Markex 2018: packed to the rafters!

Co-located with Madex 2018 the ultimate marketing, advertising, design, social media and all that good stuff expo, Markex 2018 is the place to be for companies and individuals involved in the promotional goods industry.

As Africa’s premier promotional products expo, this year’s event features a number of new exhibitors as well as some firm favourites from the past, including headline partner, Barron (stand A11), the continent’s largest and most trusted corporate and promotional brand, running an intriguing ‘Transparency’ theme through its stand. A solution-driven business that centres on meeting customer demands by helping great brands tell great stories, Barron, a company that is also committed to supporting small businesses and start-ups (working with over 10 000 entrepreneurs across Africa), will be launching an array of products to add to its list of existing quality products priced right at this year’s Markex.

The 2018 expo will also be hosting the Adapt Group who, aside from featuring its Window cooler box (with lighting) and branding cooler boxes with wood and stainless steel, will be officially launching a brand new company and product range called WILD Coolers this year. Coined South Africa’s ‘Rolls Royce’ of high performance outdoor cooler boxes, which can be used as gifts, incentives, prizes and long-service awards, visitors are invited to attend this debut on stand A32. The company will also be running a competition with a super prize of a 20 litre WILD Cooler valued at R4,495 – be the first to own one of these beauts by entering here!

For those who haven’t heard of them yet, Media Mafia (stand C32) specialises in digital, large-format and flatbed UV printing and will be demonstrating how visitors can achieve maximum exposure using high end and effective display systems.

HeadWear 24 will have all types of head wear on show this year, from your basic six-panels to panamas and fedoras, and visitors to the stand C10 can enter a lucky draw, which will be drawn on 6 June at 16:30 to ‘Pay for your Markex Trip’. If it’s total branded ‘cover’ you’re after, be sure and visit the ST Umbrellas stand B19 to see and touch various branded ST umbrella solutions. These include beach umbrellas, executive offerings and patio umbrella options – there will be specials running on the entire range throughout the show.

Decorated Ceramics will be showing its full range of custom made ceramics and kiln fire branding solutions for ceramics, glass and enamel. The company will be available on stand A31B and is eager to demonstrate the various applications of products on offer, and will be giving away free gifts to visitors. For those of a more charitable leaning, Sea Rescue is also on show this year, at stand B37, and will be running a competition that will see somebody nab R50 000 a month or R100 000 annually in return for their support.

Markex visitors looking to take snazzy prizes home should also make a turn past HJJF Trading’s stand (A31) as the team will be hosting a prize giving on stand every day, which will see one lucky person walking away with a services voucher to the value of R1 000 voucher. Leather is the game to play this year at Markex as E Baronos Leather, a company that manufactures small leather goods such as wallets, filo-faxes and leather binders, is also showing a new array called the ‘City Range’ this year. The company will also be demoing a new notebook accessory that enables notebook users to leave additional baggage at home. Visitors are invited to come and see ‘not just another standard black folder’ at stand C21.

Beata Promotional Printers is on stand C1 and will be showing off different printing styles, including glow in the dark print, reflective print, puff print, glitter print, rhinestones and Pad printing to name but a few of the applications on show this year.

Education is the name of the game, with the IMM Graduate School (stand C11) focusing on its recently launched online short courses in marketing and advertising, business management, supply chain management, and general, which run in eight to 15-week durations. Continuing the education theme is Inspirit Inspirations (stand B27), which will contribute sales from its Mandela Centennial exclusive notebooks and gift sets to the Nelson Mandela library project, meaning that each purchase will help shape children’s literacy in South Africa.

To round this group off, we have Glass Roots, Tribal Africa, and Leather Wise, three micro companies exhibiting together for the Knysna Connection Group at Markex this year (stand C14).

The Knysna Connection Group is a company whose sole purpose is the regeneration of the Knysna economy as a key economic driver of and contributor to sustainable development of the Garden Route. It encourages collaboration to give substance to the Knysna motto – ‘A town that works for all’ – and, as such will be hosting three stand out ‘makers’ this year.
Leather Wise will have 19 products on show this year that must be seen. Created with care, the range is created using environmentally conscious vegetable tan leather, is hand stitched with a waxed nylon thread, and includes heavy gauge solid brass accessories, aluminium frames and semi-precious stones.

Tribal Africa is headed up by Eugene ‘Gene’ Lewis, a Knysna born artist inspired by nature, his local roots and his Rastafarian religion. Visitors are invited to view his pottery and glass art creations (and his famous quirky smile) at the stand this year.

The third ‘maker’ being hosted by the Knysna Collection Group is Helga Stassen of Glass Roots, who will be showcasing her journey with glass alchemy. Helga uses the unique chemical reactions between minerals and metals in the glass that discolour one another as a means to depict African wildlife and scenery. The enchanting reflection effects of rainbow glass colours showered in light is something that must be seen.

Visit Markex 2018 on 6 and 7 June 2018 at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, where the expo will be celebrating its 31st year of bringing together local resellers with the industry’s best and brightest manufacturers and distributors. Please visit www.markex.co.za for details on how to register for the event.