The inaugural FESPA Africa, formerly Sign Africa, held at Gallagher Convention Centre earlier this month, attracted 5 460 visitors from Africa, with an 11% increase of attendees from outside South Africa compared to Sign Africa 2013. The exhibition attracted visitors from nearly 40 countries, with the top five countries represented outside of South Africa being Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Exhibitors noted an increase in attendee quality and the statistics confirm this: over 67% of visitors were owners and from senior management and over half had final purchasing authority. “Exhibitors also reported on-site sales, quality leads and positive feedback both on the new venue, and overall feel of the event, which contributed to its success,” said Dyelan Copeland, event organiser.
Raymond Waldeck, MD of Antalis South Africa supports this view. “The show was very dynamic, there was a great deal of energy and many new technologies were shown. We made many sales at the expo and generated real leads. The quality of the visitors was very high and we interacted with business people from around the African continent, which shows the credibility of the FESPA brand.”
Lorraine Harrow, Marketing Manager at FESPA, said it was a great launch event. “We have seen printers from across Africa and speaking with them during the expo has reinforced the reason why FESPA has come to the African continent; through our events we are able to provide regional printers with access to a world class exhibition where they can explore a wide display of innovative technology and listen to educational content to inspire them and their business.”
