Soweto Festival becomes expo, gets new sponsor

"We welcome the new platinum sponsor for the Soweto Festival Expo," commented Nancy Nxumalo, chairperson of the Greater Soweto Business Forum (GSBF), Adele Lucas Promotions' (ALP) partner in the event. "Its focus on the retail and wholesale sector is highly synergistic with a major stakeholder group of the festival expo, which is the small trader.

"Our intention is to leverage this sponsorship to create further opportunities for the growth and development of this sector, in particular stimulating the sales and marketing channel into the growing trade and consumer markets of Soweto. Our goal this year is to enrol 200 small businesses into our SMME programme, which will include business training, the provision of an exhibition stand at the festival expo and marketing support."

Exposing Soweto's small retailers to best practices

Joel Dikgole CEO of W&RSETA said, "Our participation in this event for the second year in a row is of strategic importance to us. Not only does it provide us with an excellent opportunity to promote skills development and expose the small retailers in Soweto to best practice in wholesaling and retailing, it also allows us to make a meaningful contribution in the Soweto community. Our involvement is primarily to facilitate specific retail skills training interventions in partnership with the Small Business Association and the University of Johannesburg for 200 SMMEs from Soweto and Gauteng, most of which will be from the retail sector. Furthermore, the retailers will not only participate in the expo as exhibitors but will be able to learn from other established retailers. SMME support is critical for the future of our economy and we are confident that our contribution and support to this most important sector. We are confident that retailing in Soweto will never be the same."

The announcement of the new sponsor coincides with the festival receiving a brand makeover, in keeping with its growing focus on business development and the exhibition. Says Toby Chance, ALP MD, "By adding the word Expo to Soweto Festival, we are addressing a view expressed over the years that the event was more than just a music event, which is what the word Festival tends to be associated with. The Soweto Festival Expo is now firmly established as the leading township-based event in South Africa catering to the needs of the entire community of Soweto, and celebrating the arts, culture, enterprise and heritage of all its people."