World Petroleum Congress exhibitors praise SA
Members of the Exhibition Association of Southern Africa (EXSA) have been commended by exhibitors at the World Petroleum Congress (WPC), which took place at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, last week. The Southern African International Oil and Gas Exhibition 2005 (SAIOGE 2005) ran parallel to the WPC - billed as the largest such exhibition the continent has ever seen.
In the lead up to WPC, it was agreed that all exhibition service providers for this event should be members of EXSA. This resulted in the appointment of a range of suppliers from stand design and construction to the provision of electrical services.
One of the more unusual requests from international exhibitors was the need for suppliers to provide only the labour component. While this deterred some suppliers from quoting, the flexibility of their partnership proved successful for several companies involved with stand design and construction.
Tom Short, Sales Manager Corporate Accounts of Freeman, says: "This is my first visit to South Africa and I am impressed with the friendliness and honesty of the people. Our success is directly related to the prompt communication and flexibility of the stand building company we contracted."
Short is representing one of Freeman's largest international clients. Three ocean-going containers filled with 38 crates of equipment were dispatched from Houston to Johannesburg two months ago for this particular exhibit.
When asked his opinion on how best South African suppliers and contractors could improve their services, Short says forward preparation prevents a 300% increase in costs if arrangements are left until the last minute. He felt that the timely provision of a comprehensive 'Show Manual' containing all the necessary information was essential for a show of this nature.
On his return to the US, Short will be providing EXSA with samples of Show Manuals. He is liaising with Justin Hawes, Chairman of EXSA with regard to the implementation of other time and labour saving ideas that can easily be implemented within the South African exhibition industry.
Hawes says: "It is great having this type of event in South Africa. The spend per square metre is one of this highest we have seen and it allows our local exhibition related companies to prove themselves and gain experience of international requirements."
