The three events, traditionally co-located to give industry stakeholders access to networking and markets across integrated sectors, have been rescheduled from mid-2021.
Ifat Africa, Food & Drink Technology Africa and Analytica Lab Africa, to be staged at Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, will highlight the synergies and address the challenges across the water and wastewater, food and beverage processing, laboratory and analytical industries.
Food & Drink Technology Africa (FDT Africa), presents food and beverage manufacturing solutions from innovative developments for resource conservation to raw materials, through to processing, filling and packaging machines.
Ifat Africa is a large trade fair for water, sewage, refuse and recycling in Southern Africa, featuring solutions from around the world and a forum programme addressing trends, challenges and solutions from the water, sewage, refuse and recycling sectors. A new highlight at Ifat Africa will be the Renewable Energy Zone – Powered by Ifat, which will present solutions and opportunities across the key renewables sectors. These include solar, wind, hydropower, biomass and biowaste technologies and services.
Analytica lab Africa is the only trade fair for laboratory technology, analysis, biotechnology and diagnostics in South Africa.
Suzette Scheepers, CEO of Messe Muenchen South Africa, says: “Out of an abundance of caution, we have postponed these trade shows from July 2021, to 2-4 November 2021. This will allow us time to implement global best practice health and safety measures and design exhibition area layouts that enable in-person networking while still maintaining the required social distancing,” she says.
The measures will align local and international Covid-19 safety measures throughout exhibition areas, forum areas, catering areas and transport, with new approaches to managing venue capacity, ventilation, staff safety training, contact tracing and disinfection of stands.
Scheepers says that while virtual events have proven beneficial in connecting delegates throughout lockdown, nothing offers the full-sensory experience required for business development and decision-making as exhibitions do. “Many business partnerships begin as encounters on the exhibition floor or over lunch. Therefore, we are bringing back the real-life event to help pan-African and international stakeholders get back to business.”
A comprehensive marketing strategy has been designed and is already being implemented to support exhibitors’ marketing efforts to their prospective customers via an integrated digital marketing solutions package. This will enable exhibitors to develop and maintain market awareness and industry networking from the time that they sign up to participate.
