|
Visitor numbers may have been slightly down, but fewer crimes were reported and big ticket items still sold well at this year's Rand Show.
A variety of characters bid farewell to Rand Show patrons
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
WHEN the Rand Show bowed out this year, it was on a good safety and security wicket - with crime reported at the show at a 19-year low.
Organisers applauded the good work done by the South African Police Service; Johannesburg metro police and emergency management services; and the private security company, Lodge Sibumbene, for delivering a powerful safety and security contingent..
The collaboration of these safety and security teams resulted in crime dropping dramatically, with the organisers reporting the lowest crime statistics at the show in 19 years.
The emergency management services also bagged the award for most interactive display at the Rand Show.
Even though there was a 15 percent drop in attendance figures from 2007 - the result of current market and economic conditions - entertainment stayed “high on the agenda” of visitors. The final concert of the show, the MTN Afrikaans Music Festival, held in partnership with Jacaranda 94.2 and Bleed, the Afrikaans newspaper, attracted most of the crowd.
Mascots and minstrel sang their hearts out as they danced their way out of the Rand Show
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
Ryan Downing, the general manager of consumer shows for Rand Show owners Kagiso Exhibitions and Events, said: “South Africa’s rocketing cost of living, interest rate hikes, fuel and food costs have without a doubt been making their mark on the local socio-economic landscape and certainly all consumer events have felt the knock on effects.
“However, it was not as marked as we had originally anticipated and big ticket items still continued to perform on the sales side … We definitely saw a trend towards the family shopper as well as an older market profile of homeowners shopping for home improvements and leisure products".
Downing added that reports from exhibitors specialising in products to make homes more energy efficient and to combat Eskom’s planned price increases, sold like hot cakes.
Top on the list were solar geyser panels, inverters, energy saving devices and gas appliances.
Makhado Trade, an exhibitor offering the latest solar geyser technology and an alarm and security system, said its visitor profile was of a very high standard.
Downing said that consumers had continued to spend on products such as furniture, appliances and home improvement items. “The fall off seems to be coming in on the smaller, non-essential items, apparel, and gadgets."
The EMS attracted crowds and scooped gold as the best interacting stage at Rand Show
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
Another exhibitor who used the Rand Show to test his product, which is new in the country, was pleased with the results. Dale Pudney, who markets a glass strengthening system, said: “Most people who declined to take a flyer from us initially returned to get one when they saw how well the product worked.
“The ability to exhibit our products has alerted many customers to the need for a system like ours. In fact, we have subsequently had many enquiries from individuals as well as corporate to do their fleets and also entrepreneurs who want to open up dealerships around the country, as far as Richards Bay, Port Elizabeth, Zeerust and Bethlehem,” Dale said.
The annual Rand Show, now in its 113th year, was held as usual at Nasrec Expo Centre, on the corner of Rand Show and Nasrec roads in Soweto.
It ended its 2008 run on Sunday, 6 April; but if you missed it, there is always next year to look forward to.
Related stories:
|
