Okahandja happy with expo’s success

Organisers of the recently held Okahandja Tourism and Trade Expo 2016 have expressed their gratitude to the community and local businesses operating there, hailing the event a resounding success.
The 2016 festival took place at the Okahandja Park Sports Stadium last week, between 11 and 14 May 2016.
This year marked the eighth year of the festival’s existence, and while the number of people who visited showed a slight dip compared to last year, the number of exhibitors showed an important rise.
“We were overwhelmed by the number of people that passed through the gate, especially during performances,” the organising committee said in a statement issued this week.
“People are seeing the event as a social gathering on the event calendar of the town,” it said.
In total, 118 exhibitors displayed their goods and services at the 2016 garden town expo, while visitors over the four day period amounted to 10 936.
In 2015, exhibitors numbered 110, while 11 794 visitors stepped through the gates.
Exhibitions ranged from SMEs selling garden sculptures and flower pots made of old tyres, to curio shops catering to the hospitality industry, paint manufacturing and herbal medicines.
Exhibitors came from as far away as Ghana and Tanzania, exhibiting clothes, jewellery, textiles, handbags and shoes.
“We decreased the number of exhibitors that normally sell toys from China town,” the organising committee, said.
“This was done with the purpose of discouraging SMEs from aiming to make quick profits, but to inspire them to come up with innovative products.”
Awards for best corporate, ministry, SME, food outlet and overall exhibitors were also held, with prizes in the different categories sponsored by Old Mutual Namibia, the Ministry of Safety and Security, Meatco, and Capri Exclusive Homeware.
The next Okahandja Tourism and Trade Expo is set to take place between 3 and 6 May 2017.

DENVER ISAACS