Families throng All About Lifestyles Exhibition
ISLAMABAD: Families thronged to the All About Lifestyles Exhibition at the Jinnah Convention Centre on Saturday, with the pleasant weather and end-of-year cheer turning the exhibition and its associated activities into a wonderful outing for young and old alike.
The typical stalls of handicrafts and clothing, food products and electronics and appliances were set in the exhibition tent. Many stalls had set up games and lucky draws to attract potential customers, while others were handing out candy to children and providing product tastings.
Murree Brewery was present with a large variety of juices, squashes and soft drinks. Amir Shahzad from the stall said: “We have a stall in the expo every year. Last year it was drizzling and it was much colder than it is now so there are a lot more people this year.”
One of the most frequented food stalls was the Adams stall, which has apparently participated in all the Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad Lifestyles Exhibitions for the past five years.
Sohaib Ahmed Arshad boasted: “If you have seen the rest of the exhibition then you would see the largest crowd is at our stall. This is because we have giveaways, free tastings and discounts on our products. People can try our lassi, yoghurt, raita, etc, and we will be serving fresh pizzas shortly, made using our own cheeses.”
At the Islamic Design House stall, Ahmed Sufiyan explained that they had thus far been selling their products online, and had built a loyal customer base “who come back to us”.
“We will open an outlet soon, but until we do we thought this was a good opportunity for us to make a public appearance. People can check out our products. This is what our customers here have been appreciating; that they can examine the quality of the product before purchasing it.”
There were many electronics and appliances stalls set up in the exhibition – seemingly more so than in past years – and fewer food and clothing stalls. At the Gree/Ecostar stall the customer service representatives were referring interested customers to their display centre instead of selling products at the exhibition.
Farkhanda Khan said: “We’ve been looking at the automatic washing machines and televisions at the various stalls, like Panasonic. My son has bought some batteries and colours, which are the things of interest to him – my father is carrying them. My father actually brings us every year. I had a wedding to attend but he had been planning to bring us here for the past week; he loves it.”
Asif Raza, whose dog was competing, participates almost every year.
“Last year I wasn’t able to because I was travelling but I do try to make an effort to participate in this show. I got my puppy when he was three months old and now he is about 5-and-a-half years old. He got a good position once – in 2015 or 2016 in Ayub Park he got third position. We haven’t managed to win again though, because training requires a lot of time and that’s difficult to manage. I think these shows are a great activity as they encourage people to keep pets and [they are occupied by] something positive.”
Athar Mehmood dragged his wife to the dog show as soon as they arrived. “I really enjoy watching the dogs,” he said. “I was never allowed to keep pets but this is very enjoyable.”
Nisa Nizamani had brought her four-year-old daughter to play on the jumping castles and slide set up between the food court and the dog show.
“We first saw the stalls, then ate something and then came out to let her play. I liked the exhibition – it was a good outing for the whole family. I hadn’t been to a Lifestyles Exhibition before,” she said.
Other children’s activities, including face painting, colouring and games, were held indoors. The food court at the far end of the venue had an interesting mix of the traditional barbecue and saag stalls, a Chinese food stall, snacks, chaat, and home bakeries, catering to all tastes.
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