As the largest and most influential event of medical and health sector of Zimbabwe, the third edition of Zim-Afro Medical and Health Expo 2013, will be held at Harare International Conference Center from September 25-27, 2013,  with more than 150 standard booths for potential exhibitors.

Zimbabwe`s premier Tradeshow and Health Promotions Event is being held in Partnership with The Health Advisor`s  Office of the President and Cabinet.

This is the only event in Zimbabwe that brings together medical professionals, distributors, Health Agencies, manufacturers of medical equipment, players in Southern Africa and related service providers together to Showcase, demonstrate, educate, and sell their products to a wide range of attendees. Your product or service has the potential to reach thousands at the Expo!

By joining us as an exhibitor and saying yes to the exhibition opportunities of Zim-Afro`s 2nd Zim-Afro Annual Medical and Health Expo in 2012,you are saying yes to the development of the health sector in Zimbabwe, co-coordinating with the private sector and Government and growth of your visibility among the public and decision-makers in Zimbabwe. We offer our exhibitors unique opportunities to exhibit their merchandise and services. You will also be extending your reach to a national and world-wide audience.

Activities of the 3 days Expo

-      programme will be available soon

Marketing at an event is often outside of our usual marketing plan, probably because it tends to be a once a year or less type of occurrence, especially if you’re a small business. For that reason it benefits from its own mini marketing plan, and these Event and Exhibition marketing tips might help.

1. Plan well ahead if you’re exhibiting especially if you need a display stand. Event organisers will provide dimensions for your exhibition space to help. It’s very hard to exhibit without a professional display unless you want to stand out for the wrong reasons, so it’s worth spending the money on something you can use again.
2. What can you giveaway? Anything that’s free, including gadgets, samples and even value added content like reports and white papers (good if you’re a service-based B2B) – in exchange for email addresses, business cards and any contact details. Then you’ve got a database of interested parties for your next e-newsletter or communication.
3. Take plenty of your own business cards. One of the best things about business events is the opportunity to network with other businesses in your sector, even potential suppliers and of course any potential customers.
4. Organise in advance for producing special offers or specific information for the event. This could be a flyer, coupon or discount for a limited period around the event date.
5. Create a plan of action for the event. If there’s more than one of you, who does what on the stand e.g. one to greet, the other to talk through product information. Always make sure there’s little or no barrier to people coming into your stand. If it’s unavoidable, one of you can stand in front of the table or barrier to engage with passers-by.
6. Before the event use your website and social networks to let customers know you’re going to be there. Tell them where you’ll be and consider offering an incentive for them to visit your stand. And think about taking a video camera for when you’re there so you can post it onto your networks when you get back.
7. If your space allows, target specific existing customers for some corporate hospitality before the exhibition to visit your stand for a glass of drink/cup of coffee/whatever is appropriate and use the time as an opportunity to catch up with them.
8. Event “goody bags” and programmes - if the organisers provide visitors with a pack or goody bag, can you provide something to go in it (voucher/or incentive to visit your stand) or is there an opportunity to sponsor a part of the event so your name is on the programme? This is often less expensive than you might think but great for exposure.
9. Stand location. The earlier you can choose your space the better as it can make or break a successful event. It’s often a higher cost to have a more prominent stand (near the entrance for example, or by the refreshments so you’re the first stand visitors see when they come in) but worth considering if the footfall is likely to be worthwhile.

When you get back, don’t forget to follow up leads and do some quick analysis on the return on your investment. Measurement this time will help you to make the right decision next time an exhibition opportunity comes up and help to plan ahead for future marketing activity.