Eskom Small Business Expo
Eskom initiated the expo in 1997 with the intention of staging an event that has a broad impact in stimulating entrepreneurship and contributes to the development of small, medium and micro enterprises with a view to enhancing the country's future economic prosperity and employment opportunities.
An exhibition is a versatile marketing medium which represents the marketplace in one place and time and provides an ideal opportunity for exhibitors to launch new products, generate media coverage, build brand awareness, generate leads and interact with customers.
Over the past six years the Eskom Small Business Expo has run concurrently with the Franchise & Business Opportunities Expo. This has enabled extensive benefits in terms of combined marketing with the resultant attraction of numerous visitors.
The 2007 event was extremely successful and it included business skills workshops. An opportunity was created by the Foundation for 138 SME owners from previously disadvantaged communities to exhibit, as well as 18 Eskom nominated projects and three Eskom departments, (159 exhibitors
in total).
The event was well publicised and 8 003 visitors attended the expo over the three day period
(2006: 11 256 visitors over four days).
The objectives of the expo are to:
- provide an opportunity for small and medium entrepreneurs (SME’s)
from previously disadvantaged communities to showcase their goods and services with a view to forming linkages with big business
- create an opportunity for the Foundation and relevant Eskom departments such as Procurement, to interact direct with the SME markets
- contribute to a "one stop" opportunity where all supporting services are
available to inter alia grantmakers, financial institutions, trainers,
government departments and business consultants
- expose visitors to affordable business opportunities in the form of franchises, direct marketing opportunities, new dealership opportunities as well as ideas for home industries and micro businesses
- expose available technology and equipment for small enterprises
- expose visitors to Eskom's corporate social investment commitment through the work of
the Foundation.
Visitor statistics
Visitors attending the 2007 exhibition were made up as follows: (2006 figures in brackets) 43,4% (39,1%) were employed; 45,3% (53,1%) were self employed and
8,1% (7, 8%) unemployed.
Visitors by industry sector |
