The veteran Century Promotions Plc has bagged the contract to host the upcoming Christmas and Easter holidays with 84 million Br, aspiring to breathe life into the fatigued exhibition scenes clouded by inflation.

About nine firms participated in the bid called by the Addis Abeba Exhibition Centre & Marketing Development Enterprise. Commercial Nominees, DCT Entertainment, and Pagumen Tour & Travel were also amongst the shortlisted companies eyeing the tender that opened two weeks ago.

Incorporated in 1991, Century promotion is familiar with the scene having organised multiple events at the venue before including the ongoing New Year exhibition.

Teklu Abate, head of marketing at the Exhibition Centre expressed his goodwill that a company with a better track record of organising successful events had won.

However, the offer put on the table seem to be declining by the year.

The winning offer is relatively lower compared to last year, where the same company won the bid to host the Easter bazaar for 28 million Br while its contender DCT Entertainment outbid the Christmas bazaar with a 35 million Br offer. A significantly higher amount was offered by Betahon Special Events Plc a couple of years ago, with commitments to host both holidays for 110 million Br. However, the Company defaulted on its obligation which led the Enterprise's management to take matters into their own hands.

The notable contender Commercial Nominees lost the bid with a 72 million Br offer. Established three decades ago, the Company has over 43,000 employees across 33 branches.

For Yeshitela Tefera, the operation manager, who believes their offer was too high on its own, the winning price was surprising.

"It's risky," said Yeshitela.

Commercial Nominees collaborated with Century Promotion last year organising the Easter bazaar. Although a similar arrangement has not been made so far, Yeshitila hopes to get into the joint venture scheme once more.