The new venue, the MTN Expo Centre, south of Johannesburg, proved to be favourable to both visitors and exhibitors alike and the organisers stated that most exhibitors were pleased with the quality of the visitors.
Overseas visitor figures were in line with 2007 figures, with visitors from Ghana again topping the table. However, the second largest number of visitors this year was from Zimbabwe, which showed a substantial increase from 11.03% in 2007 to 17.2% this year.
Statistics show that the high number of visitors who can make a purchasing decision that traditionally attend the expo increased from 60.47% in 2007 to 65.4% this year. There was an increase in the number of owners, directors and MDs who attended this year's show. These job categories were also the highest of the job categories, in keeping with 2007 figures.
Independent hardware retailers still account for the most visitors to the expo.
Distributors, builder's merchants and contractors also continued the upward trend in terms of visiting the expo.
Specialised Exhibitions, the organiser of the expo, announced that Hardex would take place again next year, but this time within the stable of Interbuild. This is in keeping with the highly successful model it has developed over the years that see an expo run with co-located shows.
The Star Interbuild Africa already boasts co-located shows including Plumbdrain Africa, Frigair, Glass Expo Africa and Woodpro Africa, and is the largest building services, construction, plumbing, drainage, water and sewerage, HVAC/R, glass and aluminium, and woodworking exhibition in Africa, offering the full spectrum of related industries in residential, commercial and industrial development.
The co-location will add further value to making this event a significant event for visitors. The hardware and related industries that traditionally form the exhibition base of Hardex, will reap the benefits of being part of a bigger expo targeted at the broader building services industries.
Gary Corin, COO, commented: "We believe that the interest generated in Hardex will not only continue, but increase when it is run on The Star Interbuild Africa platform."
