The Rand Show 2023 – Helping to advance brands and businesses

The Rand Show – taking place from 06 to 10 April at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec – is not only South Africa's longest-standing and largest consumer exhibition, it is also an excellent platform for businesses to present their brand effectively to an audience of tens of thousands. While large to small organisations have benefited from exposure, lead generation and sales over the decades, this year, there is a particular emphasis on supporting growing small businesses.

In line with this, last week saw a panel of experts presenting an online training workshop as added value to exhibitors. Over 100 exhibitors  - representing hundreds of brands - joined the session. The engagement was high, with many questions asked and answered, and the excitement leading up to the show was palpable.

The training based on years of running and marketing exhibitions focused on several areas, including:

Developing a stand concept and designOn-show best practices How to promote a stand and attract visitors Setting clear goalsHosting and pre-show staff trainingHow promote a product or service online, in the digital space and on socialsRecord keeping, analytics, ROI and using data for post-show sales and promotions

One of the quickest and most engaging ways to get a brand in front of thousands of people is at an expo. This event not only sees tens of thousands of people through the doors, the visitors that come, come to buy and be entertained. They are ready to talk, see and shop and are highly interactive. This training and the exhibitors' enthusiastic uptake, promise to deliver quality to visitors and results for exhibitors.

In addition to this session, SMMEs will attend a Summit designed to elevate SMMEs by directly linking them with corporate and public sector representatives who play a role in the SMME sector through funding, training and access to the market. By allowing these SMMEs to connect, listen to and network with the people who can help build their companies, the Rand Show offers significant opportunities for growth, development and operational improvement in the SMME space. The best part is that all of this is included in the price of signing up an SMME for a stand, with no additional charges.