UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has announced that it will be hosting the Africa Exhibition Industry Outlook on 13 September 2022.
To organise the event, the association has partnered with GL Events South Africa and will collaborate with the African Association of Exhibition Organisers (AAXO).
The one-day workshop and seminar for the African Exhibition Industry Outlook will feature speakers from across Africa and the Middle East, including the multi-award-winning journalist and author Bruce Whitfield, whose keynote will draw on case studies into the success stories of people and businesses.
Other industry panellists will present business opportunities in key African markets, business outlooks, incentive schemes for new entrants, and bilateral cross-border collaboration.
Topics of discussion will include how convention bureaus support the South African industry, the economic impact of exhibitions both globally and in Africa, a multinational view on investing in Africa, and a presentation of UFI’s Global Barometer Study’s findings with a focus on Africa and the Middle East.
Naji El Haddad, regional director MEA at UFI, said: “Africa represents the next frontier for growth and development for the exhibitions industry. There is great potential for investing in, developing and bringing global events to Africa.”
“It’s particularly interesting to note the launch of geo-adapted events that are being brought to Africa, which is a testament to the ever-increasing confidence and opportunities available on the continent.”
Whilst the pandemic directly affected the events industry, mergers and acquisitions in the past two years include RX Global’s acquisition of the Media 10 Design Joburg and the Coffee and Chocolate Expo.
dmg Events, which spans 25 countries, acquired Addis Build during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the goal of supporting growth across multiple industries in Ethiopia.
Additionally, the African arm of Clarion Events announced a full rebrand under the name Vuka Group earlier this year to form an independent B-BBEE compliant company - adapted to the unique conditions of Africa.
The workshop will be hosted at the Johannesburg Expo Centre and organised by UFI in collaboration with AAXO, hosted by GL Events, and supported by Johannesburg Tourism.
Devi Paulsen-Abbott, chairperson of AAXO, commented: “South Africa remains the ideal ‘gateway to Africa’. [It] is an appropriate base of operations from which economic connection to the rest of the continent can be formed, and business developed - thanks to its strong financial sector, sound infrastructure and competitive talent pool.”
For more information on the upcoming workshop visit https://www.ufi.org/ufievent/africa-exhibition-industry-outlook/.
