising the event from January 12 to 14, 2005 at the Hitex International Exhibition Centre in Madhapur.

"Gitex-Hyderabad has evolved as a premier exhibition as we have been receiving inquiries from both Indian and international IT majors to participate in the event," the chief minister said.

"This year at the event IEEE would be conducting a seminar on Smart Appliances and Nasscom would be conducting an international conference on the animation industry," Reddy said.

Helal Khalfan Saeed Al Marri, director general, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), said that the company has renewed its contract with the government to host the event for the next three years in Hyderabad.

"We are overwhelmed with the positive response that the exhibition is generating," he said, among IT and communications players in India and abroad. Many IT organisations operating in India need an internationally-focused venue to showcase their products, a platform that will enable key decision makers in the region to understand how the tools they produce can improve work environments and Gitex Hyderabad offers a solution that works as a true business leads generator," he said.

According to him the Gitex-Hyderabad Computer Shopper, the retail arm of the show which will host leading local and international vendors offering some of the best deals on hardware, software, peripherals, multi-media and a wide range of computer products and services is expected to get a boost because of the waiver of the sales tax.

"DWTC expects the number of exhibitors to increase to around 150 from last year's 70 and that is why we have doubled the space available this year from 2,700 sq meters available last year," Marri said.

The organisers said that around 20 per cent of the stalls would be set-up by companies from places like China, Taiwan, South Africa and Israel. They also expect to have delegates from the Middle East, South Africa and other places at the three-day event.