QUESTION MARK on transparency by organisers of India International Cycle Expo 2013

Ludhiana, February 20, 2013: A press conference convened by the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA) here on Wednesday took a very “dramatic” turn when a couple of the leading bicycle manufacturers, including RD Sharma, CMD, Hi-Bird Bicycles, put a question mark on the transparency by the organisers of India International Cycle Expo 2013 being organised in the grounds of the local government girls college from February 22-24.

 After the UCPMA president Gurmeet Singh Kular completed his address to the media persons, the Hi-Bird Bicycles chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) RD Sharma strongly demanded a thorough “investigation” by the UCPMA leadership against M/S Annex Media Marketing Network Private Limited, which is organising India International Cycle Expo 2013.

Sharma regretted that M/S Annex Media Marketing Network Private Limited had charged for the stalls exorbitantly from the exhibitors. He revealed that the exhibitors were being charged at Rs. 5,000 per square meter for un-built area and Rs. 6,000 per square meter for built area. He strongly pointed out that such exorbitant rates were not even charged at the “really international” cycle expo in China  where lakhs of visitors thronged ultimately benefitting to the exhibitors. These rates were even higher from auto expo held in Delhi, he said.

Further, Sharma said M/S Annex Media Marketing Network Private Limited did not seem to be providing facilities at par with exhibitions held in China and also, at other places in the country.

Sharma pointed out that M/S Annex Media Marketing Network Private Limited must keep in mind that people of Ludhiana already knew about the local brands of bicycle and bicycle parts manufacturers. In-fact, the motive of such events was to bring maximum dealers from across the country for the success. He doubted that the turnout of bicycle and bicycle parts manufacturers dealers would be negligible because of negligible publicity about the forthcoming event by M/S Annex Media Marketing Network Private Limited.

The Hi-Bird Cycles CMD said there seem to be mismanagement and lack of transparency at the end of M/S Annex Media Marketing Network Private Limited. He sought that M/S Annex Media Marketing Network Private Limited  should be asked as to how much budget it had kept for publicity of the event.

In reply, M/S Annex Media Marketing Network Private Limited’s director Surinder Brar found himself in a very awkward position there. However, he told that there were doing all out efforts for doing publicity of the event. He said they had kept Rs. 10 lakh budget for the publicity, out of which Rs. 3.50 lakh would be spent on print media. He claimed that they were charging “adequately” from the exhibitors and trying to provide all possible facilities to exhibitors and visitors.

However, Brar failed to satisfy Sharma and a couple of other manufacturers, which was evident from the fact that they were seen discussing the things with the media persons even after completion of the press conference.

Meanwhile, after the points raised by Sharma, the UCPMA chairman Manjit Singh Khalsa and president Gurmeet Singh Kular assured to get all the points raised by Sharma “investigated” at the own level. They categorically told that the UCPMA was not organising the event. “We are only the facilitators”, they said.

Earlier, addressing the press conference, Kular told that four manufacturers one each from China, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Sri Lanka were participating in the event Besides, 700 dealers from across the country were participating, he said. He revealed that the exhibitors were being released official grants worth Rs. 4,50,000 by MSME and Rs. 9,80,000 by National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC).

Kular said the motive of holding such an event was to bring newer technology for the manufacturers in the bicycle industry. He told that the event would exhibit the latest machinery and cycle and cycle parts. He revealed that some of the manufacturers would also launch new models of their bicycles in the event.

Kular told that the timing of the exhibition would be between 9 am and 6 pm.