The occupational health and safety, security, facilities management, and fire protection sectors proved that face-to-face interaction cannot be beaten, as evidenced by the excellent industry support seen at the co-located Securex South Africa, A-OSH Expo, Facilities Management Expo and Firexpo trade shows. The exhibitions took place at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg – 31 May to 02 June 2022 – where the ‘four-industries-one-roof’ organised by Specialised Exhibitions attracted more than 8,300 visitors and featured over 200 exhibitors.
Specialised Exhibitions portfolio director Mark Anderson says: “It has been a long two years since we’ve been able to hold larger live events and exhibitions in SA, so 2022 was a landmark year for these trade shows in many ways.” “Not only was this the first year since 2019 that we were able to bring Securex, A-OSH Expo and Facilities Management Expo back to the industry, we were also able to introduce the very first Firexpo, focusing exclusively on fire-related products and services.”
“As Africa’s biggest security exhibition, we were extremely proud to celebrate 29 years of Securex, with its continued focus on all elements of the security sector, while A-OSH marked more than a decade as Africa’s leading occupational health and safety expo. 2022 also commemorated the second year that Facilities Management Expo has run alongside these sector stalwarts.” “The show floor was buzzing over the three-day period and it was clear, for both visitors and exhibitors, that the industry was more than ready to re-engage and reconnect on an in-person basis.” The exhibition experienced a small drop in visitor numbers compared with 2019 figures, reflecting the same trend already seen this year both locally and globally. The quality of visitors across the board was still extremely high.
“Securex, in particular, attracted a high ratio of purchasing decision-makers and influencers, at 82,9% of those attending,” says Anderson. The four trade shows also brought in visitors from outside SA borders, with an excellent turnout from neighbouring African countries in particular. “Securex drew many visitors from Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ghana and Eswatini, as well as Angola, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Madagascar. Attendees from further afield hailed from across Europe and the US.” Exhibitions continue to be a powerful sales, marketing, and general business platform. Reflecting this, 71,8% of Securex visitors came to the show expressly to source new products and solutions, with 18,8% wanting to view technologies showcased by local manufacturers and distributors.
Excellent feedback from exhibitors was also received across all four shows. “It’s clear that this type of live event is now more important than ever in terms of building face-to-face connections and relationships, as well as allowing for first-hand experience of new offerings,” says Anderson. “Securex has been phenomenal, even better than expected,” said Western Digital’s Brad Bennett. “We thought we would be busy, but the response and footfall through our stand was beyond expectation. We were engaged in quality conversations and fielded many questions on our solutions offering, receiving excellent leads and quality engagements, with a number of people from outside SA’s borders, including Togo, Tanzania, Madagascar, Zambia and Zimbabwe – which shows the reach of the show. We are very excited to see where it goes in the future.”
“This was our first time exhibiting at Securex and it has been most enlightening,” says Phophi Marara of Dwyka Mining Services. “We were very pleased to be able to show that our technology, which was introduced to the local mining market, can be easily adapted for other industries as well. – for example for security patrols and bomb detection services – simply by switching out the payload on the top of the mobile robot. The visitors have been very enthusiastic about our offering.” “Firexpo was a fantastic experience – we have already signed up for next year’s show,” says Fireball’s Le Roye van der Merwe. “I was extremely pleased with the quality of the visitors to our stand – in particular the decision-makers that came through.”
“The BBF Safety Group is very committed to A-OSH Expo, and we were very pleased to have had a busy stand,” says BBF Safety Group’s Ruan Breedt. “We had a brilliant turnout and I’m very happy with the attendance.” Mel Barends from Broll Facilities Management says: “Our experience of the Facilities Management Expo – as the main sponsor of the 2022 show – was excellent. The foot traffic was plentiful, and the seminar theatre was been great; there have been some fantastic talks that were very well received. I was most impressed with the atmosphere and the level of technology that was showcased. After the COVID-19 lockdown, I take this as strong evidence of our economy getting back on its feet.” Securex South Africa, A-OSH Expo, Facilities Management Expo and Firexpo will return from 06 to 08 June 2023 at Gallagher Convention Centre.
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