The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has played an instrumental role in securing the Expo Summit Africa Expo 2011 for Cape Town.
According to Joey Pather, CTICC Chief Operating Officer, this event which will take place from 27 – 28 January 2011 is a vital platform for the local exhibition industry to showcase its skills and expertise to the world and to position Cape Town as a leading international trade fair and exhibition destination.
This is the first time that this event is being held in Africa.
Expo Summit Africa 2011 will bring together over 150 international organizers who are interested in launching their own shows in Africa and looking for local partners. “This event is an ideal platform for key role-players in the African exhibition industry to meet their global counterparts and to explore ways of hosting new industry events” said Pather.
The global exhibition industry is slowly recovering from the economic recession. A recent survey by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) confirms that the decrease in turnover experienced throughout the industry since the start of the global financial crisis has finally bottomed-out. Despite the fact that some businesses are still suffering, many project an increase in turnover during 2010.
Pather added that destinations like China, India, Brazil and the African continent with developing economies possess great potential for new trade fairs and exhibitions.
"International trade shows play a vital role in developing the economy and an event of this nature will play a pivotal role in developing the local trade fair and exhibition industry” he said.
This event is set to raise the bar in terms of service delivery as the content of the conference will help local organizers to enhance their service offerings and showcase international standards of best practice in the exhibition industry.
According to Kiran Mittal from Manch Communications, the event organiser of the Expo Summit, there has been increasing demand from international exhibition organisers to host more events in Africa. Africa and Cape Town in particular is a sought after destination she said for both business and leisure.
Mittal added that there is a strong contingent of exhibition organisers from the Middle East, Europe and Latin America attending this event.
Pather concluded by saying that when organisers plan a trade show they look at three key factors, namely where the relevant industry is located, where the key suppliers hail from and what destination delegates will go to. Cape Town successfully meets all three criteria.
The city has a diverse flourishing exhibition industry and the destination’s appeal as a popular tourism destination contributed to the organisers taking a decision to host this event in Cape Town.
