Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the country’s largest provider of telecommunications services, recently contracted Scan Display to build an eye-catching stand for the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF). The result? A prestigious award, a delighted client and valuable skills transfer between the two countries.
Scan Display MD Justin Hawes said: “The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair is the largest in the country, and as this was the Fair’s 55thedition, the telecommunications giant was eager to make a strong impact. We also wanted to show Econet, a new client, what we are capable of.”
Scan Display’s Port Elizabeth branch manager Alastair Stead oversees African business, so the stand was pre-manufactured in the Friendly City, flat-packed and transported by road. Despite a two-day wait at Beitbridge, it reached Bulawayo timeously and was installed on site with the assistance of three skilled Zimbabweans. The custom-built 480m² stand (the second largest in the hall, after the South African DTI exhibit), was finished with tension fabric light boxes and fabric graphics.
This is a versatile and cost-effective choice, said Hawes, as seamless fabric prints are complemented by easy-to-change, re-usable graphics. The system is enhanced with eye-catching, lit-up branding, achieved by using LED lighting to create a light box.
“We were awarded top stand in the Best Zimbabwean Exhibit: ICT Sector,” said Hawes. “This was a great honour both for Scan Display, as a first time supplier, and for Econet, who were delighted. We’d also like to acknowledge the Zimbabwean staff whose help was invaluable – we were able to share skills between the teams. One member of the Zimbabwean team had just started a cabinet-making enterprise and we were able to empower him with additional knowledge and skills.”
Scan Display’s Port Elizabeth branch works with numerous companies in this coastal hub that require design input and manufacturing services for exhibitions, events and displays taking place in the city, other South African centres and overseas.
Stead has worked as a project manager on numerous events, including the South African Automotive Week (SAAW). He looked after Scan interests in the Eastern Cape for nine years before joining the team full time in 2011.
