Quicker solutions will all play a major part

Reporter： Could you share who are your clients and business scale currently？

Cronning： We currently work for a lot of the international organisersand an increasing amount of the local organisers based in South Africaalong with many design stand clients. We are the main contractors for electrical work at The ticketpro Dome and Expo Centre so any person exhibiting at these venues will somehow be in contact with us. Our company is only 4 years old however our experience in this field of work is by far among the best in our industry. From our simple beginnings we are now becoming a force to be reckoned with taking our place amongst the top 5 exhibition companies in South Africa.

Reporter： How do you find the demands of clients changing in recent years？ For Chinese exhibitors， are there anything particular to bear in mind in booth building in Africa？

Cronning： Clients are continuously leaving planning for the last minute， so our preparedness is always put to the test. For Chinese exhibitors Africa is a blank canvas- but the language barrier is always of concern- English is easiest medium of communication. Perception of poor backup support of Chinese products needs to be overcomewith strong backup needed with a local partner.

Reporter： Is this your first UFI congress and what are your expectations for it？

Cronning： Yes， this is our first interaction with UFI members- we want to meet the world of exhibition professionals and tell them how we can help. Already we travel Africa and build pavilions for the German and South African governments- and by doing this have gained extensive experience across the continent.

Reporter： What do you think are the development trends of the global exhibition industry in the future？

Cronning： Faster moving- almost off the shelf individual solutions allowing exhibitors to stand out， budget restrictions are a focus- and quicker solutions will all play a major part of the future of exhibitions.

Zhang Fenglan， General Manager of MIE Exhibition Events Jlt：Huge demand for small consumer goods

At first we chose to held trade shows in Africa because it is a \"Belt and Road” region. Now， it has proved that the African consumer market has huge demand for small consumer goods with competitive prices， such as apparel， small appliances， lamps. At present， we have several blooming exhibition projects in the African market， one of the most successful projects is Kenya Trade Week which has been held for 3 years. It is approved by UFI and the number of exhibitors exhibition has increased year by year. In addition， we feel that the local security environment is quite good.

Pan Jianjun， Chairman of Meorient International Exhibition Group： Trade shows need to be organized in different hub cities

We currently have two self-organized show projects in Africa， respectively in South Africa and Egypt， and we are adding two new exhibitions next year. Africa is a very big market， so trade shows need to be organized in different hub cities to cover the entire region.

On the whole， Africa has a very good diplomatic relationship with China， and the entire African market has a huge demand for consumer goods. On the other hand， the situation in different African markets is very different， so exhibition organizers and exhibitors need to pay attention to the irregular factors.

In the long term， I am optimistic about the prospects for the African market， the local exhibition infrastructure is acceptable， but exhibitors are encouraged to select exhibitions in the regional distribution center and other influential city.