The tenth edition of Mediatech Africa delivered on its promise to ignite the imagination of exhibitors and visitors alike during its three-day run at the TicketPro Dome in Johannesburg, between 17 and 19 July.
Mediatech Africa once again offered visitors and exhibitors the opportunity to take part in the largest tradeshow for the broadcast, live events and integrated technologies industries in Africa.
The Mediatech showroom floor played host to one hundred exhibitors, representing some of the leading local distributors and an impressive contingent of international equipment manufacturers who showcase d their most cutting –edge products on their company stands. “We are proud to report that more than thirty international equipment manufacturers had their own brand presence at Mediatech Africa 2019, demonstrating a strong vote of confidence not only in the show, but in the African market as a whole,” says Mediatech show director, Simon Robinson. Among the leading solutions providers for the professional AV and integrated technologies verticals, who came from Asia the UK, Europe and America to man their Mediatech stands, were Absen, Yamaha, Sony, Sennheiser, Extron, Exterity, and Quest among others.
Mediatech Africa played host to approximately 8,000 unique visitors from four continents, representing a 6% increase in attendance since the last iteration of the show. “Mediatech Africa prides itself providing a platform for engagement not only for the South African market, but for the continent as a whole. We had visitors from all over Africa, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Nigeria and Namibia – many of who came to the show to seek out professional AV solutions to support the continent’s rapidly growing commercial, broadcast and live events markets,” says Robinson.
Robinson goes on to state that most of the exhibitors at Mediatech understand the needs of the African market, and showcase products and solutions that are designed to meet the market conditions. “There are a number of large-scale tradeshows on the international circuit which serve as a platform for the world’s leading product manufacturers to launch new products and solutions. What differentiates Mediatech Africa is that most of the exhibitors at the large international tradeshows showcase technologies that have been developed with Western markets in mind. At Mediatech Africa, exhibitors take into account the market that they are addressing and showcase solutions that are designed to meet our unique performance demands and costing requirements.”
Robinson’s astute insight into the professional AV market has been honed over the almost two decades that he has served as Mediatech Africa show director. “It would be remiss not to acknowledge that South Africans are struggling to overcome mounting economic pressures and there are few, if any, in the country who have not been directly affected by the current economic downturn,” he reflects. Robinson, however, points out that Mediatech Africa 2019 provided a critical platform for professionals in the AV industry across all verticals to interact with international representatives and showcase the strength of the local industry. “Mediatech provides an opportunity to demonstrate the high levels of professionalism, skill and dedication that are so entrenched in the South African pro-AV market. Despite the trying times, Mediatech provides an opportunity to ignite confidence in the market and in our industry,” Robinson states.
While there were noticeably less exhibitors in comparison to years’ past, the show still managed to exceed expectations on all fronts. “The feedback that we have received from exhibitors and visitors alike has been great,” says Robinson. “The rate at which technology is developing across verticals is phenomenal, particularly if one considers the rapid evolution of IP-based technologies, which continue to dominate across verticals. The level of excitement on the showroom floor was evident from the moment we opened the doors to the point at which we had to ask all visitors to leave the floor on Friday evening. When the market is under pressure and we are all feeling the pinch, it is easy to become despondent. However, when one sees the enthusiasm, optimism and drive expressed by our industry partners and visitors to the show, ones faith in the promise of a strong and thriving professional AV industry in Africa is easily restored. We look forward to seeing what the 2021 iteration of Mediatech Africa will bring.”
