9 minute read
Business Events Africa — May 2024
Johannesburg Expo Centre –a versatile canvas for events
The Johannesburg Expo Centre (JEC), south of Johannesburg, is renowned as one of the country’s most sought-after venues for some of the country’s most iconic events.
The Johannesburg Expo Centre should be top of mind when it comes to planning large-scale events and exhibitions, for a variety of reasons. The venue’s flexibility allows it to manage any occasion — being equipped to host both indoor and outdoor events, depending on your needs. Whether your event requires quiet boardrooms for private meetings, extensive floor space for exhibits, a dance floor to host thousands of people, or al fresco refreshment stations, the JEC has the multi-purpose facilities to accommodate all of this, and more.
The JEC has no shortage of space either, with its 150,000m² of space to host mass events. Coupled with that, when it comes to parking, the venue offers secure parking for 20,000 vehicles, ensuring that exhibitors and guests alike can find parking with ease and get straight to business. The JEC is also hailed as one of the most accessible venues in the country, with accessibility from all major highways and a helipad on-site for registered helicopter landing needs. Its location is ideal for travellers, with five-star hotels in the vicinity, and a mere 30 minutes from both international airports.
The JEC’s mission is to harness professionalism, flexibility, and hospitality, to offer clients world-class service; and to ensure that their experience always exceeds their expectations.
Adele Hartdegen, chief executive officer, said: “As the CEO of Johannesburg Expo Centre, I am proud to assert that our venue stands as the pinnacle of excellence in the exhibitions industry. Our commitment to unparalleled service and client satisfaction sets us apart from the competition.
“With strategically designed spaces and a dedicated team of professionals, we offer an unmatched environment for organisers to run seamless Exhibitions and Trade Shows. Our track record speaks volumes, having hosted some of the largest shows on the continent, and we are confident that our venue remains the best suited to serve especially large industrial exhibitions.”
Ms Hartdegen added: “The unique design of our Halls, allows for exceptional floor loading capacity, and multiple loading bays ensure ease of access for large equipment and stands. These layouts and loading capacity are supported by an exceptional electrical backbone, to ensure that we are able to accommodate the demonstration of large machinery during shows.”
“We have also hosted some of the most prominent music festivals, enabled by the vast outdoor spaces and hundreds of bathrooms available onsite. With events and consumer shows, we also have the benefit of multiple outdoor food kiosks, eliminating long queueing. We advertise ourselves as a purpose-built exhibition centre, as the venue was developed for the hosting of the Rand Show. This enabled the architects to engage with a show organiser and understand their key deliverables during the show and how a specialised venue could ease some of their challenges.”
“We understand the unique needs of our clients and strive to exceed their expectations at every turn. At the Johannesburg Expo Centre, we don’t just host exhibitions and events; we create unforgettable experiences that drive success for our clients and elevate the industry as a whole,” Ms Hartdegen added.
Here is some feedback from a few of the large exhibition and events organisers that host their events at the Johannesburg Expo Centre.
The Rand Show
The Rand Show’s history stretches back to 1894, making it one of the longest-running consumer events in Africa. It began as the Witwatersrand Agricultural Show, a platform for showcasing agricultural advancements in the newly discovered goldfields. Over time, the focus broadened to encompass the evolving lifestyles of South Africans. It continued to be held at Milner Park until 1984.
The Rand Show’s history stretches back to 1894, making it one of the longest-running consumer events in Africa. It began as the Witwatersrand Agricultural Show, a platform for showcasing agricultural advancements in the newly discovered goldfields. Over time, the focus broadened to encompass the evolving lifestyles of South Africans. It continued to be held at Milner Park until 1984.
Since opening its doors in September 1984, the JEC has established itself as a leading venue for a wide range of events. Its inaugural exhibition, Rand Show, the Outdoor and Lifestyle Show, marked the beginning of a legacy that would span over four decades.
Didi Okoro, head of sales, Dogan Exhibition and Events, highly recommends the venue. She said: “The JEC is the ideal venue for hosting the Rand Show. It is one of the few venues in South Africa spacious enough to accommodate the grand scale of the event. Moreover, its adaptability shines through, as it effortlessly caters to various facets of the show, whether it’s the vibrant carnival rides, large car exhibitions, diverse multiple shopping experiences, or even a sprawling dinosaur expo spanning the size of a rugby field. The JEC truly offers a versatile canvas for the Rand Show’s dynamic array of attractions. The JEC team offer excellent customer service and flexibility when it comes to making the event work, and multiple venue offerings within the venue to fit any type or size of event,” Ms Okoro said.
Electra Mining Africa
The first Electra Mining Africa exhibition took place in 1972.
In 1984, Electra Mining Africa moved from the Milner Park Showgrounds to the Johannesburg Expo Centre. At this time, the venue was known as the National Exhibition Centre. Subsequently, the name of the venue changed to the Johannesburg Expo Centre.
Electra Mining Africa 2024
2-6 September 2024
This year’s Electra Mining Africa is expected to be one of the biggest shows to date, with 37,000+m² exhibition space, 850+ exhibitors, and over 30,000 visitors. This year’s Electra Mining Africa is incorporating the Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo in Hall 10.
Charlene Hefer, portfolio director, Specialised Exhibitions — a division of the Montgomery Group, said: “The Johannesburg Expo Centre was the first purpose-built exhibition centre in Johannesburg and, unlike other multi-purpose venues, was tailor-made to the task. It is far larger than any of its competitors and it offers the most benefits to many of the country’s larger exhibitions, including Electra Mining Africa. With a vast parking area also available, it is the only venue with the size capable of hosting the show.”
“Over the years, many upgrades, renovations and redesigned areas have ensured its continued suitability for Electra Mining Africa. It can accommodate high numbers of exhibitors and thousands of visitors; it has easy accessibility for build-up, show traffic flow, and breakdown. The floor-loading capacity is unique to the Johannesburg Expo Centre, which allows the display and live demonstration of large and heavy machinery. The six halls, outside exhibit areas, restaurants and office space is able to accommodate our exhibitors, co-located conferences and workshops, onsite suppliers, and, of course, our visitors. Onsite catering and other facilities also provide excellent support to the show.
“In addition, it is the ease of accessibility to the venue (good road network) and its central location. This provides for many accommodation options as it is surrounded by a choice of three, four, and five-star hotels in the area,” Ms Hefer said.
She added: “The JEC management and staff offers excellent service levels. The flexibility of the venue to suit the different demands of each exhibition.”
Other shows organised by Specialised Exhibitions which take place at the Johannesburg Expo Centre include Propak Africa and Machine Tools Africa. Both shows require floor loading capacity and the ease of venue accessibility for large and heavy machinery that is displayed at the shows.
Ms Hefer concluded: “We have been working with the Johannesburg Expo Centre for several years and highly regard the professional team, who support us at every turn. The versatility of the venue, the wide range of facilities available, and how the venue meets the logistical and infrastructure demands of a show like Electra Mining Africa are important, but beyond that is the support we receive from the venue’s management and staff. As with any event, there can be some last-minute changes and the Expo Centre’s team is always there to help. With an exhibition as large as Electra Mining Africa, we can also face some unexpected challenges and again, we have the Expo Centre’s support behind us. We see them as a partner in ensuring that all logistics run smoothly in delivering a successful event.”
Ultra South Africa
Ultra South Africa is a single-day event, taking place in two cities (Johannesburg and Cape Town). Having debuted in 2014, Ultra South Africa is one of the longeststanding world editions of the festival. Ultra South Africa has been taking place at the Johannesburg Expo Centre since it started in 2014 (except for the Covid years of 2020-2022). The show attracts between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors.
Tony Feldman, director of Showtime Management, said: “I love the space. It is a perfect festival venue. Both indoor and outdoor spaces are utilised. The layout and the different areas make for a great walk-through. Fans can get to explore the site and the different spaces. Also, there are more than adequate parking facilities.
“Apart from the incredible space, Craig Newman and his team have become incredible partners and friends of Ultra South Africa.
“We are moving into the 10th Anniversary of Ultra South Africa. For an International branded festival, that is an incredible feat. The Johannesburg Exhibition Centre has been our home for the past 10 years and they have been one of the reasons for the success of the festival. Here is to ten more years,” Mr Feldman said.
20th AGOA Forum 2023
Made In Africa Expo
2-4 November 2023
• Hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry
• Full turnkey event and exhibition management services supplied by Johannesburg Expo Centre and subsidiaries.
• Conference Attended by +1,000 international conference delegates including a trade delegation from the United States.
• Exhibition attended >2,500 local and international delegates
• >400 Exhibitors mixed large corporate brands and SMME’s.
Contact Info
Tel: 011 494 1920
Email: info@expocentre.co.za
Website: www.expocentre.co.za
Address: Cnr Nasrec & Randshow Roads, Johannesburg.
