The annual Absa ESD Expo, co-located with the SPW Conference, not only offers a great opportunity to over a thousand corporate buyers and other procurement professionals from both the public and private sectors to network, keep abreast of global trends and best practice; but provides a platform for entrepreneurs to network, explore possible business opportunities and engage meaningfully with procurement decision makers with the aim of growing their businesses through leads generated from supplier matching.
South Africa is faced with a challenge where it is estimated that 70% – 80% of small businesses fail within five years as a result of lack of business acumen, access to market and funding. “The SPW conference and ESD Expo is a response to industry needs and is aimed at empowering SMEs by equipping them with the critical information required to grow and sustain their businesses and at the same time providing supply chain support,” says Debbie Tagg, COO Smart Procurement World.
“As the City of Johannesburg’s Department of Economic Development, we are thrilled to be part of this Expo. It is essential for us to be involved in practical initiatives which support and enable businesses at every level of the spectrum, in order to achieve our 5% growth target,” says Councillor Sharon Peetz, Member of the Mayoral Committee, Department of Economic Development, City of Johannesburg.
In the five years of the expo’s existence SPW and its partners hosted 1112 SMEs and to date, an estimated 30% of these SMEs secured new contracts through supplier matching sessions and networking among other. The Absa ESD Expo aims to continue to grow the support and collaboration from corporates, ESD programmes, entrepreneurship support organisations and other key stakeholders ensure continued support of the objectives of the National Development Plan.
“The association with SPW and ESD Expo contributed to the success of our business. We have secured projects which have contributed positively to the growth of our company and afforded us the opportunity of being a preferred supplier. Being part of SPW and years of investing in our brand helped us in realising our dream of sustainable job creation and growing our business,” says Musa Masebenza, Managing Director, Ithuba Online.
As the economy faces financial volatility, procurement and supply chain management functions are becoming critical to public and private sector business success. The upcoming conference will explore how unleashing the power of procurement to drive radical economic transformation could be beneficial to emerging businesses to ensure their sustainability.
The conference will equip attendees and provide opportunities needed to drive strategy and deliver world-class procurement and supply chain management practices as demanded by the current climate.
For more information please visit www.smartprocurementworld.com
