Leading African Events Organiser Spintelligent Poised for Remarkable Year of Growth

Cape Town, South Africa, January 29, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Cape Town-based Spintelligent Pty, has become recognised as a highly successful African organiser & publisher over the years, with projects such as African Utility Week and the iPAD franchise. During 2014, the company is set to continue its strategic growth plan as it develops within its core industry sectors into new territories with new launches and joint ventures.

During 2013, the company had a remarkable year on all fronts with new records in terms of sponsorship and delegates sales and participation numbers for its events.

African Utility Week & Clean Power Africa:
With more than 5,000 registered visitors, representing 67 countries, 200 speakers and over 200 exhibiting companies, African Utility Week & Clean Power Africa is still the leading utility conference and exhibition in Africa. Attendance grew by 38% in 2013 and the event won the coveted EXSA award for the Best Trade & Consumer Exhibition in its respective category.

This year the event promises even more content for and by the industry, including the Utility CEO Forum which will bring together 20 utility CEOs from across Africa to discuss the future of the energy market. African Utility Week will also launch its industry awards to honour the continent’s leading power professionals, utilities and energy projects.

“2013 was the best year since we joined the exhibition and conference 6 years ago. We will be back next year.” - Dean Pratt, Regional Manager Africa, Marelli Motori - platinum sponsors

Ambitious growth plans
When new Spintelligent Managing Director David Ashdown took over in October last year, he announced that he had “ambitious growth plans for the region”. Putting his words into action, the company is expanding into agriculture, taking its defence portfolio continental and has landed an impressive joint venture to launch a mining expo that is expected to put the Zambian Copperbelt on the map.

AgriTech: “Agriculture is a future key GDP driver for the majority of African countries. It is typically the number one employment sector in the region and is witnessing significant international investment, therefore making it a prime emerging trade exhibition sector. We are tackling the challenge of delivering an agriculture exhibition from a very creative perspective,” says David Ashdown, “and our relationship with the Zambia National Farmers Union is proving that we may have a model that fits the bill.” The AgriTech Expo, taking place in Chisamba from 4-5 April, will be Zambia’s only outdoor agriculture trade expo, organised on working farmland in the heart of the farming community.

Defence: Spintelligent’s well-established defence portfolio will go continental this year when its flagship Land Forces Africa event is launched in Dar Es Salaam as Land Forces East Africa on 8 July. The successful Maritime & Coastal Security conference and expo will equally spread its wings and land in the Ghanaian capital Accra to gather naval and maritime experts in West Africa in November. As with the flagship events in South Africa, the new defence gatherings will be supported by the local military authorities. Land Forces East Africa is officially endorsed by the Tanzanian People’s Defence Force and the company is working closely with the Ghanaian Navy in planning Maritime & Coastal Security West Africa.

CBM-TEC: The new launch Copperbelt Mining Trade Expo and Conference or CBM-TEC, held in Kitwe in April, is set to put the Zambian Copperbelt on the map and the industry seems to agree: the expo is sold out already! Some 1500 mining experts are expected at an industry event that has been described as long overdue for the region.

Says David Ashdown: “Zambia is Africa’s mining hot spot. Compared to other countries, mining makes an unusually large contribution to total export earnings, to total national investment and to total foreign direct investment. These contributions have increased in recent years. CBM-TEC tackles the future of Zambian mining at the heart of mining operations.”

iPAD DRC and Katanga Mining Briefing: During 2013, Spintelligent’s pioneering infrastructure and mining events in the DRC, namely iPAD DRC and Katanga Mining Briefing, continued to go from strength to strength, with well-established and long-term local institutional and commercial support and steady growth in attendance and sales numbers. More than a thousand high-level delegates attended these events while the sponsorships at the Lubumbashi event almost doubled.

“IPAD DRC is like the ‘must go to’ institution for the promotion of the mining sector in the DRC.” - Felix Mupande, Director General, Cadastre Minier, DRC

“This exhibition is important for our visibility on the market as well as acquiring new clients.” - Lindsey Domingo, Country Managing Partner, Ernst & Young, DRC – gold sponsors