The beginning of 2011 will see the exhibition industry coming together for Expo Summit Africa 2011, which is turning out to be the place for tradeshow professionals to gather. There is an undercurrent of curiosity among industry experts about what is happening in that region.
Expo Summit Africa 2011, which is scheduled for January 27-28, 2011 at CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa is organized by Manch Communications Ltd. in partnership with The Exhibition Association of Southern Africa (EXSA). Expo Summit will be the region’s gateway for global exhibition companies and will bring the African exhibition industry together for the first time ever.
“We have been highly recognized by this initiative and are pleased to organize Expo Summit in Africa,” said Kiran Mittal, organizer, who has successfully organized Expo Summit since 2009 in India for the Indian exhibition fraternity. “There is a lot to learn from the international experts and conference program is specially meant for the same.”
“The partnership is designed to maximise participation and give delegates the opportunity to meet their global counterparts to develop more business,” said Natalie Naude, EXSA chairperson.
The conference is being convened by Rashid Tofey, CEO of CTICC, and venue host of the event.
“This event is an ideal platform for key players in the African exhibition industry to meet their global counterparts and to explore ways of hosting new industry events,” said Tofey.
The international speakers include Jochen Witt, Simon Parker, Steve Monnington, Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, Paul Woodward and Sandy Angus.
Day one of the conference is highlighted with topics mapping the current trends, the scenario and growth avenues of the sector, 20/20 vision for the African exhibition sector which will be followed by a panel discussion where a mix of international and African speakers will map the potential growth inhibitors in the sector and how to overcome them.
The two-day conference is based on the theme “Overcoming challenges and exploring new opportunities to build profitable exhibition businesses.” The conference will have a concurrent exhibition taking place where 40 exhibit booths will give the service providers an chance to showcase their product/services profile in front of over 200 tradeshow organizers and industry professionals.
Paul Woodward, the managing director of UFI, will take up the session on the role of Associations in the sector worldwide, the emphasis will be on what information can be gleaned from UFI to expedite growth. The first day closes with sessions by Sandy Angus, chairman, of Andry Montgomery Ltd on designing entry strategies into the African market, and Q&A session where Jochen Witt will question exhibitors on how exhibitions score over other media in terms of ROI, as well as key factors to consider before deciding on exhibition participation.
The opening of day two will see Jochen Witt giving his opinion and facts on how sales revenues can be optimized by increasing the team efficiencies, followed by action-packed session by Steve Monnington, of Mayfield Media Strategies on partnerships and mergers, and how joining hands can help organizations complement each other for the most effective growth. The conference will close after a last session by Simon Parker, director of UBM Live, on designing partnership models and exit strategies, the various elements involved and how to make it a win-win situation for both parties.
Expo Summit will present ample networking and business development opportunities. A cocktail reception will be hosted on Thursday, January 27 by Manch Communications Ltd., and an informal dinner on Friday night January 28 by EXSA. A speed dating session will also be conducted by EXSA on the second day of the conference which will give delegates an innovative way to interact.
A venue tour of CTICC will be provided the first day and organizers have made packages specifically for the accompanying persons during their stay for the summit.
“We invite our industry colleagues and friends to join us at this event and we look forward to welcome you all in Cape Town,” said Mittal.
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