Basis SoftExpo 2020 kicks off February 6

With the aim of promoting the software industry and reduce the gap between students and the industry, Basis SoftExpo is going to be held between February 6 and 9 at the International Convention City Bashundhara in the capital.

This will be the 16th SoftExpo organised by Basis (Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services) where over 300 local and international companies will participate, said Basis President Syed Almas Kabir.

He was addressing a press meet at the Basis head office in the capital's Karwan Bazar on Tuesday.

SoftExpo is South Asia's largest ICT exposition.

Under the slogan "Transforming Life Through Innovation", the four-day event will be a congregation of ICT companies, key policymakers, industry leaders, and other ICT stakeholders.

Speakers at the press conference said many people are still unaware of the potential of the Bangladeshi software and IT sector although software and IT products are widely used in every industry. 

"Software is an invisible thing; you just cannot touch it. That is why the software industry is also invisible like it. People do not know much about the potential of the sector, but regularly enjoy the benefits of using software," said Farhana A Rahman, senior vice president of Basis. 

"So, we arrange this fair every year to promote this sector to the world," she added. 

Basis President Syed Almas Kabir said, "Our goal is to involve 20 lakh people in the ICT sector and export ICT products and services worth $5 billion within 2023. In the upcoming expo, an ICT career camp will be held with the participation of more than 2,000 students."

"There will be innovative project show-casing, with the participation of more than 45 universities. The first three innovative projects will be awarded," he said. 

Kabir further mentioned that more than 30 seminars and sessions would be held on topics, such as 5G, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robotics and many other tech-related subjects. 

"More than 100 local and foreign experts will deliver speeches. A conference on outsourcing will also be held, and I think such initiatives will help us meet our goals," said the Basis president. 

The fair will help the local IT companies expand their business, Kabir opined. 

"SoftExpo is the platform to showcase the capability of the local software companies in the international arena," he added.   

This year's expo will be divided into 10 individual zones, said Mushfiqur Rahman, Basis vice president (finance) and the fair's convener.

"The zones are Industry 4.0 Zone, Experience Zone, VAT Zone, Digital Education Zone, FinTech Zone, Women Zone, Software Showcasing Zone, Mobile Innovation Zone, Digital Commerce Zone, and ITES and BPO Zone," he added.

B-2-B matchmaking sessions will also be held between local and foreign ICT companies, allowing the local firms to expand their business. Companies from Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands will participate in these sessions.

President Abdul Hamid will inaugurate the fair being held under the platinum sponsorship of Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited.