The Small Business Expo has been boosting small business development for more than 15 years, thanks to collaboration between Eskom and Reed Exhibitions. The idea of the expo is to thrust South African small businesses “into the fast lane” by giving them exposure, networking opportunities, and a chance to secure new business partnerships.
SBE is considered a fitting conclusion to the Foundation’s enterprise development initiatives in a calendar year, where finalists from the BIC and Simama Ranta competition are given an opportunity to exhibit their enterprises and projects.
The expo gives entrepreneurs a unique platform to showcase their small businesses and network with other like-minded people. It also aims to stimulate entrepreneurship and contribute to the development of small and medium enterprises with a view to enhancing the country’s future economic growth and employment opportunities.
The expo provides a versatile marketing platform which brings representatives from various markets under one roof and thus provides an ideal opportunity for exhibitors to launch new products, generate media coverage, build brand awareness, generate leads and interact with customers and potential investors.
One of the main objectives of the SBE was to provide an opportunity for SMEs from previously disadvantaged backgrounds to showcase their goods and services with a view to forming linkages with big business.