04 July,2011 08:23 AM IST | | Akanksha Upadhyay
Ruckus ensued at Pragati Maidan as Delhiites who turned up at a B2B fair were not being allowed inside
Organising a toy fair isn't child's play. This became apparent after there was pandemonium at the 5th Toy Biz International Expo, which kicked off on Saturday at Delhi's Pragati Maidan. All because of a slight goof-up. Due to some incorrect reports in the media, people, along with their kids, turned up in large numbers during the weekend at the fair, which was supposed to be strictly a Business-to-Business (B2B) event.
No invitation: Children at the fifth Toy Biz International-2011 exhibition
at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on Sunday. Pic/Subhash Barolia
When the organisers refused to let the general public in, there was commotion. The adults lot their temper, while many kids started to cry. Charu, one of the visitors there, said: "I brought my kids here because it was a toy fair. They never mentioned in the advertisement that it was supposed to be for business only. Now we are unable to control the kids since all they want is toys."
On the other hand, the organisers were having a tough time making people understand that it wasn't an event for little kids. But finally they had to give in.
Goof-up
Toy Association of India president Raj Kumar said: "It was only due to some media reports that they are suffering this glitch. We took permission from the sales tax department that this expo was strictly for business purposes. Now with families showing up they are creating a ruckus for buying toys."
Interestingly, at almost all the stalls the expo participants had put up just one piece of every toy for display.
Satish Gupta, another visitor from Ashok Vihar was angry that the organisers had mentioned that the entry to the fair was free and but they were charged money and above all were not even allowed to buy anything.
A salesperson at the counter of Hobby Makers India said that their business was adversely affected by this. "Since there were small kids running around and touching stuff, we could not concentrate on anything and were neglecting the buyers," he said.
In focus
Special attractions included:u00a0
>> Sun Lord Apparels Mfg. Co. Ltd - Dealing in recycled toys and products. Their range included toys that were eco-friendly, made after recycling products like water bottles.
>> Mexus Education Pvt Ltd - Their toy range included only educational products along with DVDs useful for career orientation. They also specialise in scientific toys that can be used as projects.
>> Technomak Enterprises Pvt Ltd - Specially made electronic toys were the centre of attraction.
