KARACHI, April 11: A large number of people flocked to the Expo Centre in Gulshan-i-Iqbal where a three-day exhibition titled “All about Lifestyles” got underway on Thursday afternoon.
The exhibition is being organized by the Dawn Group of Newspapers.
Ninety-five stalls in the three halls of the Expo Centre buzzed with activity as people bought consumers goods without having to haggle over prices, as the 75 companies taking part in the exhibition were selling their products at knock-down rates.
Shabnum Abdullah of Print Media Consultants, the firm that has organized and managed the event, said that while this time round there was no thematic distribution of stalls in the halls, a colour scheme was followed.
“The first hall presents a combination of blue and red, the second hall grey and red and the third hall, beige and red. Red is the common denominator.”
She added that this year, the exhibition would also include a championship dog show on Saturday.
“The dog show has been organized by the Dawn Group in collaboration with the Kennel Club of Pakistan.”
More than 32 volunteers, mostly students, guided people around the halls where the exhibitors — automobile manufacturers, consumer electronics companies, interior designers, insurance companies, Internet service providers, IT-related products and services providers, home appliances manufacturers, banks, financial services institutions, travel and tourism companies, fashion designers and cosmetics manufacturers — put their products on display.
The corridor leading to the first hall of the Expo Centre displayed photographs presented by the Photographic Society of Karachi. The corridor leading to the third corridor was lined with paintings.
While children took a keen interest in the puppet show by Ritz Theatre, the stalls of all the three armed forces — Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy — were also surrounded by young people who were procuring information about recruitment procedures. Documentary movies were also being shown.
Wing Commander Hanif of the PAF told Dawn that as many as 200 girls would be taking a test shortly to pursue careers in flying and aeronautical engineering in the PAF.
Kashif Ali, a businessman in his late forties, said he was pleasantly surprised that the organizers of the event had brought sellers of almost all commodities — from cars to mascaras — under the same roof. “Such exhibitions enable buyers to make a comparative study of the prices of the goods being sold in the market.”
Nargis Fatima, a student of the University of Karachi, said she had come to the Expo Centre straight from the campus along with her friends. “While IT has admittedly become a significant part of the urban lifestyle, we must not ignore the importance of the role books play in our lives. I am surprised that this exhibition does not have a single book stall.”
The exhibition will remain open to the public from 2pm to 11pm daily, till Saturday.
KARACHI, April 11: A large number of people flocked to the Expo Centre in Gulshan-i-Iqbal where a three-day exhibition titled “All about Lifestyles” got underway on Thursday afternoon.
