A MASSIVE tide of book lovers
jammed roads leading to the Oman International Exhibition Centre at Seeb
on the final day of the Muscat International Book Fair. The 10-day fair,
billed as the most popular to date judging by the mammoth turnout,
featured over half a million titles, as well as the participation of an
unprecedented number of publishers from around the world. Some 584
publishers and distributors were represented at the fair, which — for
the first time in its history — had prompted organisers to create
additional pavilion space to accommodate the higher numbers of
exhibitors.
Lengthy tailbacks
and chockablock car parks at the venue characterised Muscat’s passion
for books on the concluding day of the book fair. Made up primarily of
families and young children, the teeming crowds filled the cavernous
hall of the exhibition centre, as well as the two new pavilions set up
on the premises.
At the fair,
there has been a good demand for education packages for children at the
Muscat International Book Fair, which is being conducted at the Oman
International Exhibition Centre. More than a couple of agencies
representing international publishing houses specialised in children’s
education programs are generating good business. FAS Marketing and
Promotion has a special education program for children, who are as young
as two years. The package is available for RO 235, after a discount of
45 per cent.
“We are offering
a 45 per cent discount in view of the silver jubilee celebration of our
company,” said Nazar Razooniya, an official of FAS Marketing. He said
that the company sells encyclopedias for children from the age of 10.
“We have encyclopedias in Arabic as well,” he noted. MAS Marketing also
has online subscription of encyclopedia. Joseph, Regional Manager of
Motivate Marketing, said that his agency has an English language program
for children called English Time.
“It is a basic
program for developing writing and reading abilities. It comes with an
online certification. We charge RO 400 for the package,” he noted. “The
package comes with books, audio, DVD and CD Rom inter-active program,”
Joseph added. MAS Marketing also sells a total development package for
RO 925. “This program helps to develop knowledge skills, mathematical
skills and inculcate good moral values among children,” he noted.
Hassan, a
management student of Majan University College, laboured under a stack
of heavy books that he balanced on his head while gripping an equally
bulky bag of books with his right hand. “Although I did come here twice
before, I kept all my purchases for the last day,” the avid book lover
explained.
“During my
earlier visits I made a note of all the books that I wanted to buy — and
mind you — it was a pretty large wish-list. In the end, after checking
out the prices, I finally settled for those that I wanted the most,
while staying within budget.” The haul included best-selling books on
management, marketing, computer programming, reference volumes like
dictionaries, and English language skills. “All of this cost me close to
RO 240, but it was worth it,” he said.
At the ‘Ibn
Duraid’ pavilion, where English language publishers displayed their
merchandise, a mix of Omani and expatriate visitors thronged bookstalls
for last-minute purchases. Distributors marketing encyclopedias,
children’s interactive learning series, and other multi-edition
reference volumes roped in additional marketing staff to make a final
pitch to potential customers on the concluding day. A number of
Muscat-based distributors reported brisk sales of their brands, having
offered easy payment terms to their customers.
Bargain hunters
hoping for closing-day discounts on their favourite titles were
disappointed to find that, barring the 25 per cent rebate stipulated by
the organisers, no further reduction was forthcoming. As one publisher
explained, “Unlike perishables like fruit, vegetables, which must be
disposed of before they turn bad, books will still remain valuable long
after the fair is over. As such, many of us booksellers do not feel any
desperation to unload our unsold stocks for cheap.”
Barely a visitor
left the fair empty-handed, attesting to Oman’s fondness for books. Some
were seen lugging heavy loads of books, while others were happy to pick
up stationery, and educational and learning aids for their children.
Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA),
publishers of Oman Daily Observer and its sister Arabic daily Oman,
backed the Muscat International Book Fair 2008 as media sponsor.
