Children take part in a sit-and-draw painting competion in Hirapur Harimandir Club in Dhanbad organised to mark the Bengali New Year. Picture by Gautam Dey

Dhanbad, April 10: Blame it on heat, or on the indifferent public mood, Canvas-India 2005, the nine-day national consumer goods exhibition that began on Saturday at Kohinoor Maidan, sported a deserted look.

Deputy commissioner of Dhanbad Beela Rajesh inaugurated the trade fair.

Organised by the Bangalore-based advertising firm The Concern, the mega event is a new addition to the culture of coalfield.

Hence, it will probably take quite sometime for the potential consumers to shed inhibitions and avail off discounts offered on various consumer goods, participants felt.

?We expect at least three lakh potential consumers of the coal capital to visit the trade fair but the exhibitors have to be a little patient as the crowd will start tickling in once the message spreads out through the word of the mouth,? said Jyoti Kumar Pandey, managing director of The Concern.

?Various companies became enthusiastic about the exhibition after we made local dealers take a glimpse of the infrastructure we are providing to the stall owners. Each stall has an iron tubular structure with aluminium sheet and plywood finishing. Moreover, a customer, with a nominal Rs 3 entry ticket can visit 105 stalls. A stall for nine days will cost Rs 50,000 to automobile giants while Samsung?s stall is expensive at Rs 1,60,000,? added Pandey.

The exhibition will offer wide range of products such as toys, gift items, spices, chocolates, home and office stationery, books, automobile, computers, cellular phones and accessories, food and beverages, ceramic products, furniture, coolers, fridges and many others. Companies such as Tata Motors, LG, Philips, Sony, Compaq, HCL, Samsung, Godrej, Usha, Hyundai among others are offering several fast moving consumer goods. ?Each of the companies is exhibiting the latest models on display to appeal to the potential consumers as well as future customers. The exhibition will provide a direct interface of consumers with the companies,? reveals Sanjeev Khanna the Kinetic stall owner.