News | South African Automotive Week > Automotive Match-Making

Automotive Match-Making

01 Apr 2009

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Auto component suppliers are urged to sign up now for match-making appointments during the South African Automotive Week (SAAW), which takes place in October this year.

Funding has been obtained through the Department of Trade and Industry to bring potential partners and technology suppliers to South Africa, but the virtual shut-down of industry in Europe during August means that arrangements have to be finalised soon, says Roger Pitot, executive director of the National Association of Automotive Components and Allied Manufacturers.

A specialised match-making company has been retained for the first time by an auto industry event in South Africa to ensure that the meetings are productive, he says. “We understand that there is a shortage of both time and resources, and that companies want value added to an industry event in the form of structured meetings,” says SAAW organiser Andrew Binning of Inkanyezi Events.

Running from October 7 to October 10 in Port Elizabeth, SAAW includes a Trade Show a “Navigating the Storm: A roadmap to Vision 2020” conference hosted by the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC), numerous networking functions, including site visits, golf and gala dinner and the match-making sessions.

NAACAM’s Annual General Meeting will also take place during SAAW. Pitot has urged his members to register now so that profiles can be built of the companies by the match-making specialists, in order to market SAAW aggressively internationally.

During SAAW, the specialist team will facilitate all the meetings, making sure that the parties are reminded ahead of time, and then following up. Companies from around the world have already confirmed attendance at the trade fair, with nearly 50 per cent of the available space booked and confirmed, says Binning. Anyone interested in the match-making at the conference can register now on www.saaw.co.za

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