The response that the expo received from the market once again proved the popularity of the event.

The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, inaugurated the Computer Association of Eastern India (COMPASS) 2005 exhibition on October 21. Also present were Manabendra Mukherjee, Minister, Department of IT, West Bengal; V K Bhandari, President, COMPASS; Jajodia, Chairman, Exhibition Committee; G Jayanth, Secretary, COMPASS and other members and dignitaries.

Bhandari in his welcome speech said, "The association is contemplating setting up an IT Plaza, a state-of-the-art facility complex that will cater to the needs of the IT industry in the region. It plans to accommodate hardware manufacturers, the trade channel retailers as well as mid-sized software companies, all under one roof."

VK Bhandari, President, COMPASS thanks members and expo organization team

He requested the CM to allocate suitable land in and around Kolkata at a concessional rate for the same. Bhandari further asked to provide sales tax, income tax and stamp duty benefits to hardware manufacturers and allow land and electricity at concessional rates.

Answering all the issues raised by Bhandari in a positive way, the CM asked the association to hold further discussions with him in the days to come. He also assured the exhibitors of a special exhibition venue, which is at present under construction. The venue will be able to hold various kinds of exhibitions throughout the year in a better and bigger way.

Advantage East
The COMPASS 2005 was based on the theme of 'Advantage East' that ran as a leitmotif throughout the exhibition. Though threatened by heavy rains leading to water logging and flood across the city and the state as well, the biggest IT fair of the region emerged a winner, despite the odds as people from every sector thronged the venue.

Models walk the ramp during the fashion show

The first two days saw a meager crowd as the weather was a hindrance. What put a smile on the exhibitors face is that although the number of visitors was less, the ones who came were serious buyers. From the third day onwards, the momentum regained as COMPASS 2005 witnessed an overall 1.3 lakh footfalls in the four days of the event.

Visitors from all market segments were present, including the home sector, SOHO, channel partners, SMB and corporate. The biggest response though was from the home and the SMB sectors. Customers from other cities in the region like, Patna, Ranchi, Siliguri, Guwahati and other places also flocked the expo.

The main loss of visitors was from upcountry Bengal, much of which remained submerged under floodwater. "That is the most growing market and a great participation from there was expected. But we mainly lost the upcountry visitors due to severe weather conditions and floods. This is why small assemblers and other sectors could not come in larger numbers," stated Bhandari.

Ideal platform to gain footage
The exhibitors met their expectation as far as business is concerned since most visitors were serious buyers. The expo has the repute of not just garnering sales figures, but fulfilling the primary aim of exhibitors in building their brand names.

HIGHLIGHTS OF COMPASS 2005 • 1.3 lakh visitors came to the event in four days, despite bad weather condition and water logging • Expected business generation through the exhibition is Rs 100 crore, comprising counter sales, order and spot bookings and lead generation • There were a total of about 190 stalls, including 14 pavilions and 90 participants comprising MNCs, national and regional companies as well as channel partners A stall put up by Syntech Infomatics A dance troop performs live for the audience

This event also provides them with a platform to provide information about their latest products and technology to the spectators. This purpose could be achieved by them as the show brought a good deal of order booking, higher lead generation and spot booking along with counter sales.

"Though the account is yet not settled, but gauging the overall response, we have more or less achieved our initial target of a business Rs 100 crore, including all types," informed Bhandari. The amount is a sum total of all types of business category mentioned above.

The exhibition also benefited customers and visitors for whom this is the biggest opportunity to see, feel, compare and choose the largest display of latest IT products and services. Another advantage they had was getting good and special offers from the stalls, besides bargaining for their chosen products.

IN AID: Arun Jalan, Chairman (Social Activity), COMPASS hands over a demand draft for Rs 1,11,000 to Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, CM of West Bengal while VK Bhandari, President COMPASS, Manabendra Mukherjee, IT Minister, Govt. of West Bengal and Pawan Jajodia, Chairman, COMPASS Exhibition Committee look on.

There were a total of about 190 stalls, including 14 pavilions and 90 participants comprising MNCs, national and regional companies as well as channel partners. Isyn was the main sponsor of the event and AMD was the co-sponsor. The other sponsors were Gigabyte, D-Link, Quick Heal 2006, Chabria, Supercomp, Canon, Tata Indicom and Taaza TV. DQ
Channels was the official media partner. The Department of Information and Technology, Government of West Bengal
supported the entire show.

Annual awards
In a bid to provide boost to the growth of IT in Eastern India, COMPASS also hosted its annual awards night at the Oberoi Grand, Kolkata on the third day of the exhibition. Dr GD Gautama, Principal Secretary, Ministry for IT, Government of West Bengal graced the occasion as the Chief Guest along with other dignitaries from across the industry and media.

Based on a survey by Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB), awards were given out to winners in different categories. Another set of awards were given based on the performance of exhibitors at the expo in different categories.

For the second category of awards, the association had appointed neutral judges comprising experts from across the industry. There were three separate teams of judges for each category; one to select the winners for best interior decoration and display of products and best stalls; another to select the winners for the best value for money hardware products category. The final team of judges selected the winners for the best value for money software products category.

"No COMPASS members were involved in selecting winners. The decision was taken on the points given by the neutral judges based on certain parameters," explained Bhandari. "The aim of these awards is to recognize the contribution and
efforts of the IT companies," he explained.

Based on the IMRB survey, a set of awards was given out in several categories like, Best OEM and Best Distributor. Redington, leading distributor of computer peripherals in eastern India bagged the first prize as Best Distributor while Ingram was the runner up. In the Best OEM Category, Intel emerged winner and Compaq-HP was adjudged the runner up.

While giving away the awards, Dr Gautama commented that the awards conferred on the regional IT companies were to inspire them to excel in their respective categories. The gala event was sponsored by Seagate Technologies which was represented by Rajesh Khurana, its Country Manager.

The COMPASS Award night not only gave away awards to the winners but also had all the elements of entertainment for the guests that added a quotient of glamour and glitter to the occasion and made it memorable. Conceptualized and organized under the guidance of Bhandari, the award enthralled its spectators with dance; music and a fashion show performed by professional artistes. 

PIYALI GUHA in Kolkata

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