Namport Erongo Business and Tourism Expo

At least 15,000 people are expected to turn up at this year’s Namport Erongo Business and Tourism Expo currently running in Walvis Bay. The show was officially opened this Wednesday, 31 October by Erongo Governor, Cleophas Mutjavikua. The show ends on Saturday evening.
Although coinciding with the very popular Copper Festival in Tsumeb, organisers of the Namport Erongo Business and Tourism Expo, previously known as the Erongo Expo are adamant that the expo will attract more visitors than the previous years, especially since the tourism sector was added to the list of exhibitors.
The Namport Erongo Business and Tourism Expo, incorporating the Standard Bank Auto Show, attracted between 12,000 and 14,000 visitors in 2011. This represented a growth of between 30% and 40%, compared to 2009. The organisers said earlier this week they are convinced that the upward curve will be maintained this year, especially with the inclusion of the tourism industry and the entertainment line-up.
The expo is sponsored by Namport and incorporates an Auto Show organised by Standard Bank. Over 146 stalls are set up in the Civic Centre where the expo is being held and more than 50 outdoor stands form part of the exhibitors. The Standard Bank Auto Show offers 22 open air stands for new vehicles, trucks, leisure and sports vehicles, camping equipment, accessories, services and solutions.
Organisers of the Namport Erongo Business and Tourism Expo2012 are Expo Studios and Conference Link assisted by TwentyEleven Communications, a public relations firm. Entrance to the expo is free of charge; however an entrance fee will be charged at the Entertainment park. Various local artists and bands form part of the entertainment line up scheduled for the evenings.
The local popularity of the show was evident from the first day. The entertainment programme which started on Wednesday evening also proved to be very popular with a full-house Karaoke.
An exhibitors awards evening will be held to reward the most outstanding stands. Visitors can obtain tickets for the Award Cocktail slated for Saturday evening for N$150 per pair. The best SME exhibitor will receive the Governor’s Award on the same night.