The 23rd edition of Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) has come up with digital services to help visitors navigate through the large and crowded premises of the fair via app and technology.
The Digital Experience Center (DIC), installed at the fair, is supposed to help visitors locate stalls and find some details on products exhibited.
Valleycon Digital, a Bangladeshi start-up company offering numerous digital services, installed the center. The DIC was running in an experimental booth, located near the main entrance so that people could get immediate assistance upon entering the fair.
A second booth has been planned to be set up in front of the VIP gate. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed would also launch a mobile application named DITF Live 2018 that could be downloaded from Google Play Store from January 5.
The app is currently in place, but it would be fully functional with updates from Jan 5, officials said. The application is expected to allow visitors to get access to updated navigation without having to visit any of the booths.
People could search for specific stalls or booths they wanted to visit and get directions to the destination. A PDF or JPG version of the DITF Master Plan (map) was available for download from the DITF website as well.
However, despite visitors’ immense interest in using this digital service, most were having to resort to using the analog maps located throughout the fair, because the digital map had not been properly updated yet. A total of 56 locations could be accessed by the app and from the booth, including five points of interest, 36 stalls and pavilions, 11 amenities and four places of attraction.
Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Valleycon Digital CEO Imran Mahmud Shamim said they had been unable to completely update all stalls, booths, and pavilions because the map of the fair had been finalized on December 26 and they had received the final list of participants on December 29.
Additionally, the information required from stall owners, such as logos, pictures, and products on sale had not been submitted by the companies who had rented the stalls. Many stalls had not even been properly set up yet since visitor turnout was low during the early days of the fair.
However, they were very hopeful that everything would be completed by January 5, and that all visitors would be able to move around inside the premises with an interactive map right in the palm of their hands.
