Coatings for Africa 2015, the biggest showcase of coatings technology and paint and related products on the African continent, promises to be even bigger than the 2013 version of the major event, Sanjeev Bhatt, chairman of the organising committee, has stated.
Coatings for Africa 2015 will be jointly staged by the SA Paint Manufacturing Association (SAPMA) and OCCA (the Oil and Colour Chemists’ Association) of the UK, from May 11 to 13 at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Bhatt, who is vice-chairman of SAPMA, says – after carefully considering feedback and recommendations from members and delegates to CfA 2013 – it was decided that the format of CfA 2015 will have three significant changes:
• Hypenica, a leading South Africa construction industry events organiser which also stages exhibitions in other African countries such as Nigeria, has been appointed to stage Coatings for Africa 2015. CfA 2015 will precede – and partly overlap – Hypenica’s African Construction Expo which will be staged also at Sandton Convention Centre. “CfA 2015 will take place from May 11 to 13, and the African Construction Expo from May 13 to 15 next year,” Bhatt explained.
“The dates of the two exhibitions will mean that delegates from outside Johannesburg and South Africa who might have planned to attend only one of the two shows, will now be able to attend both during one visit to the city. In the marketing campaign for CfA 2015, the organisers, Hypenica, will present the event’s brand in a fresh design. The advertising campaign will feature a new logo which is clearly recognisable, has broad industry and is distinctly African.”
• Sandton Convention Centre will be a more central location than previous venues for Coatings for Africa. “There are also dozens of hotels and other amenities within walking distance of Sandton Convention Centre which will also be of benefit to delegates,” he states. “CfA 2015 will also benefit from being staged in an even larger hall than before and will be co-located with the complementary and successful African Construction Expo. The boom in Africa’s construction industry is stepping up the demand for the decorative and coatings market, and the perfect synergy between the construction and coatings industries makes the co-location of these events a ‘must-attend-both’ convenience for everyone involved in the two sectors.”
• CfA 2015 will now have a dedicated technical symposium day: the opening day May 11, with May 12 and 13 devoted solely to the exhibition of products and opportunities for delegates to visit the stands and network with exhibitors.
Bhatt says the new format is almost certain to attract a record number of exhibitors and SAPMA/OCCA confidently expects the show to soar to new heights next year.
The speaker list and daily programmes still have to be finalised, he added.
The CfA 2015 organising committee consists of the following SAPMA/OCCA members: Sanjeev Bhatt (chairman), Deryck Spence (SAPMA executive director), Terry Ashmore (SAPMA chairman), Peter Quorn (OCCA SA vice-president), Mandy Linossi (SAPMA Training Administrator), Chris Herbst, Ronell Henning, Danny Grady, Magan Soobramoney (Technical), Jenny Jay, Gary Morrison, and Francy Cullen.
For more information about CfA 2015, contact Hypenica on 021 700 4300 or visit the website www.coatingsforafrica.org.za
