Pretoria Show rebrands into Tshwane International Show

The annual Pretoria Show will in future be known as the Tshwane International Show.

Chief Executive Officer of the Tshwane Business and Agricultural Corporation (Tshwabac), Wim du Toit has announced that the corporation’s board has unanimously decided to change the name.

“The show, the biggest of its kind in Africa, has for many years been the flagship display of the commercial and agricultural industry – the name change is therefore a natural step forward.

“We at Tshwabac have committed ourselves to the upliftment of the western part of Tshwane, and to assist the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in marketing the metro’s name.  To fully realise this commitment, it is essential that the annual flagship event also bears the name of the area it represents,” says Du Toit.

The City of Tshwane’s Executive Mayor, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa’s spokesperson, Tiny Mokwena, welcomed the decision.

“The show is a major role player in the city’s economy and the new name will certainly assist in building the brand of the country’s capital city.”

Du Toit says this show – the 70th one hosted at the Tshwane Events Centre – annually contributes some R50 million to the economy of Tshwane.

“Apart from this important contribution to the commercial growth of the city, the show also serves as a showcase for the agricultural sector. More than 5 000 animals were on show this year, while 500 exhibitors took part.

“Although there was a slight decrease of nine percent on visitor numbers compared to previous years, the organisers are satisfied with the turnout. Most of our exhibitors reported healthy sales. It seems that visitors were still willing to spend money on bigger items, with our exhibitors specialising in furniture, caravans and fine arts doing particularly well.”

Du Toit says the tougher economic environment definitely had an impact on this year’s show.

“Visitors thought twice before spending money, and the few exhibitors who did not perform up to expectations most probably were not selling the right products at the right price, or did not position their products strongly enough. We are generally satisfied with the mix of products, services and entertainment on offer at this year’s show.

“I am particularly pleased with the safety team’s performance at the show.  We once again did everything in our power to ensure the safety of our visitors, and we are satisfied with the way in which our security personnel performed their task. No serious incidents were reported within the show grounds this year,” says Du Toit.

“Most exhibitors gained by being present, reassuring clients that they are surviving the tough times.

“Cost-effective marketing, as presented by the show, was important for exhibitors to retain market share.  Many of them have already booked for next year.

“It was a good decision to shorten this year’s show by two days.

“We are sensitive to exhibitors’ and visitors’ needs and according to changing buying patterns, next year’s show will again be over ten days – from Friday, 27 August to Sunday, 5 September 2010,” says Du Toit.