Cyprus Int’l Fair opens, changes name to EXPO – CYPRUS

The 32^nd Cyprus International Fair opened Thursday afternoon amid declarations of ambitious plans that will transform the exhibition grounds to a modern convention centre.

The President of the Cyprus State Fairs Authority, Loris Tryfon, said in his opening speech that more than 100,000 people are expected to visit the Fair that opens to the public on Friday and is sponsored by the state telecoms group, CYTA.

In all, 300 exhibitors representing products and services of about 1,000 companies from Cyprus and 25 other countries are taking part, while Greece, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Syria and the U.S. are taking part with national pavilions.

“We also welcome for the third consecutive year the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce,” Tryfon said, adding that a parallel Exhibition of Research and Innovation is taking place in Pavilion 1 rganized in cooperation with the Planning Bureau and the Employers and Industrialists Federation of Cyprus (OEV), with the participation of 22 companies and organizations.

“We are ready to proceed with our Master Plan which foresees the creation of a completely modern Exhibition and Conference Centre,” he said, adding that the focus will be to attract conference tourism, for which the Authority has recruited George Michalides, formerly of the Louis Group, as its new Marketing Director.

Thanking the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Antonis Michaelides, as well as the Nicosia Chamber of Commerce and Industry for their support, Tryfon said that the new centre will be ready by 2010, in time to become the host venue when Cyprus takes over the EU presidency in 2012.

“Today, we also take the opportunity to present you with the new Corporate Name for the Authority’s facilities, EXPO – CYPRUS that will offer large modern and technologically upgraded halls, as well as very pleasant open areas for outdoor events. We will also have the necessary conference areas and arrangements, as well as amphitheatre to host conferences for up to 2,500 people, together with smaller auxiliary halls,” Tryfon said.

“We will soon proceed with the announcement of the architectural competition. There is a need to establish and create a dynamic Nicosia Convention Bureau which will undertake the marketing and the promotion of the European Capital of Nicosia,” he said, adding that international firms will be invited to submit proposals for the utilisation of the Fair’s other grounds through the build-operate-transfer (BOT) method.

“Our development plans include a hotel that will be linked to our conference centre, modern offices with advanced technology and various other facilities for the entertainment sector,” Tryfon concluded.

As regards community work, the Authority’s board has decided to organise an event that will tackle the vast problem of drugs.  This will be done in collaboration with the Anti Narcotics Council, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, as well as the Church of Cyprus.

This event is expected to deal with the analysis and discussion by experts from Cyprus and abroad about the various areas that contribute to combating the problem, such as prevention, law enforcement, therapy and social rehabilitation.