Hyderabad|India|October'2009: The three-day COWE Trade Carnival
2009 an exclusive trade carnival for women entrepreneurs from India and
abroad today was kicked off today here at People’s Plaza, Necklace Road.
Mr. Sunil Pant, Chief General Manager - State Bank of India inaugurated
the Trade Carnival by cutting the ribbon. Organised by Confederation of
Women Entrepreneurs (COWE), a Hyderabad-based non-profit business
organization promoted to bring about social and economic upliftment of
women force through entrepreneurship, the Three-day COWE Trade Carnival
will be held from 10th to 12th October at People’s Plaza, Necklace Road,
Hyderabad. The exhibition will be open from 11 AM to 9 PM daily.
COWE Trade Carnival 2009 is being organized with the support from the
Government of Andhra Pradesh. The third in the series of annual fairs
being organized by Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs, it is also
supported by ZDH/Sequa partnership program of Indo-German Chamber of
Commerce. Several other organizations like SBI, SBH, NSIC, MSME, PNB,
SIDBI, Corporation Bank, GVK, LANCO, APSFC, Margadarsi, Radio Mirchi and
NABARD are also supporting the trade fair. MADHISIA (Madurai Small and
Tiny Industries Association), FAPCCI (Federation of AP Chambers of
Commerce & Industry) and GOA Chamber of Commerce are the partner
associates informed Mrs. Uma Gurkha, President - COWE.
Various financial institutions such as Bank of India; State Bank of
Hyderabad; Punjab National Bank; Small Industries Development Bank of
India (SIDBI); Axis Bank; Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSME), Govt. of India; National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and
others are participating in the Loan Mela. The Loan Mela is organized to
facilitate banker-entrepreneur interactions for quicker loan processing.
Besides the several cultural and entertainment programs lined up at the
carnival, games and competitions for children are also being organized,
informed Mrs. Soudhamini, Vice President and Publicity Incharge, COWE.
The Trade Carnival is organized with an aim to provide a platform for
women entrepreneurs to showcase their products, widen market
opportunities, test market, have B2B interactions and provide networking
opportunities. The Trade Carnival offers benefits to both budding women
entrepreneurs as well as existing women entrepreneurs, she added.
Following the democratic philosophy of ‘BY WOMEN, OF WOMEN, FOR WOMEN”,
this all women trade body ventured out to organize its maiden trade in
2007. Trade Carnival’s 2007 and 2008 were huge successes with over 200
exhibitors and over 30000 visitors. This year the Trade Carnival has 150
stalls — 20 commercial stalls, 8 sponsored stalls, NSIC has sponsored 25
stalls for the SSI sector, 10 stalls for Indian Franchise Association and
remaining for our women entrepreneurs, informed Coordinator Shailaja
Reddy. Visitors can also explore various franchise opportunities from
various companies such as Naturals Unisex Salon and Spa, Kwality Walls
Swirls, Helen O'Grady Academy, Gitanjali Jewels, FranchiseIndia.com, etc.
About 150 exhibitors will exhibit products such as Fashionware,
Handicrafts, Home Need Products, Decoration items, Jewellery, Household
goods, and many more consumer durables all manufactured by women
entrepreneurs. Apart from these an exclusive arena for entertainment has
been setup that will have Cultural events, dance & music programs and food
courts have been organized. The Trade Carnival will be participated by
women entrepreneurs who are in service providing such as Career
Counselling, Home and House Keeping, Fashion Designers, Wedding Service
Providers, Portrait Painters, Food Processors, Travel and Insurance
Agents, etc. and others will also participate. These exhibitors are from
various places such as Jaipur, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa,
Kanpur, Madurai, Kashmir, Hyderabad and other parts of AP. ZDH Partners
with the support of ZDH, an Indo-German initiative are also participating.
Ten members from Nigeria will also be participating.
Carnival
organized with support from State Government 