For the past 16 years the Durban Business Fair has become one of the largest exhibitors for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in Africa and attracts more than 500 exhibitors annually from all over the country and elsewhere.
The Durban Business Fair is scheduled to take place on 16-18 October 2015 at the Durban
Exhibition Centre. The Durban Business Fair is one of the initiatives of the City's economic development strategy aimed at growing the economy. The fair offers many benefits for participating entrepreneurs, including the exposure that allows them to learn new and innovative trends of trading in the dynamic global economy in order to achieve sustainable growth for our City and beyond.

Since its inception in 1998, the Municipality has invested more than R100 million in the main Durban Business Fair and the regional business fairs, which were revived last year. Tangible achievements have been recorded, with the Fair making a critical contribution to the development of the economy of eThekwini.
Over the years, the Durban Business Fair has been enhanced with new innovative features to position it as the ultimate business showcase in South Africa. One of the innovations that have proven popular among exhibitors in the past two years is the Buyers' Trade Night, which is a comprehensive business development programme geared towards forging trade linkages between Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and big businesses. This enables SMMEs to access business leads presented by big corporates.

In 2015 the Durban Business Fair will increase the participation of international exhibitors through the Municipality's international sister cities and other programmes.
Ways of connecting SMMEs with businesses abroad will also be explored. As part of expanding the Traders' Night, there will be guided tours for corporates throughout the exhibition, showcasing SMME businesses.
Matchmaking will be done prior to the fair and corporates will be introduced to relevant SMME exhibitors.
The Durban Business Fair has proved itself to be a powerful platform to showcase local SMMEs and connect them with business opportunities in eThekwini and beyond. There are many success stories of entrepreneurs who are running successful ventures through opportunities opened by the fair. The successes include 25 companies that collectively generate a turnover of more than R70 million per annum. As a result of the investment, more than 8 000 sustainable jobs have been created.

Deputy Mayor and Chairperson of the Economic Development and Planning Committee,
Nomvuzo Shabalala Shabalala said, "Today the City pride itself of the many success stories that the DBF had produced. This includes ICT business that is operating at a global level, women owned businesses that are operating at national level and businesses that are not only relying on Government tenders, but able to obtain work from the private sector and selfsustainable." Sibusiso Shabalala of Adapt IT who once benefitted in the City's business development programmes such as exhibiting in the Durban Business Fair said, "The best recipe of the successful business is to focus on one business and to do many things at once, develop a deeper understanding and become an expert on what he/she does". "When I founded Adapt IT my vision was to create eThekwini as an IT hub and make a difference by creating employment. I used all the available government platforms available to source knowledge and upgrade my skills and became an expert, hence why today KwaZulu-Natal produces the highest number of technicians," he said.
Other examples include:

Ilanga Elihle Catering Services Offers a One-Stop-Shop Service
Ilanga Elihle Catering Services offers a comprehensive catering solution for events and corporate functions. The company specialises in corporate canteen services, day to- day office meetings, birthdays, social events and overall event management for all corporate and
government events. The business began operating from a garage in 2006, with just two employees. It now employs 14 full-time staff and several casual workers for larger functions.
The company has been recognised with the following awards:
• Durban Business Fair success story 2012-2013
• Umyezane Recipient - tender taste
• Durban Business Fair best youth owned business 2014
• SAB Kickstart National Finalist - 2013
• eThekwini Mayoral Awards Recipient - Job Creation Category 2014
• Most Improved Youth Business - Entrepreneurs Network 2013
• Short-listed for Sanlam
• Entrepreneur of the Year 2014

Afromed Medical Services
Afromed Medical Services is a 24-hour emergency and medical service. The company was established in January 2012 by Sthembiso Ngubo and Nelisiwe Ngcobo to provide ambulance and emergency services. The company also supplies medical equipment and first aid kits for companies, factories and schools. "We provide medical services at various events and public gatherings," says Ngubo. "We are three and a half years old and proving to be a great service provider of quality health care management," says Ngubo. "So far we have managed big projects, such as the Durban Business Fair 2012-14, the Durban Jazz Festival, the Umgababa Beach Picnic, Maskandi Festival, Salga Games, and SABC1's Beach experience. Afromed Medical Services was awarded first position in the Lion's Den Business Support Competition in 2013/14 and won the Umyezane Award for "Best Youth Owned Business" last year. "We're grateful to the Durban Business Fair for the exposure that they have given our company and also for believing in young and upcoming businesses. We hope they continue investing in the youth. With a joint partnership like this, we can achieve greater things."


stephanie@superfecta.info
www.superfecta.co.za