THE Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) has launched its marketing campaign for next year’s exhibition, with 40% of available space already sold for the country’s biggest business jamboree.
Gamma Mudarikiri Own Correspondent The 55th exhibition for 2014 will run from May 6-10 under the theme “New Ideas, New Heights”.
Officials yesterday said over 100 exhibitors, including lease holders, had booked close to half of the available exhibition space, an indicator the 2014 show would be bigger and better than the previous year.
ZITF chairperson Bekithemba Nkomo said foreign nations had already expressed interest, among them China, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.
“The company is in the process of re-engaging international agents so that they can start actively selling the exhibition,” Nkomo said.
He said the company had reserved over 50 000m² of exhibition space and has engaged countries like Brazil, Germany, Pakistan and South Africa as agents to market the event. The 2014 exhibition will include three exclusive business days from May 6-8, an international business conference on May 7 and the ZITF golf challenge on May 8.
The official opening of ZITF 2014 has been slated for May 9.
The exhibition will feature products such as heavy machinery and expertise for infrastructure development, manufacturing ideas process and equipment for innovation information commutation technology, among other things.
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Nkomo said over the past years exhibitors continued to improve in terms of numbers. In 2012, ZITF attracted over 800 exhibitors who occupied 51 000m². This year exhibition recorded
48 000m² of space taken up by about 700 exhibitors. Local exhibitors totalled 534, while foreign exhibitors were recorded at 166.
ZITF sold 94% of the total space available. Countries like Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia participated in the exhibition.
The participation of Bulawayo companies, however, continues to be poor as the local industry is currently on its knees largely due to huge financial constraints, huge debts and antiquated machinery.
Bulawayo last year recorded 84 company closures, while 64 are reported on be on the verge of collapse. Twitter feedback @mudarikirig
