The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company is visiting foreign diplomatic missions in Harare to secure business ahead of this year’s ZITF, which is set to be held from 26 to 30 April.
The company revealed this development on its social media pages this week. A delegation comprising ZITF Company chairman, Busisa Moyo, ZITF Company CEO, Dr Nicholas Ndebele and his deputy, Stella Nkomo is knocking on embassies’ doors asking them to participate in the trade and explaining the benefits of the show.
“This week ZITF had high-level representation in Harare visiting foreign diplomatic missions based in Zimbabwe to canvass for their participation in the 62nd edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (which is) taking place from 26 to 30 April 2022,” the company posted.
One of the embassies that the company’s executives, who were led by ZITF Company Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nicholas Ndebele, visited is the Kenyan Embassy.
“This morning Dr. Nick Ndebele met Ambassador Stella Munyi of the Embassy of Kenya to deliver a personal invitation for an exhibit from Kenya as well as a business delegation of buyers, financiers and investors to visit the show,” said the company in another post.
The company’s executives so far been to the embassies of Angola, Botswana, DRC, Ghana, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Malawi, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland and Tanzania.
“The response has been warm and highly encouraging. In fact, all the embassies visited have confirmed participation in the show either as exhibitors or visitors. Additionally, all the heads of missions will participate extensively in the Diplomats Forum scheduled to take place during the show,” Nkomo told The Chronicle newspaper
A business strategist who also advises on exhibition participation, Simon Bere who responded to the posts, praised the ZITF Company’s strategy and advised the company to use it way ahead of the event to give the target embassies and the companies from home to respond and prepare for participation.
“ZITF Company, a great approach. Maybe doing it earlier in the future will improve it since the embassy also needs to inform their business community and they often need enough time to factor such things in their annual plans and budgets,” said Bere in his response.
Over the past few years concerns have been raised over the low number of foreign exhibitors exhibiting at the trade fair compared to the past. Most of the space which used to be taken by foreign exhibitors is being filled up by local business.
