The South African glass industry will be in the spotlight at Glass Expo Africa 2010, to be held at the MTN Expo Centre, Nasrec from 8 to 11 September.
The original idea to have a glass expo in South Africa was born by Steve McCoy, the managing director of McCoy’s Glass, the third largest glass company in South Africa and presented to its current organisers, Specialised Exhibitions.
The 2008 inaugural Glass Expo was an industry first for Africa and was labelled a huge success. The second staging of the show has already received solid support from companies, such as PG Group, McCoy’s Glass, Wispeco, Bohle Glass Equipment, Pro Crane, Alro Door, Abratool and Clean Cut Glass, Renè Turck and Associates and it is also endorsed by the Association of Architectural Aluminium Manufacturers of South Africa (AAAMSA) and the South African Glass and Glazing Association (SAGGA).
Glass Expo Africa forms part of the greater “The Star Interbuild Africa 2010” trade exhibition and this means that exhibitors at Glass Expo Africa have the opportunity to demonstrate their latest trends, products and services alongside Plumbdrain Africa, Sani’ter, Frigair Conference and Expo, Hardex and Woodpro Africa exhibitors, and so be part of the largest and most comprehensive trade exhibition on the continent.
“The expo is a unique opportunity for us to showcase our capabilities to potential customers and highlight to architects and other professionals what South African glass companies are able to produce locally. We want to secure our position as leaders in the glass industry on the African continent and the expo provides us with a unique opportunity to network with existing customers and meet new, potential customers. As a business, we are looking past 2010, after the World Cup, at how to grow our business and believe it is critical to penetrate the African market. There is so much potential waiting on our doorstep,” says McCoy.
According to the executive officer of AAAMSA, Hans Schefferlie, the AAAMSA Group incorporating SAGGA supports Glass Expo Africa 2010 as this trade show offers the glass and aluminium industries an opportunity to showcase the latest products available to both local and international customers. “In addition, Glass Expo Africa 2010 is ideally timed to coincide with the publication of the National Building Regulation Part XA - Energy Usage in Buildings, and glass and fenestration manufacturers will introduce products that will satisfy the requirements in respect of overall energy usage in buildings as legislated in the National Building Regulation.”
Also backing this year’s Glass Expo Africa, is the chief executive officer at leaders in integrated glass business, PG Group, Stewart Jennings. He believes that although the glass industry is still feeling the effects of the economic recession and lagging behind other industries, it is important to showcase the industries’ capabilities at the expo.
He has appealed to the South African glass industry to utilise this opportunity and says, “The glass industry in South Africa is dynamic and resilient. We need to use that determination and our expertise to collectively support our own industry. Activities like the expo are something we should nurture, which is why we are supporting it and taking part.”
Jennings adds that in line with the current economic conditions, PG Group’s presence may not be on the same scale as two years ago, but it will be clear and unambiguous. “Our stand will reflect our commitment to all our stakeholders and the broader industry. I commend those players who have already committed and encourage those players who may be reluctant to take part to join forces with ourselves and other exhibitors to make this a really good show. We will certainly be doing our best to make this show a success.”
Agreeing with this outlook, McCoy says that there are certain things that not even the largest companies can achieve on their own. “Glass Expo Africa is a unique opportunity to come together as an industry in order to promote the use of glass and aluminium. Coming out of a recession, I believe we need to show leadership as an industry and showcase our abilities and the huge potential we have. Tremendous investment has been made in the South Africa glass industry in recent years and we need to illustrate this. The expo is ideal for this. Times may be tough but now is the time to market ourselves and our industry. Let the glass and aluminium industry be the example and lead the building industry,” says McCoy.
Another firm supporter of Glass Expo Africa is Gavin Francey, the managing director of Bohle Glass Equipment, the South African subsidiary of Bohle AG, Haan, Germany, a leading international manufacturer and distributor of glazing tools, glass processing machinery, glass handling equipment and UV bonding technology. He says, “This is the only exhibition for the glass industry in South Africa and as a market leader in distributing quality Bohle products to the glass industry, it is our duty to take part in an exhibition of this nature and to give back to the industry”.
He further says that although Bohle is synonymous worldwide with quality and innovative products for the glass industry, the company sees the need to support Glass Expo Africa, to enable the exhibition to grow from strength to strength and benefit the glass industry as a whole. “Glass Expo Africa is important to the glass industry, as this is the platform to expose and launch new products and innovations, to reinforce and rekindle relationships, to look for export opportunities within Africa and for good networking.”
To enhance the interaction between exhibitors and visitors at this year’s expo, the organisers, Specialised Exhibitions, will be running a business matchmaking programme, as well as an African visitor promotion campaign. It is believed that these initiatives will increase the return on investment for both buyers and sellers as the business matchmaking programme will give delegates the opportunity to engage with one another on an exclusive basis, enabling exhibitors to meet their target markets and assisting visitors to find exactly what they are looking for.
The business matchmaking programme utilises sophisticated technology to profile participants, match their needs with those who can offer the most benefit for them and set up one-on-one meetings. These programmes were run at 21 business events last year and were rated by participants as the most essential activity at a conference or exhibition, achieving an average 85 percent response rate to meetings they scheduled.
Parallel to the exhibition, the glass industry in conjunction with AAAMSA and SAGGA will be hosting a conference titled: Let’s Talk Glass in Sustainable Buildings, focusing on energy efficiency on 9 September 2010. The conference, which takes place at the expo, will boast acclaimed speakers from the international and local architectural arena, as well as international and local experts talking about green, glass, energy efficiency and legislation. Architects attending will earn CPD points. For more information about the conference, please e-mail Robyn Milligan at robyn@specialised.com <mailto:roz@specialised.com> .
CONTACTS:
Specialised Exhibitions, Roz Nash, tel: +27 (0) 11 835-1565, e-mail: roz@specialised.com
