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 Wednesday, 10 February, 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.

Directly after the Training Day, which concludes at 15:00, 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 organisation 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 Monday, 8 February, 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. 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 011 447-4290, or by email to [email protected].

Furthermore, in June, AAXO will be collaborating with strategic partner the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) to host a one-day Conference that coincides with SAACI’s 2016 Annual Conference. Held on Wednesday, 8 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.

Carol Weaving, chairperson of AAXO, says; “The decision to host our one-day conference on the 8th 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.”

To book a seat for the Training Day or for more information on AAXO, contact Cindy Wandrag on 011 549-8300 or [email protected]. For membership inquiries, including a full list of membership benefits and information on how to join, email [email protected].

For more information, visit www.aaxo.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.

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