Blade manufacturer Renlaw recently shared its exhibitor experience after its debut appearance at Propak East Africa in Nairobi.
Renlaw’s marketing and sales manager, Amy Purdon explains how the challenging start to the exhibition without its stand ended up in laughter, great contacts and new friends.
When Tuesday morning arrived and the show began, Renlaw used it sense of humour and decided to put up a handwritten sign explaining to would-be delegates and customers that the empty stall was, in fact, not the end product and that the stand was still coming.
The result was entirely unexpected, notes Amy. Renlaw’s sense of humour was enjoyed by delegates and exhibitors alike, and to the surprise of the team, their handwritten sign became a drawcard and great introduction point. Not only did visitors to the stall have a good laugh, but many also wanted to be photographed with the sign.
Then, when the stand arrived on Tuesday afternoon, there was a queue of delegates waiting to see what would be revealed once it was set up. The feisty Renlaw team did not disappoint and many came to see the result.
‘After the initial issues, we found the expo to be a great success,’ enthuses Brent Navias, regional sales manager. ‘We made numerous great leads through the Central African region, which is where we are currently expanding our market.’
‘The hard work starts now, converting those leads into something more meaningful. Our business focuses on the entire customer experience – quality products can be sourced from various places, but we try to drive the value of our business by reducing customers’ production downtime, offering expert advice and helping to lower costs per cut. All of these things result in less stress, fewer late hours at work and, ultimately, a better life for our customers,’ adds Amy.
All in all, with the help of a little good old-fashioned South African humour, Propak East Africa produced pleasing results for Renlaw. While only time will tell if the connections made will become more serious customers and agents in the region, the Renlaw team was pleasantly surprised by the volume and quality of visitors, Amy concludes, adding that Renlaw is looking forward to its upcoming exhibitions at the AVI in June and at Propak Cape Town in October.
Successful showcase
This year’s Propak East Africa featured 150 exhibitors from over 35 countries, with 93% stating that they met the goals set for exhibiting and 86% believing that their sales would increase as a result of taking part in the show. Ninety-four percent of the 4 622 visitors achieved their goals for attending the show, which ranged from sourcing new products or suppliers (60%) and gathering market information (31%) to networking (54%) and attending a conference session (23%), which featured 26 global experts.
