Online Reporter
Obert Chifamba
Agri-Insight
AS the sun rises on the vibrant landscapes of Zimbabwe daily, anticipation is brewing for the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show — the premium event that embodies the heart and soul of the nation’s agricultural prowess in August every year.
The countdown has already started. This year, more than ever, the challenge lies not just in showcasing the rich diversity of agriculture, but in transforming the show into a beacon of innovation, sustainability, and community engagement. With last year’s successes and shortcomings as a foundation, the organisers have a unique opportunity to elevate the event, attracting farmers, businesses, and enthusiasts alike.
By now, the organisers — the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS) — should be miles into their strategic market research and audience engagement. This process will enable them to identify target demographics to get an appreciation of their interests, preferences and also identify potential attendees from farmers to urban consumers and make informed preparations.
The insights that come out of the research exercise can then guide them when they come up with tailored marketing campaigns that resonate with the different audience segments they would have interfaced with. The campaigns will also serve as both social and economic barometers to gauge the general impression past events have made on attendees — be it businesses or fun-lovers and work on either improving or even adopting something completely new and different.
This is the time for ZAS to be building a diverse exhibitor base that will broaden their revenue streams. It is important for them to encourage participation across the country’s diverse sectors reaching out to smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and agriculture technological innovators to create a more diverse exhibitor landscape.
Of course, thousands throng the Harare Exhibition Park where the event is held annually, but not all of them make the same business impact that ZAS expects to remain in business.
This makes it critical for the organisers to look beyond what has been happening traditionally and be pro-active in marketing the event. They are businesspeople who need to remove the ‘proverbial’ box that restricts innovation and think aggressively to the extent of even doing pre-show meetups to foster connections among exhibitors, enabling partnerships that can lead to innovative displays.
The current evolving world of business calls for dynamic programming that includes such things as workshops and panels. There is no harm in creating an engaging schedule of workshops that cover pressing topics like climate resilience, organic farming, and market trends.
ZAS can also consider introducing some interactive sessions that will incorporate live demonstrations and hands-on activities to engage attendees and showcase practical applications of agricultural innovations.
They also need to spare a thought for environmental sustainability issues and implement practices such as waste reduction, recycling stations, and local sourcing of materials to minimise the event’s carbon footprint. With the growing noises about doing everything sustainably, they also need to consolidate what is already there. It terms of maintaining an eco-friendly environment, I give to ZAS. They have over the years managed to maintain a very clean environment during and after the show but this should not deter them from taking it a rung hire.
They can always broaden their sustainability concerns to crop production and introduce a competition that focuses on promoting good agronomic practices (GAP) with strong emphasis on product quality. Under this category they will highlight exhibitors who prioritise sustainability, creating a platform for them to share their practices and products.
One of the most important issues that come with event-hosting is that of making the right impression on attendees. ZAS should make it their rule of thumb that every edition of the event enhances visitors or attendees’ experiences so that they yearn for the next event each time they conclude one. This is usually made possible by ensuring that facilities are user-friendly with clear signage, adequate seating, and sanitation stations. A
nd while this is happening physically, there are those customers that are techno-savvy and always frequent places where there is wi-fi and can utilise apps for event navigation, scheduling, and real-time updates to make their attendance memorable.
They can also engage influencers in the agricultural sector to promote the event while utilising social media and local media outlets to reach a wider audience.
Events such as the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show should always leave an ever-lasting impression on the minds of show-goers.
The other important matter ZAS should be working on is guaranteeing safety and the strict observation of health protocols. Show-goers should stay updated with health guidelines to ensure their safety, particularly in light of recent global health challenges and other human-made problems like crime.
The safety of children, in particular, should be guaranteed especially in the wake of the incident in which a young boy disappeared during one edition of the show, only for his decomposing body to be discovered days later.
This unfortunate incident has in recent times discouraged children from attending the show in numbers yet they are a constituency that must be groomed into appreciating the importance of agriculture from an early age.
Show-goers should have fond memories of events like this and always look forward to the next edition and ZAS should aggressively demonstrate that their arena is a safe space for all. They should have emergency plans in place so that attendees know where to seek help in the event of emergencies. One way of doing this is through developing and communicating clear safety measures and emergency response plans to all stakeholders.
And to know how they would have fared in any edition, ZAS needs to create some feedback mechanisms through which they have a post-event survey or post-mortem so that they know where they are doing well or badly. They can gather insights from attendees and exhibitors post-event to ensure continuous improvement for future shows.
This can then be followed by the conducting of focus groups with key stakeholders to discuss experiences and identify areas for growth.
It is an undisputed fact that the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show represents more than just an exhibition but is a celebration of resilience, innovation, and community spirit. By embracing a strategic approach to planning and execution, ZAS can transform this event into a landmark gathering that not only showcases agricultural excellence but also fosters lasting connections and drives the industry forward. The stage is set — let’s cultivate a future that thrives!
