Tuesday, 25 November 2014 00:22
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The Sri Lanka Convention Bureau announced that the AESIEAP (Association of the Electricity Supply Industry of East Asia and the Western Pacific) has chosen Sri Lanka as the host destination for its activities in the years 2017/18.
The activities feature the AESIEAP CEO Conference and Conference of the Electric Power Supply Industry (CEPSI) which would draw around 200 and 2,000 foreign delegates respectively. They will come together to study problems at the regional level and to seek for solutions that can contribute to the development of the electricity supply industry in the region.
Sri Lanka will have an opportunity to encourage investments in the local electricity industry, promote co-operation and exchange of expertise and technology among members and start new projects through buyer consultations. Small and medium sized companies in the country will also get the opportunity to attend these global events as they are held in Sri Lanka. The two conferences will be held in Colombo, with day tours to various tourist hotspots in the country.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), which will be the local host of the activities, presented the winning bid to the Council Members of AESIEAP recently in South Korea. According to CEB Spokesperson Prathiba Fernando, Sri Lanka was chosen over India as the preferred destination owing to the reputation of the CEB in the electricity supply industry in the region and owing to Sri Lanka’s reputation as a country having a suitable environment and infrastructure to hold such conferences.
Once again the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, as the pioneer in the promotion of MICE (Meetings, Incentive travel, Conferences, Exhibitions) in the country, played a significant role in designing and execution of the marketing campaign in the lead up to the presentation.
Sri Lanka’s expertise in MICE event organisation, latest infrastructure developments and tourist attractions were demonstrated through e-flyers, complemented by printed and audio-visual promotional material.
“The events will attract a large number of media personnel and accompanying personnel providing a platform to further enhance the image of Sri Lanka as a favoured MICE and leisure destination for association meetings,” said Vipula Wanigasekera, CEO of the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau.
International conferences is a key element of MICE tourism, generating a considerable volume of direct and indirect employment opportunities, a sector which comprises the high-spending, up-market travellers, and one which has become a segment which many countries focus on due to the spin-off economic benefits.
