The Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS), the organisers of the 122-year old
Harare Agricultural Show, has re-branded the exhibition in line with its new
thrust to develop agriculture and align the exhibitiont with its national character.
This was revealed by ZAS Chief Executive Officer, Dr Anxious Masuka last
week in an address to journalists.
The show, whose 109 th edition is set to be held from 26 to 31 August was
renamed the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show. The ZAS President, Ngoni Kudenga
hinted at the re-branding last year when he indicated during last year’s official
opening ceremony that the show needed to be re-named to reflect its national
character which over the years has been obscured by inclusion of the word
Harare in its brand name. Kudenga also stated that the exhibition venue should
also be renamed which has already been done as the vast showground has been
re-named from Exhibition Park to the Business Hub.
The re-branding of the exhibition also comes with a new logo following many
decades of depending on the ZAS emblem as the show did not have its own.
The logo which is circular in form is made up of a bull at the top, the brand
name at the centre and a halved gear. The log also includes ZAS’ new pay off
line: “Facilitating agricultural development” which is the society’s new thrust.
The society tapped on and foregrounded its long history and rich heritage by
including the phrase “Since 1897” in the logo design.
Writing in the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (MAZ) magazine, the
ZimMarketer May 2019 issue, ZAS head of sales and marketing, Cynthia
Tapera gave an insight into the revamped show.
“The ZAS109 shall be further broadened to encompass and highlight other
sectors of the economy with links to agriculture such as tourism, mining,
manufacturing, services and infrastructure, while retaining the character,
context and diversity of the Harare (Zimbabwe) Agricultural Show creating a
new ecosystem,” said Tapera.
Dr Masuka highlighted that the show was moving away from being “a display
platform to an ecosystem of opportunities.”
Regarding the preparations for this year’s edition of the exhibition Dr Masuka
gave out that they were at advanced stage.
“Preparations for this annual event are at an advanced stage and we are ready to
play our part in the revival of the country’s agricultural,” he said.
As part of ZAS’ efforts to improve visitors’ experiences at the show, Dr Masuka
indicated that the society had increased the number of entry points from 94 last
year to 153, a development which is set to be accompanied by a new ticketing
system.
Dr Masuka revealed that the society was building a new 2 000m 2 exhibition hall
and an 8 000m 2 open air to increase exhibition space in anticipation of increased
number of exhibitor and visitors.
