Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA), headquartered in Mysuru, has proposed to conduct a summer expo at the Dasara exhibition grounds in the city to give traction to the local economy and revive the demand for textiles and crafts.
This was decided by the KEA at a recent meeting and the proposal has been submitted to the government for approval. The authorities are confident of securing approval as they expect the situation to have further improved by April.
KEA chairman Hemanth Kumar Gowda said that the pandemic-induced lockdown had created a pent-up demand for purchase and sales and the exhibition could harness this sentiment. “It is almost an year since the outbreak of COVID-19 and routine economic activities, including purchase and sale of textiles, fabric and crafts, have been affected. But people are now more than willing to go out and get back to normalcy, besides seeking a break as the pandemic is now ebbing while the vaccine has also been rolled out,” said Mr. Gowda.
The exhibition will be a full-fledged one lasting 45 days during the forthcoming summer. The proposal has received widespread support as the famed Dasara Exhibition — which used to be held for 90 days and would often be extended because of its popularity — was also cancelled in 2020.
Mr. Gowda said that if government approved the expo, the KEA would ensure that all protocols pertaining to COVID-19 were followed.
Expressing confidence there was a demand for such exhibitions, he said a spate of smaller expos by private players in the city in recent times, after the graded unlocking, had seen a lot of footfall. Other officials of the KEA said given the scale and variety of items consumers will have to choose from at KEA exhibitions, the turnover could be much higher and it would be a small step towards reviving the consumer habit of spending, which was vital to generating demand , and accelerating industrial activity.
