KARACHI: Thousands of people, most of them accompanying their families, thronged to witness and be part of the Dawn Lifestyles Expo — Pakistan’s biggest three-day annual event focused on enhancing the lives of consumers — on its second day on Saturday.

More than 100 stalls were there to offer food, household and other items matching the hobbies and nuances of life of the visitors.

It coincided with the two-day Dawn Education Expo that began on Saturday in the adjacent halls in the Expo Centre Karachi. The Lifestyles Expo managed to attract a large number of visitors at the exhibition, which will run till Sunday.

Companies and brands displaying their products at the mega event got encouraging footfall and hope that the attendance would be even better on Sunday as it happened in the previous such events.

Almost all top brands of Pakistan are participating in the event. The stalls ranged from beverages and foods to travel insurance, builders and foam mattress companies.

The Dawn German Shepherd Landesgruppen Dog Show attracted a good number of participants and spectators. The show was organised in collaboration with the Pakistan Kennel Club and Pakistan German Shepherd Dog Club.

Organisers said one of the two judges of the contest was an ‘international’ judge who decided about the winners of the show. There would be an all-breed dog show on Sunday.

A number of stalls at the venue were selling export quality material at 50 per cent off. Same is true for bedding and homes accessories.

Discounts were on offer and lucky draws by the brands were in vogue for the keen visitors.

Special deals were there at a host of stalls offering skincare, beauty and personal care products.

Like the first day, many visitors focused on clothing and food stalls.

Apart from the rare Pakistani stamps exhibition organised by the Pakistan Philatelic and Numismatic Society, there were tourism outlets offering cheaper rates for travel abroad with lucky draws open for visitors.

The Stamp Society of Pakistan collaborated with the Dawn Media Group in organising stamp drawing competition for children aged four to 10 on the first day while on Saturday children aged 11 to 17 took part in the contest. Successful candidates would receive their prizes on Sunday.

From schools to insurers had their representation in the event which attracted a decent turnout in various halls.

Education Expo

Pakistan’s largest and oldest Dawn Education Expo began on Saturday at the Expo Centre.

The event completed its 14 years, which would be held for two days in Karachi till Sunday. It would be held in Lahore on Feb 7-8, and Feb 10-11 in Islamabad.

Organisers said the impressively attended event hosted 87 stalls, predominantly by the universities from Pakistan and elsewhere in the world.

The universities from Malaysia, France, Sweden, Canada, the United States, Hungary, the United Kingdom and Australia with dozens of Pakistani institutions offering higher education set up their stalls.

The event is being organised keeping in view a sizeable proportion of Pakistan’s population comprising young people aged between 15 and 24.

Organisers said those college and university bound students were focused, who were ambitious and eager to climb the ladder to success. They realise that the first and most important rung of the ladder is a degree from a reputable college or university.

The event offered good opportunities of admissions to reputable universities.

During the event, the stalls of the foreign universities received a good turnout of students asking about the courses they offered and related questions. However, the stalls set up by the Pakistani universities were too busy with similar activity showing the country’s potential vis-à-vis higher education.

Organisers said in 2017-2018, more than 30,000 Pakistani students were expected to pursue higher education at colleges and universities abroad; more than half of those students were expected to choose a university or college in the United Kingdom and Australia; the remainder would choose an educational institution in North America, Europe, the Far East and the Middle East.

They said Pakistani students and their parents meticulously planned their higher educational careers and were committed to earning a degree from the best possible educational institution.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2018