BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The 22nd Consumer Fair of Brunei came to a close on Sunday, marking an end to a week of firsts for the event.
The five-day exhibition saw the introduction of the "Consumer Fair family" mascots and a rush hour initiative where hourly promotions were allocated for different zones on the selling floor.
Although no headcount was provided as of press time, a representative from organizers D'Sunlit had initially said that they expected a turnout of over 120,000 people.
On the first day, exhibitors noted that attendance was less than stellar but footfall increased on the last day when vendors introduced more aggressive promotions, slashing prices by 50 percent on certain products.
This year's exhibition saw participation from up to 450 booths and sellers.
Some of the vendors, however, said that this year's fair was quiet compared to previous iterations.
Zul Abdul Rahman from Concepts Computer said that all editions of the Consumer Fair had always brought with them a great number of visitors and potential customers but the timing of this year's event could have been better.
Zul felt that the fair should have been held after Brunei's payday or during a period where people did not have to save for upcoming celebrations.
"We will continue to join future editions of the Consumer Fair but maybe the dates can be changed to the end of the month when visitors and potential customers have more spending money," he told Xinhua.
A local exhibitor who has participated in the exhibition over the last four years felt that visitors have misconceptions on the objectives of consumer fairs, associating them with cheap goods and big discounts.
"Other than allowing local companies to get rid of old stocks, consumer fairs should be a showcase of foreign businesses or products that Bruneians may want to import or invest in," he said, adding that for local companies, the shows are a chance to raise their profile.
"Vendors can not price their products too cheap because they spend a lot of money for the exhibition booths and to bring their products here. When visitors look for cheap products they don't find them and this leads to low sales," he said.
The first Consumer Fair was introduced in 2008 as a one-stop shop for the latest products and services at promotional prices.
