Mr. Ahmad Nawaz President Pakistan HVACR society talks to Engineering Post
The 27th Pakistan HVACR Expo organised at Lahore has been one of the biggest and most successful events in the history of HVACR Expos in Pakistan. Although the international participation for the event was a lot less than expected (due to the new wave of COVID in China) still there is no doubt that the organisers of the expo had done a wonderful job in bringing all the stake holders at one platform an executing a grand event.
We at Engineering Post had a detailed conversation with Mr. Ahmad Nawaz President Pakistan HVACR society to understand the struggle and hard work that went into organising the amazing event. During the conversation Mr. Ahmad Nawaz said that it was one of the hardest events to organise as the volatile situation of economy and the ensuing political chaos had shattered the confidence of investors “After the recent hike in dollar and fuel price the investors were very apprehensive and had started to withdraw from the Expo. It was only after consistent motivation and counselling by our team that they agreed to participate, Alhamdulillah,” he explained “We had been working on this expo for the last 2 years, Mr.Amir previous Chapter Chairman had also put in a lot of effort then the responsibility was shifted to Mr. Ahmad Naeem Chughtai who did a commendable job” he added.
A very positive initiative taken in the 27th Pakistan HVACR expo has been the setting up of a special Made in Pakistan pavilion where the local manufacturers working in the HVACR industry of the country have been given the opportunity to display their products. This initiative will go a long way in establishing a trend of promoting quality oriented domestically produced goods which were being imported till now. The customers will be able to see the potential of local manufacturers and it will also motivate the local players to develop higher quality standards “Made in Pakistan pavilion had been in our plans for a long time but with the recent import band and the unprecedented hike in dollar prices we decided to increase the scale of the pavilion. Moreover to incentivise the local manufacturers we decided to provide the stalls at subsidised rates which ensured maximum participation from the local community. Furthermore it was decided that the main theme which will be highlighted throughout the expo will be Made in Pakistan,” said Mr. Ahmad Nawaz President Pakistan HVACR society.
A very unique aspect witnessed after a very long time in this expo has been that the Pakistan HVACR society and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Pakistan has worked in unison for a common goal. The ASHRAE conference has been planned in such a way that it is being held within the 27th HVACR expo. A separate hall has been assigned to ASHRAE within the expo centre Lahore for the conference. This will definitely have a positive impact for both stakeholders in terms of participation and footfall. Mr. Ahmad Nawaz while commenting on this development said “After a long time Pakistan HVACR society and ASHRAE Pakistan are completely on the same page. The conference being held will have local as well as international speakers who will present their papers. The international speakers have agreed to join in via Zoom link while the local speakers will be present physically. This initiative has been achieved after a lot of deliberation and efforts on both sides and will be beneficial for both the parties,” he added…..
The success of any Expo relies upon maximum participation from the exhibitors as well as the visitors. The 27th HVACR Expo provided an extraordinary opportunity for the HVACR industry to engage millions of people and create a lasting impact. Pakistan HVACR society took on the challenge of ensuring maximum number of exhibitors and participants. To ensure that maximum participation from visitor the society initiated an aggressive targeted marketing campaign on electronic and social media. Moreover hoardings and billboards across Lahore especially near the industrial areas were engaged to maximise the visibility. The advertisements were also placed along canal road.
To ensure the engagement of business community Pakistan HVACR society worked with Lahore chamber of commerce where they were allowed to set up a space with Ads and brochures about the expo. The chamber of commerce of other nearby cities including Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Rawalpindi were also engaged. Mr. Ahmad Nawaz while commenting on it said “We have been constantly in contact with the Chamber of commerce of Lahore and other nearby cities to ensure maximum participation from the business community so that the best results can be obtained from the expo. With just Lahore chamber of commerce we have engaged more than 22 thousand members of the business community,”
An expo of this magnitude and with this much volume is bound to attract a significant numbers of visitors. Exhibitors from all over Pakistan have come together on a single platform to display their latest innovations and technologies being offered in Pakistan. This is the perfect place for Pakistani consultants to visit and see all the different technologies in one place. In this regard Pakistan HVACR society has also tried to involve the renowned consultants of the country “We have invited the top consultants in the country to come and visit the 27th HVACR expo in Lahore so they can see at a single platform all the different companies of the country. Our special emphasis will be on promoting the local manufacturers so the consultants can utilise maximum domestically produced items,” revealed Mr. Ahmad Nawaz
At the end Mr. Ahmad Nawaz appreciated the efforts of the team of Pakistan HVACR society on successfully organising such a grand event at Lahore “I know from experience that organising an Expo is an extremely nerve racking process where every small detail needs to be looked into. All this has been done by our team with remarkable success especially during such difficult and volatile times. Mr. Ahmad Naeem Chughtai Lahore Chapter Chairman and his organizing team deserves special commendation for organising everything so professionally. Of course it is a team effort where everyone has to play their part to achieve the goal and everyone at Lahore chapter has been phenomenally responsible and efficient,” he said.
