Online registration for the Restart Expo is now live and those wishing to attend are encouraged to register as soon as possible as entry is limited due to the capacity restrictions. Online registration can be accessed through the Restart Expo website, www.restartexpo.co.za

The Restart Expo is taking place at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec, Johannesburg, from 25-26 November. A non-commercial event, the expo will demonstrate first-hand to government and industry stakeholders that exhibitions and events can open safely with all required protocols in place and should be viewed as organised business events and not mass gatherings. The industry is ready to get back to work and deliver safe and effective events.

The Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, will be attending and speaking at the Restart Expo.

The Seminar Theatre speakers will also include Sisa Ntshona, Chief Executive Officer at the SA Tourism Board and Barba Gaoganediwe, Chief Executive Officer at Gauteng Tourism Authority, who will give the opening address.  Live streamed from Europe, Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director and CEO of UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will speak about the opening up of the exhibition events industry.

Event safety protocols will be discussed by a Safety Panel and will focus on safety plans and the use of technology to ensure that all measures are in place to have successful events. The panel will be chaired by Errol Ninow, Managing Director of Gintan Luthuli Associates. A leading economist will talk about the impact of Covid-19 on the South African economy, the tourism industry and the business events industry.  

As capacity will be restricted in the Seminar Theatre due to the strict social distancing required, all presentations will be live streamed and also recorded for post-show viewing. 

All available exhibition space has been booked. Forty industry-related exhibitors are looking forward to engaging with visitors at the expo. In addition to the exhibition stands and the Seminar Theatre, there will be a meeting area, a business lounge and restaurant on the exhibition floor, with an additional restaurant outside.

The Restart Expo is an initiative created by Specialised Exhibitions and Johannesburg Expo Centre (JEC), on behalf of the exhibitions and events industry. The JEC facility selected for the Restart Expo is ideally suited as it provides enough space for the expo and seminar component of the show as well as a separate registration building to control access and observe social distancing protocol. JEC’s venue operations and commercial team, as well as all its sub-contractors, have been inducted by the Department of Health for safe operations under COVID, and having this code of conduct operational since May 2020 puts them in great standing to confidently host events of any nature at the venue.  

Dedicated to supporting the business events sector, the Gauteng Conventions and Events Bureau has partnered with the Restart Expo. The expo is endorsed by the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) and the SA Events Council, which collaborates with 14 event associations, and has the support and active involvement of UFI.

The expo is open to all levels of government, safety and security teams, event organisers, suppliers to the exhibitions and events industry, seasoned exhibitors and visitors, associations and media.