The First Seminar of Public Relations Managers of Exhibition Companies in Isfahan
Akbarpour said that holding the sessions of this type can lead to greater communication of exhibitions as showcases of production and trading of Islamic Iran The First Seminar of Public Relations Managers of Iran Exhibitions Company, which was hosted by the historic city of Isfahan, was held on June 24 and 25, in the presence of public relations managers of the country’s provinces, reported from the Public Relations and International Affairs of Iran International Exhibitions Company. According to the report, Kazem Akbarpour Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of the International Exhibitions Company said in a message that was read by Amoli Manager of Public Relations and International Affairs of Iran International Exhibitions Company at the session: in the year of National Production, Supporting Iranian Work and Capital, exhibitions across the country have shown their capacity for growth and excellence by holding the first meeting of public relations managers of exhibitions – the initiative which is worthy of admiration. He noted that under the conditions that the public relations managers of exhibitions across the country have gathered to discuss the function of communication, it is better that they identify strategies to reduce the gap between exhibitions by initiative, and provide the possibility of applying a positive potential in the enjoyment of the space created. Then, Akbarpour said that identifying and organizing capacities and capabilities along with the identifying shortcomings, anticipating programs and providing infrastructures for the development of exhibition industry can be regarded as the components by which the exhibitions across the country can, with a jump of program, convert those involved in this area (who attempt to track and monitor information) to engineers of public opinion in order to assist the industry. The Managing Director of Iran International Exhibitions Company acknowledged that deserves special attention deserves a special attention which should be paid to mutual communication in the interaction with the audience of exhibitions, so that a balance and stability can be made in these activities through developing relations between fairs and actively dealing with organizations of the same trade and exhibition executives. Affirming that correct, timely, and impartial information is important in the exchange of views of visitors and the audience of exhibitions to managers and officials, he added: holding these meetings can lead to communicate more between exhibitions of the country as showcases of production and trading of Islamic Iran, provide fundamental solutions to play an effective and efficient role of public relations in solving the existing problems on their way, hold various exhibition in more efficient manner, create effective communication between exhibitions, executives, visitors, audience of exhibitions, and meet their expectations. In the continuation of this meeting, Mozaffar Ansari President of Isfahan province's Industry, Mine and Trade Organization said that public relations are among the most challenging areas to improve the quality of exhibitions. Since all thoughts, activities and actions of a fair are dispersed, public relations can provide all the affairs in different parts (such as holding exhibitions, creating calendar of exhibitions, marketing, and providing cultural services to the audience, participants, clients and visitors) in a consistent, classified and elegant manner. Stating that the role of public relations today is even beyond the arts in most cases, he said: public relations have become a science of providing intellectual food for the various departments. It is better to say that it would be unfair if they are considered less than the brain. The survival of an enterprise is dependent on public relations; and if a business moves toward marketing and does not provide necessary and appropriate space for clients, it will soon end its life. President of Isfahan province's Industry, Mine and Trade Organization said: for the Islamic Republic of Iran, custodian of non-oil exports and the Trade Promotion Organization, public relations are expected to be able to gather different countries with diverse economic aspects, languages, religions and speech and to link the economic, cultural and political relations. Stating that Expo exhibitions being formed in today's world are the place to share the knowledge, art, culture and sciences, Ansari said: public relations are responsible - as large part of their duty - for maintaining international brand of exhibitions. They must not eliminate international thinking and long-term objectives of the exhibition only by offering a few commodities. Therefore, the thinking should be beyond the scope of government and is confined in a specific context. He said that exhibitions like chains that must be flourished together and it will also disrupt the entire chain if a chain is broken. Producer, consumer and distributor all need each other. All sectors are also indebted consumers. If one of these chains is damaged, the remaining parts will be disrupted from each other. Hamid Reza Amoli, Manager of Public Relations and International Affairs of Iran International Exhibitions Company, acknowledged in his speech: historical studies on exhibitions show that Phoenicians were the first in history to have the industry of money, market, and fair. Iranian tribes had markets similar to exhibitions many years previously. In the route of Silk Road, the Iranian businessmen were staying a few days before selling their goods and put their goods on display in the fields and entrances of cities. This shows a kind of marketing and exhibition. After that, the old markets and the so-called fair became the first generation of large exhibitions that were held annually in different countries and had activities within a long period of time (sometimes more than a month). He said that first trade fair of Iran entitled “Exhibitions of Asian Countries”, which started its activities by 1348 in Tehran permanent international fairgrounds, was attended by 33 countries around the world for 21 days; and thus the first generation of exhibitions were extinct over time. New generation of exhibitions now today formed as specialized fairs that are being held with almost 70 subjects per year in Tehran international exhibition, Amoli added. He believes that in 1348 when Iran had the first international exhibition, countries around Iran was still seeking its independence. But today, a country like Malaysia has an exhibition center which holds 600 exhibitions and economic events at its central site. Dividing the main duties of Iranian Exhibitions Company into three categories (i.e. holding domestic exhibition, participation in foreign exhibitions and holding conferences and festivals), Amoli said: unfortunately, the country’s exhibitions act poor in the third duty which is faced with the highest shortcoming. Manager of Public Relations of Iran International Exhibition acknowledged: the exhibition that only is held in the hall with no conference, no opening and closing ceremonies and no training class is a fair with very poor scientific support, to which the visitors will have negative and undesirable judgment and perception. Stating that the annual income of exhibitions at the world amount to 300 billion dollars, Amoli said: gross profit of the Expo in 2010 was equal to four hundred and fifty billion dollars. Introducing the exhibitions as commercial showcases of the countries, he added: a commercial showcase is valuable for a country. Exhibitions are the only link between production and trade because producer does not have the science of a distributor and vice versa. Like universities, the exhibitions import and distribute widely the technology, innovation and knowledge in any country. Amoli added: Non-oil exports can only be achieved by the exhibition, and other ways are certainly very expensive. The Expos are the exhibitions that are being held once every five years in the world and are regarded as economic and cultural Olympics. He also made suggestions that definitely have a role in more coordination and interaction between exhibitions, to the international exhibitions throughout the country. As first suggestion, Tehran International Exhibition Company is prepared to allocate a space of the pavilion of Iran Government in the Expo to the provinces to summarize the discussions of their province with the topics of “feeding the planet, energy for life” and devote part of the hall to themselves. The second suggestion that Amoli raised is participation of the provinces’ exhibitions in the pavilion of Iran in foreign international exhibitions where are being held each year in the target countries and we will consider a 50% discount for the provinces in this regard. |
