This month witnessed the entry onto the market of a new construction industry exhibition on the market, BuildExpo Zimbabwe which was officially opened yesterday by the Director for Strategic Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evalution in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Allowance Sango on behalf of the minister, Joel Biggie Matiza at the Borrowdale Racecourse in Harare.
Speaking during the launch and official opening of the exhibition, which was organised by Coast to Coast (Pvt) Ltd, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Panashe Maisva explained that the Build Expo brand was already operational in Botswana and Namibia. He indicated that the show, which is running from 8 to 11 October, would be held annually.
Maisva spelt out BuildExpo Zimbabwe’s four-point brand promise to the local construction industry.
He said that the show sought to create a platform for construction industry players to showcase their products and services. Maisva also promised that BuildExpo Zimbabwe was committed to provide a show which would enable players to showcase their products and services, penetrate regional markets and expand their footprints in the region and earn foreign currency.
“Coming to Zimbabwe, our third promise is that we are going to bring international exhibitors to the Zimbabwe platform as we move into the future. The reason why are doing that is that is to allow the industry to network and more importantly is also to benchmark and help to track new trends and innovations that are emerging in the construction industry,” said Maisva.
“Our fourth promise to you is to help you to lobby government and also to influence legislation in the country in order to create more favourable and competitive conditions for your various businesses. So what we are basically saying is that we’re taking the responsibility, as BuildExpo, to actively participate in influencing policy so that we can, in our own way, represent the industry regarding legislation and other issues,” he said.
The show boss thanked the various companies which took up booked for space at the exhibition despite being a new show in an economy facing challenges.
“I would like to extend a special welcome and appreciation to all participants. We know that you took a leap of faith to be our partners in this inaugural event. As we knocked on your doors inviting you to partner us we vividly remember the initial scepticism that we came across. People were not sure. When something happens for the first time, there is always doubt. We would like to thank you specifically for making that leap of faith,” he said.
Maisva disclosed that going forward, the exhibition brand was going to extend its footprint into the Zambian and Mozambican markets with the Zambian inaugural show being expected in six months time.
