The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company has postponed its annual international exhibition from the scheduled slot of 23 to 25 August to a month later citing the recent extension of the lockdown by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week. The company’s chairman, Busisa Moyo made the announcement today in a statement.
The event is now set to be held from 21 to 24 September with 21 to 23 September being set aside as business days.
“The decision to postpone the fair was with the approval of the government of Zimbabwe and after consultation with a wide cross-section of stakeholders. With the continued ban on intercity travel, it has been difficult for out-of-town exhibitors to actively plan their participation and bring in their exhibits, particularly for those without Bulawayo offices. Consequently, postponing the tradeshow to September provides exhibitors with more time to adequately prepare for their participation without contravening national lockdown regulations,” Moyo said.
Moyo appealed to exhibitors to use the one-month postponement to perfect the preparations for their participation efforts.
“In the meantime, we urge all our participants to take advantage of this extended planning horizon and continue to prepare for their participation to ensure that the show is of the same excellent standard, which (the) ZITF has been traditionally known for,” he said.
Traditionally, the fair is held in April annually but last year it was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April this year, the ZITF Company announced that the event would be held from 20 to 23 July 2021 but the fair had to be moved to August owing to the high pandemic infection and fatality figures during that month.
