ZITF roars to life this week

The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) roars to life this week. Bulawayo will be home to many people from all corners of the country, including foreigners.

My guess is that all roads that lead to the exhibition ground from the Joshua Mqabuko International Airport have been spruced up in anticipation of the grand occasion. It is my sincere hope that service providers in Bulawayo will give guests the great warm welcome and service that is characteristic of the city. I definitely know that Chiku Mulinde and his team at Holiday Inn Bulawayo will shine in their green brand. It is my sincere hope that the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre staff led by Nomathemba Ndlovu will be at their best as they welcome exhibitors and visitors to their space.

While I have often chided the staff at the exhibition centre for lacking patience and for being downright unwelcoming in some instances, I must say that I decided to understand the ZITF week from their shoes and I discovered a few things that if exhibitors adhered to, would lead to the event turning out superbly. I was reliably informed that all exhibitors were required to register online so that badges could be prepared well before hand and so that they could collect their badges well before the exhibition. There is therefore really no need for the congestion that is then found in the exhibition lounge on the afternoon before the start of the trade showcase.

This makes it look as if the staff at the exhibition centre is not organised but really in this instance, it is the exhibitors who would not have followed instructions. My advice to the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre staff would be to tighten their rules. In my opinion, all badges and all stands should be set up by Friday preceding the start of the show and the grounds should be closed off to all workmen on the weekend preceding the show only to open on the day when the event starts. In international exhibitions for example, the exhibitors do not even have the luxury of crowding the exhibition centre offices a night before the showcase. In some instance, the offices operate remotely from the actual exhibition space so there would be no time to be disorganised. The brands that are serious about their image will not be found milling around giving Ndlovu and her team a torrid time given that everyone had ample time to prepare.

To ensure that a successful exhibition is held, the onus is on the exhibitors to put up a spirited and serious show. The problem that some brands face is that their personnel take the week less seriously than they would an ordinary day at work. This is in fact quite detrimental because the company then loses out on the rare opportunity to engage seriously with potential business partners and other stakeholders to ensure business development and growth. That is why it is always advisable to select only those employees that can confidently address issues pertaining to the brand confidently and with an in depth knowledge of their products or services. Their public relations skills should be distinctively first class and the language of communication should be the official language of the country. As far as I know, this language is the English language. I have often found it quite daunting when people who represent a brand switch onto their vernacular languages, largely making the wrong assumption that visitors to their stand understand their village dialects. Seasoned marketers will off course desist from this as it is impolite and disrespectful.

The exhibitors must not only know their product well but they must be fully aware of the theme that the ZITF is running on. They must fully incorporate this theme in their display and presentation as signing up for the exhibition essentially means that they are agreeable to the theme. The stand must be adequately manned at all times. It is immoral to leave the stand unmanned at anytime as it shows a total lack of commitment on the part of the company. It shows the potential investor that the particular company can afford to leave the business unattended. This is far from ideal. I am also reliably informed that the ZITF team also take time to train the exhibitors but then again, some do not attend these training sessions that are altogether important.

Having said this, it is my hope that someone somewhere will read this and maybe change their ZITF experience.

Stha Magida is a qualified marketer by profession with experience spanning over 15 years. She writes in her personal capacity and is contactable on stha4235@gmail.com