In 2016, the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) will be focusing strongly on training and knowledge sharing, with the aim of growing and strengthening the industry. This is evident through the number of exciting training events being hosted by AAXO, which are not to be missed by anyone who wants to keep their finger on the pulse of the African exhibitions sector.

The first event of the year is the Organiser Training Day that will be taking place at the Indaba Hotel, Spa & Conference Centre on the 10^th of February 2016, which will include the much-anticipated official launch of AAXO. Following the enormous success of AAXO’s exhibitor Training Day in 2015, the February Training Day is aimed at exhibition organisers and will educate delegates on how to create and implement a comprehensive and effective digital marketing strategy. This Training Day is free to all AAXO members, although non-members are welcome to attend for a fee of R500 per person. Places are filling up fast and AAXO strongly encourages anyone wishing to take part to book their spot without delay.

Also on the 10^th of February, directly after the Training Day concludes at 15h00, AAXO will be hosting their formal launch event. Exhibition organisers, venue representatives, suppliers and service providers, representatives from stakeholders, other association partners and the media will come together to network, celebrate the inception of this dynamic new organization and hear the results of the market research recently commissioned by AAXO.

Given that it has become increasingly important for exhibitors and advertisers to have confidence in the attendance figures for exhibitions and conferences, AAXO also approached the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) to formulate a proposal to audit and validate attendance figures at exhibitions and conferences. Effective from 8 February 2016, ABC will be offering certification of exhibition and conference attendance. A set of Reporting Standards has been developed according to international best practice, which has been approved by AAXO, and detailed information around this development will be discussed at AAXO’s launch event. Exhibition organisers can also register on the ABC website www.abc.org.za (on or after 8 February, following the user guide). The annual ABC membership fee is R1000, and audit fees will be quoted on an event-by-event basis. Further enquiries can be directed to the General Manager on 011 4474290, or by email to charlesb@abc.org.za.

Furthermore, in June AAXO will be collaborating with strategic partner SAACI (the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry) to host a one-day Conference that coincides with SAACI’s 2016 Annual Conference. Held on the 8th of June, in affiliation with UFI’s Global Exhibitions Day, this AAXO initiative means that dual AAXO/SAACI members will enjoy the convenience of only having to attend one conference, and they will reap the benefits of the common goals and combined efforts of the two organisations: AAXO is a strong voice that represents exhibition organisers specifically and SAACI has extensive industry knowledge and experience in representing exhibition service providers. The programme for the AAXO one-day event will be released closer to the time.

According to Carol Weaving, Chairperson of AAXO, “The decision to host our one-day Conference on the 8^th of June meant that we could show our support for UFI’s fantastic Global Exhibitions Day initiative, while working with SAACI to deliver value to members. The Conference line up will be filled with fantastic sessions that will inform, educate and inspire delegates.” She notes that the AAXO launch is another event that will showcase what AAXO has to offer. “We have been working hard to use AAXO as a platform to advocate for the needs of exhibition organisers and our official launch will give attendees a chance to see our amazing progress to date. We hope to see everyone there.”

AAXO gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors for the Training Day and Launch: Unlimited Events Group, Inspire Furniture Rentals, Promotag, the Indaba Hotel, Spa & Conference Centre, Expo Guys, Just Go With It and 3D Design South Africa.

Don’t be left out of AAXO’s fantastic Exhibition Organiser Training Day on the 10^th of February – seats are limited so RSVP now to avoid disappointment!

To book a seat for the Training Day or for more information on AAXO visit www.aaxo.co.za or contact Cindy Wandrag on 011 549 8300 or info@aaxo.co.za.

For membership inquiries, including a full list of membership benefits and information on how to join, contact membership@aaxo.co.za.