New Delhi, Sept 12: The ELECOMP India 2007, organised by Exhibition India Group (EIG) at Pragati Maidan from September 12 to 14, on its first day, received a lukewarm response from general masses. It however, had a good number of companies showcasing their products at the annual fair. Exhibits from over 20 countries including Austria, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and USA were put on display at the show. The exhibition also incorporated SOLAR TECH INDIA 2007 which offered advancement in the utilization of solar energy. Companies manufacturing electronic components, subsystems as well as equipments and machinery showcased their products as part of their marketing strategy.

Gunjan Bhatia of EIG, who organised the show said that there were plans afoot to organise one event specifically directed towards renewable energy every year along with the annual ELECOMP exhibition. The emphasis this year was on solar energy. Talking about the peoples response to the show she said, "Even though it was the first day, the visitors response was encouraging. She said that although South Asian companies were very popular in the Electronic Show, it was the Indian companies which stole the show at the SOLAR TECH.

Unlike the Solar Tech Show, exhibitors at the electronic section did not receive a good response on the first day. According to Disha Electronic, one of the delegates who was participating in the show, said that there were no new customers apart from the existing ones. Most of the visitors who visited the stalls were dealers & distributors.

Delegates participating in the show believed that the "bandh" called by the VHP was the main reason behind the sluggish response. One of the foreign delegates, Marc Abecassis of STACK Electronics Europe, who just started his business in India, felt that the show was yet to take off in a big way.

The exhibitors at the SOLAR TECH however, felt otherwise. Being the first exhibition of its kind, the exhibitors were warmly welcomed by the people as it provided them a good opportunity to learn about the technology used in European countries. Amit Mukherjee of CEL, an India-based company, said that India had immense potential in conserving the solar energy as it receives sunlight for more than 300 days in a year. Anjan Ghosh of TATA BP Solar India Limited emphasized the need for a dedicated and stable policy for solar energy in India. He said that the Government policy did trigger an initiative to harness solar energy but it has failed to capitalise on it.