An extensive portfolio of exhibitions, more
 than 40 years of experience and strong
 international partnerships have pro-
pelled Specialised Exhibitions into the top 
echelon of Southern Africa exhibition companies.

“Our portfolio of shows is the most extensive in Africa and we are the leader in the arena of trade shows,” Specialised Exhibitions Group CEO John Kaplan tells Mining Weekly.

Specialised Exhibitions started back in the 1960s with its then flagship trade show Interbou, which served the building and construction industry. The name was changed to Interbuild Africa in 1992, and has successfully colocated the shows Woodpro Africa, Plumbdrain Africa, Glass Expo and Fridgair, which have since joined the fold. 

“In those early days, we also managed a small mining show and then took over another related industry show, Electra. Combining the two shows saw the launch of Electra Mining Africa in 1972, which is now our flagship event and the biggest trade show in Southern Africa,”he says.

Propak Africa, formerly known as Pak-process, was launched in 1979. “Packaging was a developing industry and there was a need to establish a platform from which to showcase the industry. As the industry has grown, Propak Africa has taken advantage of the synergy between plastics, packaging and printing, hence the successful trio of colocated 
shows Propak Africa, Pro-Plas Africa and Print Expo,” reports Kaplan.

As a member of the internationally recognised Montgomery Group, its portfolio of trade shows continued to strengthen and grow and, in late 2007, it acquired Exhibitions for Africa (EFA) and its portfolio of successful shows, which 
included Hostex, Markex and Securex.

In 2004, the company made the 
decision to invest in the consumer show market, recognising it as a developing exhibition business, and launched the Women’s Show and the Natural and Organic Products event. This year, it arranged the first Grand Designs event in South Africa.

Kaplan says that developing strong business partnerships with stakeholders is a key ingredient for success in the exhibition industry and a trend that will continue to develop.

“Another strength is our attitude towards investment. It does not matter how many years we have been running a show or how well 
established its brand, we treat every show as a ‘new’ show and ensure that we invest to create the best returns for both visitors and exhibitors. Even if a newly-launched show projects a financial loss in its first year, we view it as an investment for the future and put all 
necessary resources behind it.”

He says new trends are constantly emerging, such as experiential and entertainment factors being incorporated into exhibitions – an ‘edutainment’ element that encourages visitors to really experience what’s on show, even with trade shows such as Electra Mining Africa, where simulation booths and outside demonstrations are actively being used.

“We concluded one of the company’s most successful two-year exhibition cycles in terms of visitor and exhibitor attendance across our portfolio in 2009, and that trend is set to continue across our shows in 2010,” says Kaplan.

“The economic downturn has seen budgets 
becoming tighter, but this has propelled more creative and effective use of marketing 
resources, which resulted in a year of successful exhibitions attracting good-quality visitors with purchasing power.”

He adds that a challenge for the local 
industry is the increase in international exhibition organisers looking to South Africa as a market, with local players needing to protect their products and brands.

“However, the international interest can also be an opportunity. We have partnered with international investors to bring new shows and new investment into the local industry,” says Kaplan.

In future, the company will further build and maintain its core business while also 
developing and investing additional joint ventures with international partners.