PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN’S 8TH ANNUAL BUY LOCAL SUMMIT & EXPO TO BE BIGGEST YET
Now in its 8th year, Proudly South African’s annual Buy Local Summit & Expo will take place this year on 12th & 13th March at the Sandton Convention Centre. The Summit will pick up the theme of Localisation through Investment Led Re-Industrialisation that came out of the October 2018 Presidential Jobs Summit. Amongst other sessions, there will be a re-commitment on 13th March by a number of companies to the pledges they made to the President and the country to increase levels of local procurement as a means of boosting job creation.
As in the past two years, the first day of the event will focus on the needs of local small businesses and entrepreneurs, providing them with information and guidance that will enable them to grow and to become the employers of tomorrow.
The second day addresses the many facets of localisation and how local procurement can be leveraged to the benefit of business and to that of the country.
Every year has seen additional elements added to the event, and the growth in this year’s edition is in the extension over two days of the Expo. Around 200 Proudly South African member companies from large corporations to small artisans will exhibit and will be looking for new opportunities to buy or supply local products and services. The extra day was at the request of exhibitors who have had immense success in concluding exciting new contracts at the show.
In addition, a fashion activation will take place on 12th March showcasing local fashion ranges from a number of SA’s leading retailers. the dti will announce the winner of their Furniture Design Competition in the Expo Centre also on 12th March and the entire event will close with the South African Premier Business Awards 2019 gala dinner on Wednesday 13th March.
Said Proudly SA CEO, Eustace Mashimbye, “Proudly South African is committed to bringing delegates a relevant and meaningful conference that explores everything around localisation. It is an issue which implicates us all be it government entities, private business or every one of us as consumers. The President highlighted the importance of increasing local demand and reducing the consumption of imported goods in his State of the Nation address last week, underlining the importance the government places on our work.”
Proudly South African is pleased to announce a number of sponsors have come on board to support the event and would like to thank: Coca-Cola South Africa, SA Breweries, Sasol, Dube Tradeport, Edcon, Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, UIF, CSIR and Mango Airlines.
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