Bauma Africa opens its doors

The inaugural Bauma Africa exhibition at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, has begun, and all the signs point to this being a busy show.

When Messe München International (MMI) announced first plans to introduce a new exhibition for the construction equipment, mining and materials extraction/processing industries in South Africa, it was hoped that around 200 exhibitors would take part using 20,000 m² of exhibition space.

But this turned out to be a conservative estimate, and MMI has since revised its expectations. Bauma Africa quickly sold out and is now hosting 700 exhibitors from 38 countries on more than 60,000 m² of exhibition space. At least 15,000 visitors are expected to the event, which runs until 21 September.

CEO of MMI South Africa Elaine Crewe said there had been an overwhelming amount of support and interest, both locally and internationally.

Ms Crewe said investors and businesses were looking towards developing countries for new growth, and Africa’s mining and construction industries were set to profit from this move.

“The growing pool of international entrants into the African market is a telling sign of just how important Africa is becoming and the need for specialised players in the industry. We trust that Bauma Africa will highlight new products in these sectors.”

Ms Crewe said visitors from a total of 69 countries had registered for the show, with 31 of these countries within Africa.