KARACHI, Oct 6: In such difficult times, pulling off a trade show on a massive scale is no mean feat, a Chinese delegate at the 7th Expo Pakistan commented while talking to Dawn on Saturday.

The businessman, who is on his second visit to Pakistan, went on to add that no one from the Chinese delegation backed out despite the off putting news in the recent past in the backdrop of the country-wide protests against the anti-Islam film.

A mixed bag of results, the 7th Expo Pakistan had many buyers appreciating the opportunities that Pakistan offers while facing criticism at the same time for not making enough effort to market the event professionally.

Riding high on the success of the Expo 2011 where 600 buyers from 52 plus countries attended the show and deals worth $518 million were reached.

“A lot of potential buyers backed out after the anti-Islam film. We already have an image problem all over the world and things are going from bad to worse,” says Syed Farhan Ali, Merchandising Manager at Sarmad Apparel’s.

“It is quite disappointing that a lot of buyers did not show up. Part of the reason is the sloppy marketing strategy of TDAP which failed to entice the relevant people,” he said.

Saying that specialised products such as surgical instruments, technical garments, etc., are being produced with ‘foreign buyers in mind’, he added: “We were expecting delegates from many EU countries. The Polish delegation never showed up and nor did a lot of other Europeans.”

No representative from the Trade and Development Authority of Pakistan was available for comment.

He maintained that such events in Pakistan are very important and must be encouraged as it is not possible for all businessmen to ‘go abroad and reach out to a client base’.

“This is where TDAP comes in but sadly it fails to deliver. Last month there was an exhibition in Paris and Pakistan had its place right at the corner, at the exit. No body knew that this was the Pakistan’s section thanks to the mismanagement.”

Softer image: From Swat, Mumtaz Khan, a representative for New Swati Products, held out a plain looking. Mentioning the products available with the company and the contact persons’ information, it also had an interesting line that read: ‘The above are nice products of pretty valley of Swat’.

When questioned about how the insurgency in Swat affected trade activities in the region and the perception of foreign buyers, he quickly pointed it: “Swat is much safer than Karachi. The Army has managed to weed out the culprits and to an extent we are back on our feet. These are tough time but we have to make an extra effort.”

He stated that interest from foreign buyers was quite impressive, with many asking him questions about the situation in Swat and Taliban.

Earlier on, quite a few foreign delegates were please ‘to be alive and kicking’ on the third day of the event. While a large number had checked out and were on their way home, many others sat around in the hotels coffee shops that buzzed with activity. As one hotel employee noted: “It’s after months that we had so many rooms being booked in one go. Foreigners generally avoid coming to Pakistan and the barricades and barb wires at the entrance gates are more than enough to scare them for not stepping outside their room.”

However, this lack of ‘positive image’ did not deter over 500 foreigners from landing in the city.

Wajihullah Kundi, commercial counsellor for High Commission of Pakistan in Malaysia, said: “A businessman always calculates the risks. Where there are more risks, there are more returns too. It’s not always the short comings in term of ‘image building’”. Stressing that spin doctors for ‘soft image’ are always needed, he said that other factors play an important role too. “There is the ongoing power issue that has buyers worried. They think twice before placing orders here, knowing well the situation of load-shedding. Our exporters are not in a position to guarantee when they would be able to deliver.”