Not a stand-alone in 2023, but good future for Local Manufacturing Expo
September 15, 2022 – Specialised Exhibitions a division of the Montgomery Group has announced that the Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo will not be going ahead as a stand-alone exhibition in 2023. A strategic review of the local manufacturing industry and the broader vision that Specialised Exhibitions has for the expansion of Electra Mining Africa and the KZN Industrial Technology Exhibition has led the organisers to this decision.
“We recognise and value the tremendous levels of support that the Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo has received from government and industry stakeholders over the years. The show has provided an important platform where buyers and suppliers of products can meet and where business partnerships can be developed,” says Gary Corin, Managing Director at Specialised Exhibitions.
“The global pandemic and subsequent two year exhibition hiatus gave us as an organiser the time to review our portfolio of exhibitions and to make strategic decisions around future consolidation and expansion. This may sound contradictory, but growth is stimulated through consolidation,” explains Corin.
“We have made the decision to bring the Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo into the fold of both Electra Mining Africa and the KZN Industrial Technology Exhibition with exciting future plans at both.”
Electra Mining Africa is recognised as Southern Africa’s biggest mining, electrical, automation, manufacturing, power and transport trade exhibition and has consistently been ranked as one of the top three mining and related industries shows in the world.
“By incorporating the Local Manufacturing Expo with Electra Mining Africa, which, this year, attracted over 30,000 visitors, the opportunity to gain additional exposure and access to a broader audience is vast,” says Corin. “Visitors came from across South Africa and neighbouring African countries with a large contingent also attending from other countries across the globe.”
“The innovation seen at this year’s Electra Mining Africa has demonstrated what the local manufacturing industry can do and how South Africa can compete on a global stage. By bringing a greater focus on local manufacturing to the show through the incorporation of the Local Manufacturing Expo, will open up even greater opportunity to showcase the capabilities of this innovative sector.”
The KZN Industrial Technology Exhibition (KITE), Kwa-Zulu Natal’s premier trade show for the industrial technology sector, will also integrate a regionalised Local Manufacturing Expo at KITE 2023. “This will provide an opportunity for local manufacturers to capture a portion of KZN’s industrial technology spend and to connect with hundreds of potential buyers of manufacturing equipment, products, services and software,” says Corin.
“We will engage with all Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo stakeholders, including exhibitors, visitors and industry associations, to encourage them to participate in the new format. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to showcase their products and services to a greatly expanded audience profile across Electra Mining Africa and KITE. Visitors will have the opportunity to see a far greater range of products, services and technologies on a much larger scale.”
The next edition of the KZN Industrial Technology Exhibition will be taking place at the Durban Exhibition Centre in KZN from 18-20 July 2023. The next edition of Electra Mining Africa will be taking place at the Expo Centre in Nasrec, Johannesburg from 2-6 September 2024.
Should you have any questions or need further information contact Specialised Exhibitions by emailing charleneh@specialised.com