2015-05-13Staff Report 2 Okahandja Visitors to the Okahandja Tourism and Trade Expo increased by nearly 20 percent, with the green town recording 11 749 visitors to the four-day exhibition that ended on Saturday. Last year, the exhibition recorded 9 710 visitors. “We have seen a significant increase in the number of exhibitors and the public that visited the expo for the past seven years. As with the previous years, the statistics for exhibitors and visitors have been increasing significantly,” the spokesperson for the Municipality of Okahandja, Maggy Sheya, has said. The number of exhibitors increased from 105 exhibitors last year to 110 exhibitors. Exhibitors ranged from service provision offered by government institutions and agencies, finance, information and communication technology, media, agriculture, horticulture, postal and courier services, information on resettlement in farms bought by the government for landless farmers, government stores services, social security services, vocational training services, safety and security and educational information. The corporate services in tourism and hospitality, finance and insurance were also available. Products and services offered by small and medium enterprises ranged from clothing and textile, printing and photo studio, soap manufacturing, arts and crafts, beauty and health, toys for kids and entertainment. “We had exhibitors from all around Namibia and several African countries such as Zimbabwe, South Africa and Kenya,” said Sheya. Okahandja Tourism and Trade Expo always tries to improve services given to the exhibitors and the public. The exhibitors were awarded in different categories to encourage them to be competitive and innovative in offering quality goods and services to their clients. At the end of the expo, various corporates won awards in different categories. Tungeni Africa Investment, which operates Von Bach Dam Resort, won the Best Tourism and Hospitality as well as the Best Food Outlet categories. Book Masters won the Best Corporate and the Best Overall categories, the Ministry of Works and Transport’s Government Stores Windhoek won the Best Ministry, while the Atikis Curious won the Best SME category. Standard Bank, Nedbank, Closwa Biltong and Tungeni Africa cc sponsored the event. Sheya encouraged current and prospective exhibitors and upcoming entrepreneurs to participate in the exposition next year that is scheduled to take place between May 4 and 7 2016. “Exposition and trade fairs are not platforms to make money but to expose and market your business to prospective clients and customers,” she said. 2015-05-13Staff Report 2
