ZITF seeks to defer 2020 exhibitors’ payments

THE Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company is seeking guidance from the Government to defer payments made for this year’s exhibition space by businesses to 2021.

The 61st edition of the annual ZITF, the company’s flagship event, was indefinitely postponed in March this year after Government imposed lockdown restrictions as part of measures to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The lockdown came into effect a month before the hosting of the event and by then many exhibitors, both local and international, had already booked space.

It was hoped the event was going to be held later this year but due to the rising Covid-19 cases globally, the event will not be held this year.

The exhibitions company is now looking beyond year 2020 as it is only a few weeks before the end of the year.

“While we still stand guided by our principal, the Government of Zimbabwe, we want to point out that the event has not been cancelled but postponed. We realise that it is no longer possible to host the event this year given the time left and the prevailing situation as a result of the pandemic,” said ZITF Company acting general manager, Dr Nicholas Ndebele.

He said it was against this background that the company was seeking to defer payment made towards space rental for the 2020 show to the 2021 edition.

“We realise that refunding them a portion of what they paid for the 2020 edition will no longer be viable and/or advisable due to the lapse of time and the peculiar circumstances we both find ourselves in.”

Mr Ndebele said 2020 will go down in the annals of the Meeting Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry history as “a year like no other”.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic had disrupted business events and exhibitions.

“The industry is estimated to have lost more than US$1 billion. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this around the world,” said Mr Ndebele.

He said the banning of gatherings of more than 50 people and international and intercity travel restrictions following the declaration of the coronavirus as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March, triggered unprecedented restrictions in the history of the business events and exhibitions industry. This MICE industry is the home of seminars, conferences, exhibitions, workshops and trainings.

Mr Ndebele said the pandemic has meant many people employed in the live business events industry are unable to do their jobs because of limits imposed on both business and social gatherings and travel restrictions.

He said the ZITF as a conferences, meetings and exhibitions’ organiser and venue provider, was hard hit by the outbreak of the pandemic just like the tourism sector.

“The company was hit extremely hard in terms of cash flows and this negatively impacted on seasonal labour engagement and as such affected staff morale,” he said.

Mr Ndebele said the company had to ride on digital technology opportunities, which saw it host virtually the 2020 Mine Entra and WASHen conferences to ensure those industries’ conversations go on while waiting for the return to “normal”.

“We have had to pivot at speed from live events to a virtual platform for most of our events. Thought leaders in the industry project a shift to the hybrid model for business events and exhibitions whereby the physical and virtual exhibition platforms complement each other,” he said.-chronicle.co.zw