The press conference for the 21st Lao Handicraft Festival 2022 in Vientiane.

Handicraft festival to promote marketing, business skill exchange

The 21st Lao Handicraft Festival 2022 will support the marketing of local products and exchanges between makers of handicrafts for the promotion and development of products.
The event will be hold at the old building of the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (Lao-ITECC) in Vientiane during October 15-23, the Lao Handicraft Association announced at a joint news conference on Monday with the Department of Industry and Handicrafts, the Lao Journalists’ Association and the Lao World Public Company.
The festival will feature a variety of products, including textiles, jewellery, recycled products, pottery, handmade furniture, drawings and pictures and wood carvings. Local food products such as coffee and tea will also be on offer.
The Lao Handicraft Association expects there will be 230 booths displaying the products of exhibitors from around the country, the Vice President of the association, Mr Phouthong Xaysanith, said.
The festival will mark the 15th anniversary of the Lao Handicraft Day and the 25th anniversary of the Lao Handicraft Association, he said.
It will also provide an opportunity to people to buy a variety of handicraft products and witness the wonderful skills of Lao artisans, Mr Phouthong said.
The event will promote friendship and cooperation among artisans from all parts of the country and support efforts to preserve and promote traditional Lao handicraft products. This will help the artisans have better living conditions, he said.
Artisans and handicraft business operators can access the market and benefit from exchanges on experience and trading skills.
Visitors can enjoy fashion shows, craft demonstrations, workshops, product contests and other activities.
Seminars will be organised as part of the festival to help artisans develop their knowledge of business management, marketing, product design and quality.
Mr Phouthong said he believes the festival will enable local artisans to dramatically increase sales and develop business relationships that can lead to orders and contracts for popular products.
“The festival also helps to preserve and promote the country’s ancient and modern craft heritage,” he said.
The government, especially the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, gives importance to skill development, especially among artisans, by providing funds for training and building skill development centres.
Limited access to viable markets still poses a significant challenge for handicraft makers in rural and urban areas.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update September 21, 2022)