The Sunday Mail
Prince Mushawevato
THE ninth edition of the annual Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo has come and gone. Clearly the expo was organised on a shoestring budget and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) should be commended for working hard to guarantee the success of the fair, which ran from June 16 to 18. 
Apart from the little budget, organisers of the fair opine quick disbursement of funds would have helped them come up with an even better event. This year’s edition attracted 35 foreign exhibitors from 11 countries, which was an increase from 19 foreign exhibitors that came through last year.
According to the ZTA they were promised a total of US$500 000 by Government but only US$250 000 came through at the eleventh hour. This, they argue compromised preparations of the overall event.
VICE-President Phelekezela Mphoko acknowledged the funding challenges besetting ZTA. “I know it has not been an easy road for the ZTA to bring Sanganai/Hlanganani back to Bulawayo especially given the financial constraints, which obviously negatively affected the preparations for this showcase.
“Sanganai/Hlanganani is of national importance and should thus continue to enjoy full Government support,” said VP Mphoko in a speech read on his behalf by Minister of State in his Office Tabitha Kanengoni-Malinga.
Granted, funding caused headaches for Minister Walter Mzembi and his team, but there are other issues outside funding that the organisers need to work on in the future editions of the expo.
Poor public turnout
Reports are that road shows were held before the expo started in Bulawayo. But the poor general public turnout that characterised the event suggests the awareness campaigns were not effective. The ZTA is supposed to organise these road shows in a way that momentum is not lost until the very last day of the tourism fête. This way, the public will continuously be reminded of the ongoing event and will develop interest in it. Also, there is need to have an extension of events. Mobile exhibitions should be taken to popular townships in the area so that the public can have an idea of what is in store for them at the main exhibition centre. Most of the people in Bulawayo professed ignorance over Sanganai/Hlanganani.
Time Keeping
Yes, some events started on time but others either unnecessarily delayed starting or ending. In worse cases a meeting/event was completely cancelled. This creates challenges for the majority if not all professionals. The moment you delay a programme, it automatically means a person’s plan(s) for the entire day will have been derailed. This is the reason why some buyers ended up missing their scheduled meetings with exhibitors. Thus, it is imperative that programmes start and end at scheduled times always. It makes planning easy.
Alignment of events
The programmes that characterised Sanganai/Hlanganani are relevant and very much in sync with global trends. Some of the events include Incentive Travel Development workshop, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) workshop, Youth in Tourism Symposium and Arts and Culture days. The events though should be organised in a systematic way. For instance, an ICT workshop should be directly linked say with the Youth in Tourism event. At the same time the events should be tailor made in line with the expected audience. The ZTA should be applauded though for selecting presenters that articulated themselves well save for one or two.
Exhibitors/Buyers
The ZTA should devise a strategy that enables them to keep track of buyers and exhibitors that register to attend the tourism fair. The measure should be the one that enables them to know who among the registered participants is still able to attend or will not be able to do so. This can be done by asking for simple participation confirmation a day or so before the event. Better still, they can copy the Durban Tourism model whereby the participation confirmation task is passed to independent event organising companies that are competent in the area. Some of the expected exhibitors and buyers did not come or turn up for scheduled meetings. Accordingly the two halls where exhibitors were housed were not full to capacity. Equally minimum standards should be set for exhibitors. A few of the stands were shoddily set up and did not deserve to be part of the exhibition. This has a negative impact on the overall Brand Zimbabwe.
Media
It is encouraging to note tours were organised for most buyers to some of the top destinations in Bulawayo and surrounding areas like Matobo Hills, Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park. This certainly goes a long way in destination marketing. However, I think members of the media were supposed to be part of most, if not all, of the tours. Not only does it help them get familiar with the destination(s) but it is important for them to capture the mood of the visitors.
Conclusion
It is our hope that after three years the ZTA will have achieved their set target of improving the tourism economy in Bulawayo, which is on a gradual decline. I feel though that it will not be a mammoth task considering the dedication they exude towards the goal.
