On the giant outdoor public stairs of Mesqel Square, the big screen that displays the advertisement of Selam Christmas Bazaar and a walkway decorated with lights before the main gate of the Addis Abeba Exhibition Centre easily catch the eye of anyone who passes through the Square.

There is also a special scene displaying the nativity of Jesus in the middle of the walkway using figurines under a thatched roof house with a tied sheep and a donkey as described in the Gospel of Luke in the Bible.

Photographers chase after people walking up the stairs into the Bazaar, as well as the others walking down after finishing their shopping, to convince them to pose for photos.

Hiwot Kebede, in her mid-20s, was at the Bazaar on December 25, 2019, to buy some Christmas decorations for Heluya International Hotel, which is located in Shakiso in the Guji Zone of Oromia Regional State.

The human resources manager of the Hotel, Hiwot was at Africa Style’s booth bargaining for a discount for the décor items she had chosen.

After the minutes-long bargaining and negotiations, she was able to buy six Christmas tree ornaments, two ribbons, four decorated Christmas wreathes and one lighting globe for 9,000 Br.

Though Hiwot, who came to Christmas Bazaar for the fifth time, says that she found the items she was looking for, she did not get the bazaar vibe that she was expecting.

“The popularity of the exhibition appears to be losing its vibrant atmosphere and energy it used to have in previous years,” Hiwot said.

Hiwot thinks prior bazaars were bustling events with exhibitors displaying many new products but that she did not see many new items this time around and there seemed to be fewer customers.

Ehete Getachew, who was selling traditional clothes at the Centre, shares Hiwot’s tepid impression.

Ehete occupies a nine-square-metre booth that she rented for 100,000 Br for 24 days. Ehete, who owns a small shop in Shiromeda, thinks a giant bazaar like this one is a good marketplace to sell her products.

"Even though the promotion was good," said Ehete, "the market is not going as strong as it was at previous bazaars,” Ehete said.

Ehete claims that she used to sell up to 15 articles of clothing a day at preceding baazars, but now she says that she manages to sell only two.

The expo this year was organised by Commercial Nominees, a newcomer to the business that rented the venue from the Addis Abeba Exhibition & Marketing Development Centre at a cost of 39 million Br for 24 days, which was initially proposed for 17 days for 38.3 million Br.

A service rendering company under the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Commercial Nominees hosts the Bazaar that was opened on December 14, 2019, charging 30 Br as an entrance fee. The expo features 423 exhibitors.

Commercial Nominees won the bid vying with Eyoha Addis Entertainment & Event, Habesha Weekly, Century General Trading, Henok Bekele Printing and Bisrat Entertainment & Events.

Commercial Nominees operates with 33 branches, 385 permanent and more than 27,000 outsourced employees. It is engaged in event organising, employee management services, provident and employee benefit funds administration, real estate administration and is an agent for Western Union Money Transfer.

“We're not hosting the expo to make a profit," said Awgichew Abiye, operations manager of Commercial Nominees and executive organiser of the Bazaar. "We're here to promote our brand."