Fairground Holdings this year has brought onboard a supply chain of 20 SMMEs that range from printing, security, entertainment and more, translating into over 400 jobs in putting together the annual Botswana Consumer Fair.
This year, the event has attracted over 570 exhibition stalls from 30 different sector categories of the economy, an increase from last year’s 550.
Exhibitors comprise local, regional and international representing countries that include South Africa, Ghana, Eswatini, Egypt, China, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria as well as Ethiopia among others.
The 2022 instalment attracted foot traffic of 35 000, and organisers are looking to surpass it this year.
Held under the theme: Fostering Consumer Confidence through Business Resilience post Covid Pandemic, this year will mark the 16th anniversary of the popular annual event, which will be officially opened by the CEO of Choppies Botswana, Ramachandran Ottapathu on August 28th.
The week-long fair will end on September 3rd. Over the years, the Botswana Consumer Fair has successfully positioned itself as the best and largest premier fair in the calendar of events in Botswana.
Some of the highlights that guests can look forward to include the return of the Traders Hub which will house SMMEs and institutions like Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), Local Enterprise Authority (LEA),
Ministry of Entrepreneurship, as well as the Office of the District Commissioners from various parts of the country.
The hub will see 60 traders participating.
Speaking during a media briefing, CEO of Fairground Holdings, Gorata Gabaraane explained that they encourage meaningful engagements, fostering connections and engagements that will shape the future of the local businesses.
She noted that for the first time they had adopted a theme that reflects a collective journey of “overcoming challenges and embracing opportunities” in the wake of the global crisis.
This year, they were expecting to host 570 exhibitors, and were still counting, which is a big achievement.
“Like we did last year, we will have the traders’ hub which brought a lot of excitement, and hype to the fair since inception in 2022. It was developed to heed the call of our visitors and exhibitors for us to increase trading. It will always be here,” she said.
Gabaraane said that they had registered an increase in participation at the Diamond Pavilion, and that other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security were some of the highlights that guests can look forward to.
She said that as per the demand, the Fair has offered an opportunity to local companies to provide entertainment such as rides, inflatable slides, zip-lines, horse riding and more.
As part of their CSR drive, they had partnered with four organisations- Babusi Ward in Bontleng, Ramotswa School for the Deaf, Holy Cross Hospice, as well as the Botswana Red Cross Society. The four organisations have
been given an opportunity to offer catering stalls to raise funds.
She explained that last year, they made every effort to bring in SMMEs, which offered catering services, as a way of adding variety to the food court.
“At the same time, we had to make sure that they met all the basic requirements such as licensing. We were not wholly successful.
“As an establishment in the Hospitality industry, and considering the volumes of people that we deal with during the fair, it was important for us to ensure that there is zero tolerance to a possible food poisoning incident during the fair.
“Therefore, we can never lower expectations on standards of food establishments that come through to cater in our shores,” she said.
In terms of Risk Management, they had done everything in their power to provide a safe and secure environment for their clients.
“Through our partners, the Botswana Police Service, Health and Safety from the Council, we have doubled our efforts in putting measures in place to protect our visitors,” Gabaraane assured.
This year, the event has attracted over 570 exhibition stalls from 30 different sector categories of the economy, an increase from last year’s 550.
Exhibitors comprise local, regional and international representing countries that include South Africa, Ghana, Eswatini, Egypt, China, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria as well as Ethiopia among others.
The 2022 instalment attracted foot traffic of 35 000, and organisers are looking to surpass it this year.
Held under the theme: Fostering Consumer Confidence through Business Resilience post Covid Pandemic, this year will mark the 16th anniversary of the popular annual event, which will be officially opened by the CEO of Choppies Botswana, Ramachandran Ottapathu on August 28th.
The week-long fair will end on September 3rd. Over the years, the Botswana Consumer Fair has successfully positioned itself as the best and largest premier fair in the calendar of events in Botswana.
Some of the highlights that guests can look forward to include the return of the Traders Hub which will house SMMEs and institutions like Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), Local Enterprise Authority (LEA),
Ministry of Entrepreneurship, as well as the Office of the District Commissioners from various parts of the country.
The hub will see 60 traders participating.
Speaking during a media briefing, CEO of Fairground Holdings, Gorata Gabaraane explained that they encourage meaningful engagements, fostering connections and engagements that will shape the future of the local businesses.
She noted that for the first time they had adopted a theme that reflects a collective journey of “overcoming challenges and embracing opportunities” in the wake of the global crisis.
This year, they were expecting to host 570 exhibitors, and were still counting, which is a big achievement.
“Like we did last year, we will have the traders’ hub which brought a lot of excitement, and hype to the fair since inception in 2022. It was developed to heed the call of our visitors and exhibitors for us to increase trading. It will always be here,” she said.
Gabaraane said that they had registered an increase in participation at the Diamond Pavilion, and that other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security were some of the highlights that guests can look forward to.
She said that as per the demand, the Fair has offered an opportunity to local companies to provide entertainment such as rides, inflatable slides, zip-lines, horse riding and more.
As part of their CSR drive, they had partnered with four organisations- Babusi Ward in Bontleng, Ramotswa School for the Deaf, Holy Cross Hospice, as well as the Botswana Red Cross Society. The four organisations have
been given an opportunity to offer catering stalls to raise funds.
She explained that last year, they made every effort to bring in SMMEs, which offered catering services, as a way of adding variety to the food court.
“At the same time, we had to make sure that they met all the basic requirements such as licensing. We were not wholly successful.
“As an establishment in the Hospitality industry, and considering the volumes of people that we deal with during the fair, it was important for us to ensure that there is zero tolerance to a possible food poisoning incident during the fair.
“Therefore, we can never lower expectations on standards of food establishments that come through to cater in our shores,” she said.
In terms of Risk Management, they had done everything in their power to provide a safe and secure environment for their clients.
“Through our partners, the Botswana Police Service, Health and Safety from the Council, we have doubled our efforts in putting measures in place to protect our visitors,” Gabaraane assured.
