The annual Exhibition and Events Association’s (EXSA) conference took place this week from 8 to 9 June at the CSIR ICC.
Themed “excelling @” the conference featured several speakers who provided great insights and valuable information that is hugely beneficial to be successful within the exhibition industry.
“Excelling is critical in surviving in the current competitive business environment,” says EXSA chairman Brad Alder.
Not only did the conference provide an interactive platform to exchange industry knowledge, but it also allowed delegates to interact and network.
“The South African exhibition industry is dynamic and adaptive to changing trends in society. With new exhibitions added to an already congested calendar on a regular basis, EXSA members spend many long hours conceptualizing and creating exhibitions, stands and services to meet the ever-changing demands and at the same time ensuring sustainability and value,” adds Alder, highlighting the need for and purpose of the conference.
The venue as well as the AV elements were well-organised and enabled delegates to focus on the main purpose of the conference: to share knowledge.
Speakers included the likes of Emma Sadleir who spoke about the legal, disciplinary and reputational risks of social media, Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo from the National Convention Bureau who presented the latest stats and their relevance to the exhibition industry, Andrew Ross, managing director of Havas Sports & Entertainment South Africa, speaking on topics such as the trends in exhibitions and how to innovate to better serve a growing audience as well as Colin Browne, author of How to Build a Happy Sandpit, to only name a few.
The conference concluded after having successfully provided crucial information to be used within various sectors of the industry.
Delegates found the conference informative and Zoë Broad from Scan Display echoes this. “It was an informative conference covering some of the trending topics in the industry at the moment. I was able to walk away with numerous insights which covered social media and apps as well as how it affects my role in marketing for the company,” she says.
