The art of venue operation in South Africa

Reporter： As the host venue of the UFI Congress， what is your expectation for the event？

Vallabh： We as the host venue strive to offer first class service for the delegates. I am very pleased to meet so many influential exhibition professionals from worldwide and I hope that in the future they will bring more events to South Africa.

Reporter： What are the advantages and challenges for your venue？ How do you see industry competition？

Vallabh： Our conference center is very close to the airport and there are shuttle buses in between directly. There are several three-star to five-star hotels around here for convenient accommodation of the participants. There are also shopping malls and iconic statues for good leisure experiences.

At present we only have an exhibition area of 10，000 square meters， and a meeting area of 3，000 square meters. We do not have large exhibition halls， but we operate according to the international standards， in addition to comprehensive surrounding facilities， so the conference center is still a preferred venue for activities.

Reporter： Does the government have any supporting policy for the exhibition industry？

Vallabh： Indeed we would like more government support and it is expected that some supporting policies will be put into practice before long. I would also recommend organizers to contact South African Tourism Bureau and Convention Bureau for assistance.

Reporter： What is the situation of Chinese organizers and exhibitors here？

Vallabh： In the past two or three years， a Chinese organizer has hosted a large-scale home show in the venue. For the organizers， the venue has the corresponding project manager to monitor the whole project operation and make it convenient for the client.

On the other hand， we encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the exhibition， they will see a lot of opportunities in South Africa. Some of the exhibitors tend to attend to everything by themselves， but as we as a venue better know how to communicate with local service providers， and would love to recommend potential local buyers for them. We hope to have more cooperation with Chinese exhibitors.

Reporter： Talents is very important. How do you train staff in your venue？

Vallabh： Staff training is mainly carried out by each individual venue， and it is very important for improving the service level. In South Africa， there is no national standard on venue service yet， but we strive to operate according to international standards and enhance the effectiveness. At the same time， we also carry out safety training and only accept a trade show if it applies to the corresponding safety standards.