Sign Africa Journal November / December 2018 | Page 28

FEATURE
2018 SIGN AFRICA
AND FESPA AFRICA
EXPO HAILED A
MAJOR SUCCESS
WITH POSITIVE EXHIBITOR FEEDBACK AND INCREASED VISITORS
The FESPA Africa and Sign Africa Expo, held in September at
the Gallagher Convention Centre, was a major success. The
event attracted 6494 visitors in total, with 5907 unique visits
– an increase from 5839 in 2017 – as well as 587 revisits. The
event was sponsored by Platinum sponsor Roland.
Visitors from a number of African countries attended the event. The top 10
countries with visitors from outside of South Africa included: Zimbabwe,
Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Angola, Malawi, Ghana
and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Representation from other countries
also included: Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, Ethiopia,
Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Mauritius and Uganda.
Visitors could take part in a range of educational features, including the
Textile experience, a hands-on workshop where printers could learn different
techniques all taught by Charlie Taublieb (REXX stand), who has been in
the screen printing industry since 1976; T-shirt and bag printing workshops
(Chemosol), CorelDRAW workshops, the Speed Wrap Challenge [Roland,
Grafiwrap (Maizey) and Hexis (Falcon)] and business opportunities in print and
signage, which were held on various exhibitors’ stands.
Exhibitors were positive about the amount and quality of visitors:
‘We sold all the machines on our stand to visitors from around South Africa
and also Malawi, Zambia and Namibia. The show attracted serious buyers and
quality customers,’ said Coenraad Kuipers, Titan-Jet Africa.
‘We obtained good quality leads and there was a constant flow of visitors
throughout the day. We received very positive feedback from existing clients,’
said Larry Smith, SA Argus.
‘The show was good, we had a good flow of traffic to our stand and great
interest in our full range of products,’ said Sean Conrad, Wilec.
‘The show was attended by a higher percentage of serious buyers this year than
in prior years. We were happy with the number of leads that we generated for
our newly launched Anapurna H1650i LED printer,’ said Dave Reynolds, Agfa
Graphics.
‘We had a great response from show visitors to the specials offered by Mutoh
Japan,’ said Craig Carstens, MIPS Technologies.
‘It was a very successful show, with lots of interest, particularly from Ghana,
Zambia and Congo,’ said Dean Dupen, Rep-Tech (ScreenTec partner).
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Sign Africa And FESPA Africa Expo Team And Suppliers Step Up For Charity
Each year, the expo team and our expo suppliers step up for charity at the Sign
Africa and FESPA Africa Johannesburg expo. Participants used their cellphones
to track the number of steps taken during the expo week.
Over 1,5 million steps were taken by our team (1,537,493 steps to be exact) and
participating suppliers Exhibition Building Systems (EBS), ExpoGuys, Laroux-
nelle Logistics & Consulting, Lodge Events Security and ZF Cleaning, from 12-14
September.
R16,800 was raised. The money will again go to Rotary Knights of Pendragon,
who will use it towards revamping the Paediatric burn unit at Chris Hani Barag-
wanath hospital.
'Once again, I am astounded by the effectiveness of the 'Step Up For Charity'
concept and the results it continues to deliver. It demonstrates brilliant thinking
and is an extremely efficient and seamless way to conduct business and in so
doing, demonstrate your and your suppliers' commitment to community ser-
vice. We salute you and once again, and on behalf of our club, we express our
sincere thanks and appreciation for all your support,' said Graham Wallett from
the Rotary Club of Knights Pendragon.
2018 Speed Wrap Winner Crowned
Senzo Nzama of Legend Tees was declared the ultimate winner of the 2018
Speed Wrap Challenge at the FESPA Africa and Sign Africa expos. He has won a
ISSUE 98 NOV/DEC 2018 | www.SignAfrica.com