The preparations for this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair are at an advanced stage and are progressing well. This was disclosed by the ZITF Company Chairman, Busisa Moyo in an update to the media yesterday.
This year’s edition of the event is set to be held from 23 to 27 April under the theme: “Entrepreneurship: The Catalyst for Industrialisation and Trade.” The first three days of the tradeshow will be a strictly business-to-business trade period while the last two days, 26 to 27 April, will be open to the general public.
Moyo indicated that most of the available exhibition space had already been taken up as the market responded to the Company’s marketing efforts since the beginning of the year.
“Market response to the sales and promotion campaign launched in January has been positive. Of the net space available for sale (49,499m2), 94.9 percent has been booked to date (46,945m2). This places us at par with the booking situation at the same time last year when 47,120m2 had been booked (95 percent),” he said.
Moyo highlighted that the number of exhibitors had already surpassed that of exhibitors who had registered by the same time last year.
“In terms of exhibitor numbers, we are currently sitting at 495 direct exhibitors. This compares favourably with the 2023 booking situation where 439 exhibitors had expressed interest by this time (13 percent higher),” Moyo said.
Turning to participation by foreign exhibitors, Moyo stated that the number of confirmed exhibitors from foreign countries was very close to last year’s figure.
“Space uptake by foreign exhibitors has also been good with 19 foreign nations being represented at ZITF2024. So far, we have confirmed exhibits from Belarus, Botswana, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America and Zambia. We are currently waiting on other nations to consolidate and confirm their space requirements and are positive that we will surpass last year’s closing total of 21 countries,” he said.
The ZITF Company Chairman, however, pointed out that the run-up period to the exhibition days was dynamic and characterised by new bookings and some exhibitors dropping out, thereby necessitating regular updates.
Moyo revealed that the local exhibitor profile was very rich and diversified with representatives from sectors such as agricultural implements and equipment, automotive equipment, building and construction, civic representation, clothing and textiles, education and training, energy products and equipment, food products manufacturing and processing, business tourism products and services, information communication and technology, medical/health related products, mining equipment, pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
He said that the profile of international exhibits would cut across several sectors including agricultural produce and equipment, arts and crafts, automotive equipment, education, food and food processing, clothing, textiles and footwear, and cultural exchange programmes.
The ZITF Chairman gave some insight into this year’s theme, which evolves around the entrepreneur and entrepreneurship.
“(Entrepreneurs) rely on a thriving industrial ecosystem. The ZITF2024 theme recognizes this and seeks to tap into and harness the entrepreneurial spirit which exists in many of us. This year’s exhibition floor will, therefore, feature established industries showcasing their latest advancements, alongside the newest start-ups brimming with fresh ideas. ZITF 2024 will essentially be about the cross-pollination between established players and agile entrepreneurs, and the creation of an enabling environment that propels them to industrialise and trade,” he explained.