On the second day of the Made in Nepal Product and Service Exhibition, September 7, 2012, I went to Bhrikutimandap to see what the Exhibition was all about. There were plenty of people convening outside of the main entrance and I figured that the Exhibition being free provided a good incentive for people to come.

The four-day Exhibition had been highly publicized in print and online. The Exhibition did have a lot to offer. The entrance had a grand and creative design of the Kathmandu-Kulekhani-Hetauda Tunnel Highway project which made it feel like the visitors were entering a tunnel. Since there was no handout or guide of which company was located in what booth in the Exhibition, I started visiting booths starting on the right side.

I was keen to learn about the diverse products that are being made right here in Nepal. In total, I believe there were about 93 booths. There were booths selling carpets, cashmere garments, herbal products, shoes, t-shirts, hats etc. Other booths were mostly informational and answered questions from the visitors and provided brochures and pamphlets. I struck casual conversations with a few booths namely House of Alternative Apparel, Mandala Theatre-Nepal, BJS Handicraft, NepalSutra, growth jobs online and Laavanya. From walking around the Exhibition, I saw the exhibitors enthusiastically talking about their products and handing out information. There was constant traffic to the different booths and the place was lively.

That day Mandala Theatre-Nepal was showcasing Dasdhunga at 3:00pm and were planning to show Loot the following day. After visiting all the booths, I decided to take a stroll around the food court. The food court was occupied and right next to it was the concert area where Robin and The New Revolution were about to play.

I was glad to have attended the Made in Nepal Product and Service Exhibition. I learned about the different products and services that are made or are available in our country. The atmosphere was very good and the exhibition facilities were modest.

There are a few suggestions for improvement. Going forward I believe the Exhibition organizers should have a handout showing the location of each booth which would give the visitors a better idea of what's available and where to go. Plus a few exhibitors mentioned to me that the bathroom facilities should be well maintained.