The first Sign Africa Expo of 2025 was held in Polokwane on 12 February at Meropa Casino. The event inspired over 250 visitors from 149 print and signage companies from the region, including Louis Trichardt, Makhado, Modjadjiskloof, Thohoyandou, Steelpoort, Mokopane and Tzaneen to name a few, with the latest technologies and trends in wide format printing, sublimation, laser cutting and engraving, vehicle wrapping, textile printing, signage, displays, direct-to-film (DTF) printing, garment printing, screen and pad printing, and other cutting edge technology.
Exhibitors had positive feedback about the event:
‘The show was very successful for us, there were good quality leads, they buying potential was outstanding. People who came to the show were ready to buy, the decision makers were the guys coming to see us. It was a successful show for such a small area,’ said Kevin Roy, Graphix Supply World.
‘It was an absolutely fantastic show. We got great leads and the icing on the cake was the C1W initiative. That’s a phenomenal concept, and we can’t wait to be part of it for the rest of the year,’ said Abisha Katerere, Printing SA.
‘We had some decent leads – we had a few leads outside of Polokwane as well. We were happy with the show,’ said Keshav Sharma, Allrich.
‘It was a good turnout. We got lots of leads, including some from visitors from Johannesburg. It was a really impressive show,’ said Naveen Rajcomar, Chemosol.
‘It was generally quite busy throughout the day. The quality of the enquiries were pretty good. We were very happy with the venue, which is close to the outer-lying areas. I met with a lot of new clients,’ said Richard Steinbach, UPrint.
‘It was very busy. We even had interest from some of the other exhibitors from the show. It was a great success for us as always,’ said Nardus Mouton, Gencotech.
‘The event was very good. I really enjoyed it and got some very good leads – it was successful. We invited some of our customers from surrounding areas in Limpopo, but there were also some visitors coming from further areas. I met with new customers too,’ said Mike Allen, XLP Document Solutions.
Judges visited each stand at the expo and judged the stands according to criteria based on design, construction, special traffic flow, presentation, attitude of staff and messaging. The results are as follows:
Sign Africa Large Stand
Tie first: Allrich and Roland DG South Africa.
Sign Africa Medium Stand
First: Stixo Signage Supplies.
Second: Roland Speedwrap.
Sign Africa Small Stand
Tie first: Chemosol, Kolok Graphic Supplies and Media Frenzy.
Second: Curv.
Africa Print Small Stand
First: XL Solutions.
Second: UPrint.
Africa Print Medium Stand
Tie first: Crystalite Plastics / Graphix Supply World and Titan Jet.
Second: XLP Document Solutions.
First Change 1 Woman Networking Event
The first Change 1 Woman (C1W) networking session was held at the Africa Print Polokwane expo. The goal of this gathering of women (men are welcome too!) is to change one woman’s life – small actions have a ripple effect.
Attendees gathered at The Kasbah restaurant at the Meropa Hotel and enjoyed chatting, sharing their challenges and offering solutions in a relaxed environment. Thank you to the FP&M SETA and Printing SA for sponsoring the event. The next event will be held in Durban. Follow C1W on Facebook and LinkedIn for more updates.
Change 1 Woman (C1W) is an initiative dedicated to empowering women through connection, conversation and support. Launched as a women-led initiative, C1W aims to bring women together in the branding, print and signage industries.
SIGN AFRICA EXPO
+27 11 568 1894
www.signafricaexpo.com
