Dr Andrew Matibiri

The COVID-19 pandemic third wave has created scheduling challenges for exhibition organisers as most events are now set to be held in the last quarter of the year.

The ZITF, which is normally held in April, was initially set to be held in July but was moved to August before being postponed again to 21 to 24 September due to the high infection and fatality figures of the pandemic during most of the winter season. Last week Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS) Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Andrew Matibiri announced that this year’s Zimbabwe Agricultural Show (formerly the Harare Agricultural Show) would run from 27 September to 1 October. The Zim-Afro Medical and Healthcare Expo is also set to be held in Harare on 28 and 29 October.

The scheduling and re-scheduling of two major business events in the country affected the slots of other events on the exhibition calendar. The organisers of the SME International Expo, which is normally held in October, had to move the event to the following month to manage a possible clash in dates.

“The Expo is on (but) we have moved it to November. This was necessitated by the changing dates for the ZITF and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show,” SME International Expo Chief Executive Officer, Delight Makotose, told Business Events this last week.

While some Zimbabwean exhibitions are industry-specific, large ones such as the ZITF and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show cater for many sectors. The clash of event dates, therefore can create problems for exhibitors that stand to benefit from two events with conflicting dates.

The fact that The Zimbabwe Agricultural Show is expected to start two days after the end of ZITF saw some people wondering whether one event would not affect the other in one way or the other. Although the two shows cater for different market segments, have different objectives and targets and are not in competition, some felt that the ZITF was in an advantageous position in that some of its exhibitors had already paid last year although the event was eventually cancelled owing to the pandemic and the covid-19 measures like the lockdown, restricted gathering numbers and the social distancing requirement.

“Both exhibitions have been adversely affected and the fact that there will restrictions on numbers and no public days (gate takings being a major source of revenue) will be key. (For some companies) it will be a case of exhibiting at ZITF or the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show. (The) ZITF will have a one-up on the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show because (some) exhibitors had already paid to exhibit,” said Sunshine Corporate Communications Managing Consultant and exhibitions expert, Lenox Mhlanga.

Others felt that, apart from other exhibitors, the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show would benefit from agricultural exhibitors.

“The SMEs and farmers who (normally) exhibit at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show will do so. Many of the SMEs and farmers don’t go to ZITF because of distance and costs,” weighed in corporate communications specialist and corporate events planner, Chipo Mapungwana.

The ZITF, however, each exhibition year dedicates an exhibition hall for SMEs some of which participate with the assistance of the export promotion body, ZimTrade.

The pandemic similarly effected both the ZITF and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show last year but the latter managed to hold a smaller event with no public days. Also affected were provincial agricultural shows which failed to hold their annual events except for the Mashonaland West Agricultural Show, whose exhibition was held in November.