The bomb disposal squads combed each of the 450 stalls.
The event managers described the arrangements for the display as excellent but for the cumbersome security measures undertaken to secure the entire exhibition area.
The number of foreign guests has surpassed all expectations creating accommodation problem in the city in five stars hotels, where all rooms have been acquired well in advance. The number of guests reached over a thousand against the estimated 700.
A large number of overseas Pakistanis invited for the show were refused official accommodation and the foreign guests were preferred over them, thus creating cause of complaint for the formers.
The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has not engaged any media consultant for providing feedback to the media, which was a usual practice for all mega events of this scale in the past. One example is 'Ideas' exhibitions, which were publicised in a professional manner by a media consultant.
No briefing was also arranged for the media a day before the show and the media was kept in dark about the arrangements made for the largest-ever show in the history of the country. The last briefing on the mega event was given by the EPB vice chairman on January 29.
EPB Chairman, Tariq Ikram was more inclined towards the official electronic media. He arranged a curtain raiser of the exhibition for the PTV that was telecast in 'Khabarnama' on Tuesday.
The system of issuing entry passes by the EPB was also criticised by the trade bodies. Invitations were not issued to the Press by midday on Wednesday, the official opening day for Expo-Pakistan-2005.
The concerned EPB deputy director who promised to provide details to the media left his office to attend the ceremony, which, was forbidden to the newspaper reporters assigned to the EPB coverage.
The trade ministers of some countries exploited the occasion to promote trade and investment opportunities in their own countries by holding special seminars.