EXSA news

EXSA’s Stardate November 2020

By Gill Gibbs, chairperson of EXSA

With our industry underway at warp seven for 220+ days, we remain in orbit around the Level 1 Lockdown measure which was never before charted – we remain in a priority one, red-alert situation and we are united in this battle.

September 2020 would ordinarily have seen us industry roleplayers on site at Electra Mining Africa and Africa Aerospace and Defence. Similarly, rAge Expo and Comic Con Africa would have seen thousands of foot traffic over their respective weekends, with eagerly awaited new titles and releases, and with passionate, avid gamers and followers in full support of these epic events. From medical exhibitions and confexes to events and road shows, we would have been executing our projects, braving the long hours onsite and finally, sitting back and admiring the fruits of our labour, uploading our memorable moments and achievements to social media. In these times, even more exhibition and event memories would have been made through our sheer hard work, creativity, innovation, determination and perseverance.

Life is certainly not how we knew it to be. We reflect with nostalgia on the exhibitions, events and projects of which we should have been a part in 2020, yet we are also focusing on forging on in this marathon, plotting our next steps for our future course.

With the capacity limit at 50 per cent of the normal capacity of a venue, up to a maximum of 250 people for indoor gatherings and 500 people for outdoor gatherings, it is not easy to build on this and realise an exhibition or event that can actually yield the required ROI.

However, we can use this to initiate and orchestrate the platforms that we need to highlight, and yield the previously identified and primary criteria to be fulfilled: instilling and building confidence and morale.

The industry is awakening and looking to this journey of recovery – from the Proof-of-Concept conferences executed since July 2020 to the calls that are starting to come in for designs and proposals to… the Restart Expo - a small-scale exhibition showcase designed by Specialised Exhibitions and Johannesburg Expo Centre that will attract government, industry, media, PCO’s, exhibitors and visitors and demonstrate to them what exhibitions will look like post Covid-19.

What better medium to demonstrate best practice and safety protocols by way of a fresh restart for our industry? The show is to run from 25 to 26 November. This could well be the highlight of the year. To those that continue to support our Industry cause, offering their time, products and services at no charge, we salute you.

EXSA’s second-in-10-months, in-person EXSA Connects session took place last month. There was much discussion and debating solutions for the new industry landscape; however, it was also about letting our hair down and having some good quiz fun.

We still need to tick the important wellbeing boxes: mind, body and spirit. It begins and ends with us supporting and checking in on each other.

Reflecting on EXSA Stardate 2020 to date:

As we head into November and into yet another new month in this crazy and challenging year, it is hard to look back at what we have been through and what many of us have suffered and endured. With less than nine weeks left to the end of 2020, we must vasbyt further as we head into the home strait #Restart #Recovery #proudlyindustry #GoLiveTogether.