The larger exhibitions are restricted to venues in the major centres, in fact mainly Johannesburg and its environs, and as they extend over several full days the manning of stands can become problematic and expensive in terms of manpower costs. Today, more than ever, time costs money and companies must always be on the lookout for ways in which to obtain more value from their marketing spend.
The local company, Penmac, has for some time being offering a complementary exhibition service that truly 'takes the technology to the customer's doorstep'. The concept is so simple and cost-effective that one wonders why it has never been tried before, but then all good ideas are clear in retrospect.
Penmac was created in 1998 by Malcolm Finlay. He is no stranger to the I&C industry having initially been trained at the old Atomic Energy Board as an instrument technician. After some time at the associate company UCOR, Malcolm moved into the technical sales and solutions environment, working in this field for some 18 years with well known I&C companies before joining Honeywell SA in a marketing position. Malcolm always had a penchant for being his own boss and one of his concerns had for a long time been how to promote the products of his employers in the more remote regions of the country. He believed that the opportunity existed to create a vehicle to do just this and after discussing the concept with some of his peers in the marketing field he decided to form Penmac and follow his ideas through. The first show organised by the new company took place in July 1998 and the staff complement has grown from just Malcolm himself to three people.
While you will not find Penmac shows taking place in Gauteng, Cape Town or Durban you will find them in more isolated communities in the heart of large industrial and mining centres. In fact more and more shows are being organised in regions where even visits by salesmen are a rarity. Shows are held every year in Rustenberg, Secunda and the Vaal Triangle, catering for the mining and petrochemical industries, while on alternate years you can find them in such places as Richards Bay, Newcastle, Carletonville, Port Elizabeth and East London. More recently, the first exhibition was held in Stellenbosch, while Mossel Bay is on the calendar for next year. Finlay himself believes that the exhibitors themselves should determine the destinations for the shows and following interest being expressed for a new venue he canvasses support from his other regular exhibitors. The task of Penmac is not to promote individual companies and in fact Malcolm Finlay believes that the customers' interests are best served by having several competitors present at each exhibition. This provides the customer with the ability to compare products and to select what is most suitable for his needs. This strongly differentiates the Penmac shows from the in-house touring road shows. While Penmac has more than fifty regular exhibitors, they are not obligated to take part in all the events, as some locations and their industrial groupings could be totally irrelevant for them.
Whereas at the major centres you could spend many thousands of rand on your shell and floor rental, the Penmac philosophy is keep it simple and let the customers become aware of your products, not the artists skills. All of the Penmac shows are one-day affairs where the exhibitors literally arrive early in the morning, set up their simple stands (no carpets, shells or fancy lighting), exhibit and have discussions with customers from midday to 6 pm and then go home, unless of course you have a lead to follow up in more detail the next day.
The number of exhibitors is typically between 40 and 45, providing a comprehensive representation of what is available on the market. For the customer who is interested in something specific such as valves he has perhaps five stands that are really important and that round, including discussions, is easily accomplished in a full afternoon. The cost of participating is quite reasonable, and to that you would have to add the cost of travel plus one day out of the office. In fact, the latter expenses would be incurred if you just go to see one client in Secunda or Richards Bay, but now you have the opportunity of discussing your product range with every industry in that vicinity. The Penmac shows are promoted through the media in the usual way, but an additional important and personal touch is that the senior management of companies in the vicinity of the show receive a video outlining the objectives and participants.
While the larger exhibitions in the major centres tend to attract only the more senior staff as a result of cost, Penmac encourages the industry in the area of their exhibitions to take the opportunity to expose as many staff as possible, from technician upwards, to participate and to see what new products and technology are available. Even company procurement department staff (who rarely get to attend exhibitions) can benefit, even if it is only through face to face contact with the salesman or bringing their product catalogues up-to-date.
Another major benefit for exhibitors is the database on potential customers that is being gradually expanded and is jointly owned by them with Penmac. This database is of considerable more value than that obtained through participation in larger exhibitions as it includes the 'hands-on' personnel, who rarely travel outside of the environs. While these technical people may not sign the cheques, they certainly have a strong influence on the decision-makers.
Although Penmac may be an organiser of industry shows, Malcolm Finlay still prides himself as not being another exhibition clerk. He keeps his own knowledge of the industry and the technologies available contemporary through his own discussions with his following of exhibitors. Besides their own shows, Penmac can offer a comprehensive package to companies wanting to participate in the larger, more formal exhibitions. The stand itself for example can effectively be managed from concept to delivery and build up at the venue, while Malcolm himself is an amateur-driven expert in audio-visual technology. One of the recent tasks successfully undertaken by Penmac was the creation of a mobile display in the back of a large articulated vehicle.
As for the future Penmac is looking closely at opportunities in neighbouring countries such as Botswana (mining) and Swaziland (pulp, paper and sugar). These regions and Mpumalanga are even more isolated when it comes to exhibitions and sales visits and offer great opportunities for South African suppliers of instrumentation and control solutions.
Penmac Exhibitions
(011) 476 2066
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