The Global Trade Show of Networking and Matchmaking has commenced at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand with various companies from around the world showcasing their products.
The show began on 27 July and will end on 29 July and is organised by Ex-Easy company and African business chambers with a belief that exhibitions embracing Information Technology will make the world more integrated.
The opening was graced by Colombia ambassador María Eugenia Correa Olarte; Sri Lankan Acting High Commissioner Thiloma Abajeewa; Commissioner of Companies and Intellectual Property Commission Advocate Rory Voller; president of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zeph Ndlovu; director at the Department of Trade and Industry Riaan le Roux, events manager at the Gauteng Department of Tourism, Hans Kekana; chief executive officer of Randburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Linda Blackbeard and business manager of Caxton Johannesburg North, Norman Dawe to mention but a few.
Kenneth Zhou Nan of Global Trade Show said the aim of the event was to bring business players from China and around the world to South Africa for a networking and matchmaking purpose. “We also wanted to bring high-tech Chinese technology to South Africa as a developing country,” he said.
“This year we have organised buyers and visitors from around the world.”
Ndlovu said one of the key issues of government was the 4th Industrial Revolution and for it to be understood in the country, trade shows like this were needed. The 4th Industrial Revolution is the current and developing environment in which disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way we live and work.
“The 4th Industrial Revolution offers a platform of opportunity for revolution, and with technology if you are left behind it is hard to catch up,” said Ndlovu.
“Very few entrepreneurs are online [in South Africa], we need technology to create a better economy under the 4th Industrial Revolution.”
Blackbeard said the trade show, being global, offered a perfect platform for small businesses to showcase their products. “Many small businesses manufacture their own products,” she said.
“They are sustainable and it this event shows the world that there are such business in South Africa and the entire continent.”
What do you look forward most to in global trade shows? Tweet us @MidrandReporter
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