Africa
Balancing global expertise with regional insight
EW discusses the African exhibition contractor market with SMARTBULD’ S operations manager Marita de Vos
hree to five seconds.
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That’ s how long a person looks at a stand before deciding whether or not they will step inside, according to African specialist standbuilder, SMARTBUILD. Colour, lighting, layout, branding and signage are critical to capturing attention, and the psychology of aesthetics and visual cohesion are critical to keeping it.
In the busy and loud exhibition environment, where information is at overload and senses are saturated, the margin for being remembered and overlooked can come down to one simple thing: your stand.
Building a stand is not hard, but creating a space that captures and holds attention at an exhibition is an art. It is important to create a stand in a way that’ s ideally suited to your target market, maximises your participation, helps you achieve measurable ROI, and connects with your potential customers.
Above: Marita de Vos
Below: SMARTBUILD delivers awardwinning stands, including Botswana Tourism’ s‘ Best for Business’ showcase at WTM Africa 2024
The value of a well-designed stand comes down to its function. From understanding traffic flow and floor dynamics to designing private spaces and managing complex exhibitor rosters, stands must be designed to optimise every aspect of the space. It is essential that your business objectives are heard and actioned in every part of the build. There is no one-size-fits-all, every industry and company is different and your booth must reflect this.
Exhibitions have to work harder to justify their value which means overheads need to come down or visibility needs to go up. Experience-led stands are becoming increasingly popular, as are spaces built with psychology and visual aesthetics in mind.
At WTM Africa 2024, SMARTBUILD – a division of RX Africa – transformed the stand for Botswana Tourism and won the award for‘ Best for Business’. As more African countries are participating in events there is a lot more cross-border activity, and new venues are popping up throughout the continent, so local specialist SMARTBUILD is well placed to offer some insights into this fast-developing market. EW asked its ops manager Marita de Vos to share some of their experience and perspective on this market.
How competitive is the African exhibition stand-building market, and where do you see the biggest opportunities for differentiation? The African sector is fragmented and competitive, with many venues doubling as both organisers and stand builders. This creates a strong pipeline of work but can sometimes blur the line between creativity, service delivery, and operational efficiency. One of the opportunities we see is for providers to focus more on consistency across borders; clients often want the same level of quality in Johannesburg as they would in Kigali or Nairobi, and
40 Issue 5 2025 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk