A hundred and five companies taking part in the exhibition displayed their products on 126 stalls in the four halls of the Expo Centre.
More than 80 volunteers, mostly students, guided people around the halls where exhibitors — mobile phone firms, consumer electronics companies, interior designers, paycard phone companies, designers dresses outlets, 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.
Huge posters spotlighting various aspects of world history lined the glass walls of the corridors of the Expo Centre. The Young World pavilion was a hit with the children. So was the food street where exhausted shoppers had Nihari and Bohra food so that they could do more shopping with renewed gusto. Shoppers could be seen walking to the car park behind the Expo Centre halls carrying plastic bags bursting at the seams.
The Dawn Group of Newspapers, in collaboration with the Kennel Club of Pakistan, organized an “All breed championship of dog show”. At least 1,115 dogs from all over Karachi participated in the dog show which was avidly watched by a large number of people from morning till night. Frank Leung Chong Kai, who flew in from Hong Kong, adjudicated at the dog show.
The high point of the exhibition was the definitive showcase exhibition on the history of Karachi. Titled Jewel in the crown: Karachi under the Raj (1843-1947), the exhibition featured portraits, photographs and exhibits highlighting Karachi’s development under the British Raj. The exhibition, curated by Hameed Akhund and Hameed Haroon, was inaugurated by 0 the finance minister, Shaukat Aziz, on Saturday.
Talking to Dawn a visitor at the exhibition said he wished such a show featuring the history of Karachi could be held on a permanent basis in the city. “What Karachi needs is a metropolitan museum showcasing its history with the help of exhibits and maps. Judging by the number of people who have seen this exhibition over two days, it is evident that the people of Karachi do want a museum about their city,” he said.
Later in the night, organizers said the local administration had deployed adequate number of personnel, who managed the crowds successfully.