“Every year, InfoTech gains a good momentum, and the start this year, too, has been very encouraging,” said CAN General Secretary Binod Dhakal. [break] Last year’s annual event had nearly 300,000 visitors, and CAN expects more than 350,000 this time around. A total of 100 companies with 270 stalls are participating in CAN InfoTech 2010.
“Owing to the tough competition among exhibitors, Information and Technology (IT)-related products are offered at cheaper prices during the event,” commented Suresh Kumar Karna, President of CAN. Most of the exhibitors have marked down the prices of their products between 5-30%. Therefore, if you’re looking to buy any IT gadgets, CAN InfoTech is the place where you’ll find better and cheaper options—all in one place.
“Prices after the exhibition will be higher,” said Sagar Dev Lakhe, one of the exhibitors of Brother and Kaspersky. “Some reputed brands have even provided funding to attract customers,” informed Lakhe. According to him, Brother has funded Rs 3.5 million to publicize their offers to potential customers.
Sagar Company, a distributor for Brothers and Kaspersky, is selling A3 Inkjet Photocopy machine for only Rs. 33,000, exclusively for the event. The actual price of the product is Rs. 1,68,000. This attractive offer is applicable while the stock lasts. Out of the 25 available, 18 have already been booked. Likewise, the company is also offering discounts on antivirus software Kapersky and McAfee.
“Due to competitive prices, many clients generally wait for the event to buy IT equipment,” opined Karna. He himself is purchasing a joystick and a mobile set during the event.
While customers are looking for affordable products, those wanting to purchase laptops are also looking for energy-saving ones. With load shedding hours on the rise, energy-saving devices are on top of the priority list of most customers.
This, in turn, has led to a rise in competition to increase battery life of laptops among companies, and some are even selling laptops with battery life up to six hours.
“I’m looking for a laptop that has a long battery life,” stated Sanjiv Rimal, an IT professional from Baneshwor.
Similarly, solar-powered battery chargers have also been gaining much popularity at the event. 75-watts and 40-watts solar panels are being sold at Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 36,000 respectively by Infotech Company Pvt. Ltd. “A fully loaded battery can last up to 8 hours,” put in salesperson Krishna Prasad Adhikari.
Exhibitor Mercantile has electronic devices such as iPod and its accessories, laptops, and cellular phones on display at the event.
“The 13.5-inch MacBook is being offered at Rs. 1,03,000, which is Rs 3,000 less than its cost price,” said Prayasman Pradhan of Mercantile.
According to Richa Joshi, salesperson of Nepa Hima Trade Link for Sony goods, many middle class customers are looking to buy the popular camera, Sony Cybershot 180 which costs Rs. 13,800. Other major attractions from Sony are the world’s slimmest 99mm television (Rs. 7,00,000) and the Sweep Panorama Camera (Rs. 31,300) made for landscape photography.
Along with the display of the latest in technology, other things new at CAN InfoTech 2010 is online access of the event, and the Cyber Crime Cell of Nepal Police.
CAN InfoTech will go on till Monday, January 18 at Bhrikuti Mandap, Exhibition Road.
Related story
Handicraft products and Herbal /organic products in Monsoon edi...
