Triumph at EST: A stellar three-part trade show 

For three consecutive weeks in June, EST hosted regional trade shows in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban respectively. Dubbed one of its most succesful events since the pandemic, EST hosted over 120 exhibitors across the three locations.

The Cape Town trade show, which catered for the Western Cape and surrounding areas, was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 04 June. Despite the onset of extremely low temperatures marking the official start of winter, the event still attracted large crowds.

DIY & Industrial Trade News attended the Johannesburg event, which was held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on 11 June. Despite the venue hosting other expos, the EST Trade Show was a great success. Visitors easily found their way to the event which occupied the main hall, ensuring high visibility and attendance.

The show was well organised starting with a seamless registration process.

Speaking to several exhibitors during the show, they unanimously agreed that this year’s event saw significantly more engagement and interaction. One exhibitor noted that by midday, they had already had 150 retailers to their stand.

For exhibitors, this opportunity to share product information and offerings with retailers is invaluable, confirming that Trade Shows continue to be a valuable marketing tool for their businesses.

While capturing the interactions and festivities of the day, it was encouraging to see visitors scanning their tags at virtually every stand, walking away with valuable branded giveaways and samples they could use at their leisure.

To ensure retailers stayed at the venue for the day, EST provided refreshments for everyone. Tea, coffee and juice stations were available in designated areas where visitors could sit and take breaks. Lunch was also served to all attendees, ensuring they remained comfortable and well-fed.

The International Convention Centre in Durban was the venue for the last of the regional shows, capping off a succesful three-part event. Exhibitors at the Durban event experienced the same high level of interaction and engagement with the KZN retailers.

This was encouraging for exhibitors because they could share information on their products and offerings to more people, and they confirmed that such shows continued to be a valuable marketing experience for their businesses. 

While capturing the interactions and festivities of the day, it was encouraging to see visitors scanning their tags at almost every stand they visited and walk away with bags filled with either the company’s merchandise such as caps, beanies, water bottles, pens and note pads. Some bags included small samples of tools and handyman essentials that visitors could use for their DIY projects at home. 

To keep visitors at the venue throughout the day, EST provided refreshments for everyone. Tea, coffee, and juice stations were available in the refreshment areas where people could sit down and take breaks. Lunch was also served to all attendees on the day. 

The last show was held in Durban at the Durban International Convention Centre on 19 June.  Durban capped off the successful three-part show, with exhibitors experiencing the same high level of interaction and engagement from visitors in the KwaZulu-Natal region at their stands.