The Hyderabad Auto Show

The first edition of the Hyderabad Auto Show was conducted in the Hyderabad International Convention Centre from the 17th.thru the 19th.of July. It was a perfect time for me as I am on the lookout to buy my car. Accompanied by my wife I went to attend the auto show on Saturday early evening to avoid the traffic later in the day.

We had a very poor first impression of the organisational abilities of the organisers. The cars were initially diverted out of the main gate suggesting that the parking inside the venue was full. I then parked my car about 1/2 a kilometre away. We then walked up to the gate and saw that cars were being allowed inside ! This started the irritation. I then walked back to the car and drove into the venue. We were then asked to park in a ground a little away from the actual hall and waited for a shuttle to take us in. There were no signs and everything was haywire. The shuttle drove thru a couple of narrow lanes with cars parked on the sides. We were asked to get off a little away from the gate and walk up. We then joined in a line to get in. It was so chaotic that people just got in the 'line' from just about anywhere. There were then no proper signs as to where to buy the entry ticket.

Inside the hall, the ambiance was much better, although crowded. What can one do....India has a population of 1.2 billion people. We strolled around and went thru the details of a couple of cars that we were interested in. People were seen taking pics with almost all posh cars. One of the big stars was the 'nano' which was thankfully (for the dealers) kept at a podium so as to not allow anyone inside, otherwise by the end of the show it would have been in pieces with the number of people trying to get a peek. The clear two competitors were Maruti and Hyundai with the biggest displays. After an hour in the hall we were done and headed out. The shuttle made us wait for a very long time and then took us back to the car park.

The lack of proper infrastructure to organise a big convention or show in Hyderabad is obvious. We need to have world class facilities to conduct a show in a manner which is thoroughly professional and acclaimed by the exhibitors and visitors.