Africa’s Big 7 and Saitex expo

Business leaders from across southern Africa converged on Gallagher Convention Centre from 19 to 21 June for two of Africa’s biggest trade expos.

Thousands of small-medium enterprises (SME) and exhibitors took part in the Southern African International Trade Exhibition for Retail Products (Saitex) and Africa’s Big Seven expos.

The City of Johannesburg’s sponsorship allowed up to 40 SMEs to be part of the show as part of its support for export and entrepreneurial development in the city.

“The City of Johannesburg is pleased to reinforce our support for entrepreneurs and small enterprises at Saitex. SMEs are critical to a country’s growth, stability and sustainability and it is essential that we provide them with all the available opportunities an international event of this type has to offer,” said Ravi Naidoo, executive director for economic development South Africa.

“They were able to showcase their products, meet potential buyers from around the world and gain access to valuable industry information that can assist them to build their businesses.”

Saitex is the biggest event in Africa, with almost 600 exhibitors from 26 countries attracting buyers from around the world. The first event of the day was a business breakfast organised by the Progressive Business Forum (PBF) and the City of Johannesburg.

International buyers and the trade that takes place at Saitex was a key focus for the introductory speaker, councillor Ruby Mathang, the MMC of Johannesburg City Council’s Department of Development. “Business transactions are not one-sided and Saitex has made a significant contribution to South African exports into previously untapped products. We have seen South African companies competing pound-for-pound against multi-nationals,” said Mathang.

Christine Davidson, vice president of dmg-ems Africa, the organiser of the expos, commented that the exhibition had been a successful one. “We’ve seen a high level of senior international buyers, and reports are already coming from exhibitors who have secured orders and contracts,” Davidson added.

Exhibitors also commented on their success for the duration of the expo.

The second expo was Africa’s Big Seven, the largest food and beverage event on the continent. “Africa’s big Seven has exceeded our expectations. It has given us maximum exposure and we have already met more than 200 interested people that want to know more about our business. The number of business leads we are taking away from here is brilliant,” commented Nairupa Ramerasad, business development manager of Virtual Logistics.

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