Organisers gear up for 2020 national expo |27 November 2019
Mr Bresson addressing the gathering at the meeting yesterday (Photo: Louis Toussaint)
Businesses, public enterprises and individuals wishing to take part in the 2020 national show yesterday converged at the ICCS to participate in the first 2020 national show meeting held by the national show committee and the Creative Industries and National Events Agency (Cinea).
The meeting marked the official launch of preparations for the 2020 national show, which is held every two years at the Roche Caiman sports complex as part of activities to celebrate Seychelles’ National Day on June 29, the day on which the country secured its independence.
It brings together a selection of socio-economic and cultural activities such as educational stalls, entertainment, horticultural and agricultural displays and sales of assorted items.
Notable entities and past participants that were identified in the meeting yesterday included the Seychelles Pension Fund (SPF), Public Utilities Company (PUC), H. Savy Insurance (HIS) and Seypec.
Addressing those present yesterday, Cinea’s chief executive Galen Bresson announced that the 2020 national show will be held from Saturday, June 27 to Monday, June 29.
Next year’s national show is also expected to revolve around the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the first settlers in Seychelles.
The attendees yesterday were provided with the details of how much the spots inside the NSC hall and in the surrounding grounds will cost and were shown the demarcations for various stalls.
For spaces indoors, it will cost R45,000 for a 100m² floor area, R17,000 for 25m² and R10,000 for 9m².
Meanwhile the fees for outdoor spaces have been set at R220 per m².
Although the spaces will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, businesses that have already invested in previous national shows by constructing their own infrastructure, such as Seypec, will be given priority, Mr Bresson added.
Hopeful participants were further asked to ensure that their licenses are valid before they take part in the event.
The main point of contention which arose yesterday was mainly from the food and beverage vendors who strongly felt that they should not be placed at the astroturf field behind the stadium, which has been designated as the main entertainment area.
They argued that the previous national show held two years ago and the recent Festival Kreol fair has proven that the public do not like to come to this spot and hence they are unable to generate profit by operating there.
In the end, the organising committee agreed to consider their arguments and review the demarcation plans as they go along.
“It’s important for us to start this process early so that we know how many participants will be on our programme and in which sector they fall so as to adjust our plans accordingly,” Mr Bresson highlighted.
The national show secretariat has been operational since yesterday to cater to enquiries regarding the 2020 national show as well as to handle the various logistics behind the show.
Forms for those who want to participate in the show are also readily available via the secretariat.
By Elsie Pointe