The EXSA award recognises excellence in the Exhibition Industry of Southern Africa and also includes awards for Best Venue, Best Stand Designers, Best Suppliers, Best Organiser and other individual awards.

HOMEMAKERS took part in a meticulous judging process by independent EXSA appointed judges at their Gauteng Expo in February this year. Their marketing campaign, promotions and features, signage, branding, safety and security, traffic flow as well as feedback from visitors and exhibitors regarding their experience of the show, were all criteria upon which the expo was judged.

Ray Abrahamse, MD of HOMEMAKERS is delighted with the award: “The standard of competition that we are up against is extremely high. It’s important to remember that one competes on a national basis with a large variety of exhibition types. As part of the judging process our exhibitors gave us outstanding reviews, especially with regards to our organisational abilities and the type of quality visitor our expo attracts. We'd like to use this opportunity thank all of them for putting in the extra effort with regards to their stands. Without their commitment and dedication, we would not have won this prestigious award. By claiming this title for the fourth year in a row, we trust this gives them the added assurance that they're exhibiting with a credible and highly acclaimed Expo.  As a group, we're dedicated to giving visitors only the best experience and products.”

HOMEMAKERS is a national group which presents four similar home lifestyle shows in Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. It is South Africa's biggest home enhancement exhibition group and since its inception 19 years ago has proven to be the country's premier home lifestyle event.

Apart from exhibitions, the company also publishes two monthly magazines, HOMEMAKERSfair and HOMEMAKERStalk. HOMEMAKERS also run South Africa's largest home improvement portal www.homemakersonline.co.za.

About the ABC

The primary function of the ABC, a non-profit organization, is the certification and provision of accurate and comparable circulation figures to the advertising and marketing industries. This is achieved through a bi-partite agreement, between advertisers and media owners, on auditing standards, certificates and reports.  The ABC aims to promote the interests of all parties involved and provides circulation data that is in no way inaccurate, misleading or distorted. 

As the market leader in direct response advertising, HOMEMAKERS is a member of the ABC and its publications are distribution certified.  These publications are thus verified in terms of the print order quantity, the print invoice and the actual distribution thereof.

In short, this assures the advertiser that their advertising consistently reaches an accurate and focused target market.

GROW:  plant, harvest, nurture, prepare

COOK: demonstrate, perform, interact, compete, educate

TASTE: balance, nourish, revitalise, rejuvenate, share, connect, inspire, repair 

RECYCLE:  re-use, re-generate

The Good Food Arena must make imaginative and innovative use of the Caesarstone product with an ample colour palette.  

As always, the prize for the winning student and lecturer is a comprehensive 5-day trip to Caesarea, Israel, the home of Caesarstone, valued at R60 000. Added to the prize package for the winning student from iRender is: 

• Full SkecthUp Pro 8 
• Artlantis Studio 3
• Additional Artlantis Media
• Space Navigator 3D Mouse

 Valued at R20 000.00 

To enhance design education Caesarstone acknowledges iRender as a contributor towards the fifth Caesarstone Design Award. iRender has facilitated free access to the participating students – this coup encourages students to sign up with  iRender and enjoy Free of Charge Student Educational Licenses for Artlantis Studio 3 from Abvent , the creators of the Artlantis Rendering Application and also SketchUp Pro 8 from Google which assists students in creating models for rendering in Artlantis. 

Judges are:

• Jonathan Anstey of Stauch Vorster Architects
• Janina Masojada of Design Workshop SA
• Dorothy Van T’Riet of DVR
• Greg Wright of Greg Wright Architects
• Lisa Younger of Activate Space 

Visit www.caesarstonedesign.co.za for competition details and dates.

Highlights at this year’s expo included The Green Living Area, mouth watering goodies in the Deli section, Art in the Garden and the Pottery Corner.

Congratulations to all award winning exhibitors!

The overall excellence of this year’s show was phenomenal and the organisers received numerous comments on the excellent standard of the exhibitors’ stands. Exhibitors were very happy with their show experience and the quality of visitor turnout and leads.

Top accolades went to Afromosia who won the Overall Award for Exhibitor Excellence.
Seal It won the award for the most innovative stand.

Gold awards went to Eskom, Finfloor, Audico, Advantage Air, Floors Direct, Telkom, Vryheid Country Furniture, Euro Laminate and Pulse

Silver awards went to Hedcor, Mobelli, Cover FG, Blinds Décor, Ecology Plastics, Agriligna, Expert Kitchens, Magic Lighting, Melonwoods and Mistrys

Milestone Kitchens, Pro-Turf, Blue Deer Art Dealers, Mooi Loft, Verbatim-Cleansui, ST James, Liquid Wallpaper, Elephant Showers, Doors d Art, Blue Bay Lifestyle, African Shade, Art Tech, Tongaat Hulett, Mediterranean Shutters and Sweepro-Linea Casabella all received Bronze awards.

Thank You to our Competition Sponsors

The Durban HOMEMAKERS Expo ran a fantastic Dream Home makeover competition and lucky winner Mr M Saobramoney walked away with R120 000 in prizes from our sponsors!

A huge thank you to Biofires, Doors D Art, Eco Sheeting, Luban Furniture, Mediterranean Shutters and Vryheid Country Furniture.

Be sure not to miss the Gauteng HOMEMAKERS Expo on from 23 – 26 February 2012 at the Coca Cola Dome in Northgate. For more information visit www.homemakersonline.co.za like HOMEMAKERS on Facebook or follow @SAHomemakers on twitter

Beautifully styled with subtly sophisticated minimalistic lines, the Latis range is at home in both classic and contemporary bathrooms and kitchens. Its distinctive lever-style handle is not only in line with current trends, but also offers increased functionality in that it responds to the lightest touch. 

“Our Latis collection comprises a range of high quality, yet highly affordable, mixers. The lever-style handle ensures ease of operation, including flow and temperature control, making these products particularly suitable for use by the aged or infirm,” explains Cobra marketing manager, Audrey Azimullah.

The mixers are manufactured from robust dezincification resistant brass, making them hard-wearing and exceptionally durable, and finished in top quality chrome. They feature specially designed cartridges, which have been specifically engineered for quietness, as well as water-saving and anti-splash aerators.

“Aerators infuse the water with air bubbles. These bubbles break up the surface area of the flow of the water, softening the flow and therefore reducing splashing onto vanities and counters around basins and sinks. As the bubbles displace the water, less water is also used, making these mixers energy and water efficient,” Azimullah adds.

Both sink and basin mixers are supplied with flexible, kink-resistant connection hoses to facilitate and ensure easy installation.

All Cobra taps and mixers are SABS tested and are JASWIC listed.  The Latis mixers come with a 10-year guarantee and full service back-up from Cobra.

For more information on Cobra taps call Tel: 0861 21 21 21 or email:marketing@cobrawatertech.co.za or visit the web on: www.cobrataps.co.za to view Cobra’s extensive product catalogue

• How did you perform in relevance to what you set out to do?
• Are there changes you could make to improve your exhibition stand?
• Did anything unexpected happen that you were not prepared for?
• How did the quality of visitors rate in relation to your needs? 
• Are there areas which require more preparation?
• Was there a positive response to your pre-show and live show promotions?
• Are there any changes that you could make to make the next show an improvement?
• If any, what were the major challenges and obstacles? 

Being self critical can be de-motivating, but it can also lead to improvement. Analyse your weaknesses and strive to improve on them. Answering questions like these will give you and your team a better idea of your stronger areas and the areas that may need improvement. 

Measuring results

Keeping track of any leads and collecting sales data is vital to assessing the success of your show. Measuring the cost of the exhibit to the business that it has acquired is the best way to discover if the show was a success. Here are a few reasons why measuring your results is so important:

• It will help you make better choices on future exhibit locations
• It can prove the investment worthwhile
• It will encourage staff to meet targets
• It will show which areas before, during after the show need improving

The main factor of exhibition success is measuring what you put into the show, to what you got out of it. Initially you must set a target that you want to achieve, and then you must create a strategy for how you are going to achieve it, and finally you must create a post show summarisation which signals the areas in which you have, or have not succeeded in.

With the right forethought and planning the results will always speak for themselves.

The follow up

Gathering information correctly at a show is vital when following up your leads. Creating a user friendly way of doing this can turn your prospects into results. It is important you take always take note of the following information:

• Basic information (name, occupation, location etc.)
• The potential customer’s requirements
• Which sales representative dealt with them? 

The judges were very impressed with the stands this year especially due to the fact that so many exhibitors went to such a lot of effort given the hard economic time we are all going through. Although it was also mentioned that exhibitors could make use of the space they have booked more creatively overall they felt that exhibitors did a job well done!

One of the judges mentioned that there was a better variety of stands this year and the show was definitely taken up a notch with the feature areas.

Top accolades went to Afromosia who won the Overall Award for Exhibitor Excellence.

An award for most innovative stand went to Seal It.

Gold Awards

Gold awards went to Eskom, Finfloor, Audico, Advantage Air, Floors Direct, Telkom, Vryheid Country Furniture, Euro Laminate and Pulse.

Silver Awards

Silver awards went to Hedcor, Mobelli, Cover FG, Blinds Décor, Ecology Plastics, Agriligna, Expert Kitchens, Magic Lighting, Melonwoods and Mistrys Milestone Kitchens, Pro-Turf, Blue Deer Art Dealers, Mooi Loft, Verbatim-Cleansui, ST James, Liquid Wallpaper, Elephant Showers, Doors d Art, Blue Bay Lifestyle, African Shade, Art Tech, Tongaat Hulett, Mediterranean Shutters and Sweepro-Linea Casabella all received Bronze awards.

Advantage Air

"The show was a success thanks to all the staff that work behind the scenes leading up to the show and during the show, I like to call them the ladies in pink  and the young staff were at all times  friendly, visible and accommodating for  that you should be applauded for a job well done.  Shelly  to you and all the ladies keep up the excellent work,  looking forward to working  with you at next year show  and hopefully on the advertising  side of things". 

Tyrone |  Advantage Air

JoJo Tanks

"HOMEMAKER Expo for hosting such a professional event. You guys are always helpful to the exhibitors and make certain that everyone is comfortable. The show definitely attracted a lot of people and gave JoJo Tanks excellent exposure. I was certainly glad to be a part of the event and I would recommend any organization to participate in the HOMEMAKERS Expo nationwide".

Vishal Maharaj | JoJo Tanks

House of Paint

"To All the wonderfull Ladies and Gents at HOMEMAKERS; We just want to say a BIG THANK YOU for all your help and assistance in making the show a GREAT one for all of us. The response was fantastic and we look forward to next year.

All your hard work is very much appreciated.

Sincerely",

Ashlea, John and all at the House of Paint Hillcrest

Apart from the 250 plus stands offering a wide range of products showcasing the latest in home lifestyle, décor and renovation the expo also highlights consumer trends with some exciting new features including Green Living, Deli, Art in the Garden and The Pottery Corner

Just by visiting this year's expo you could stand the chance to....

Win a home makeover valued at R120 000 courtesy of our sponsors

BIOFIRES

DOORS D ART

ECO SHEETING

LUBAN FURNITURE

MEDITERRANEAN SHUTTERS

VRYHEID COUNTRY FURNITURE

Transform your home with inspiration and home improvement products and services all conveniently situated under one roof. Don’t miss the BEST home enhancement expo in Durban.

Click here to find out more regarding times and entry to the expo
 

Apart form the trend setting and inspirational 300 stands, be sure not to miss the exciting feature areas presented each year.

This year's highlights include decor and accessories, which will be sfeatured for the third year. Showcasing the latest cutting edge style in contemporary decor trends, this feature is bound to wet any decorating appetite.

Stimulate your taste buds at d'Vine life, with a selection of good wines, great cheeses, olives and other gourmet goodies.

The Future of Design, presented for the 6th year in a row, will showcase the latest in Upcycling with some of South Africa’s leading designers leading the way. Upcycling is the process of converting waste or useless materials into new products of better quality or higher environmental value  …Upcycling is an even greener way of recycling – find a new purpose for your unwanted items before you chuck them away.

Another very exciting project at this year’s Cape HOMEMAKERS Expo is ClockArt. A variety of artists, including fine artists, designers, ceramicists, fashion designers and mosaic artists were invited to create a wall clock. The clocks will be displayed for the duration of the Expo, and visitors are invited to bid on their favourite piece. All funds raised will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, a community development organisation which builds homes for the previously disadvantaged.

Everybody loves DIY and is tempted to try their hand at least once – check out the brand new DIY Workshop feature area offering all sorts of handy tips. Industry experts will demonstrate, build, modify, repair, revamp and pimp just about anything relating to home improvement!

DIY Program • Thursday - Sunday 

• 11:00 - 12:00 - Well-known DIY editor of tuis and home magazines, Ashley Stemmett, will show you how to design and create your own furniture piece.

• 12:30 - 13:30 - Marlene and Bibette of Fancy That will give new life to your favourite old pieces.

• 14:00 - 15:00 - Lauren Shantall, who heads up the Freeworld Design Centre, will show you how to colour block and also how to apply the new granite paint from Midas Earthcote.

• 15:30 - 16:30 - DIY Divas’ Cornelia Wiegmann will show you how to make something out of nothing, especially for chicks who want to learn the tricks.

Dates:

1 - 4 September 2011

Venue:

CTICC

Times:

Thursday - Saturday: 10:00 to 20:00
Sunday: 10:00 to 18:00

 
Entrance:

R55 for adults  |  R35 for pensioners  |  Children under 12 free

 
Contact:

For more information or to book your stand phone 021 511 2800

expocape@homemakers-sa.co.za