SAfrica welcomes best foreign exhibitor award at IITF

South Africa is thrilled with the best foreign exhibitor award at the 33rd India International Trade Fair, a top minister said here today.
The National Pavilion of South Africa - the Focus Country at the event - was accorded the Gold Medal award as the best foreign pavilion where 35 crafters from the country exhibited their wares.
"This award does not belong to the (ministry) but to South Africa as a country in general," South African Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe said.
"For us to be crowned the best foreign exhibitor in an international trade fair in which about 6,000 exhibitors, including 250 from foreign countries are participating, is a great achievement," she said in a statement.

The India International Trade Fair (IITF), which held between November 14-27 in New Delhi, is one of the largest integrated trade fairs in terms of exhibitor and visitor participation targeting both trade visitors and the general public.
Thabethe said: "We are all proud of this award as it shows that we as a department have been good ambassadors for the country. It also means that the quality of the companies that were exhibiting in our stand created a good impression among the judges and the visitors."

The minister added that she was highly impressed by the warm reception with which the Indian government and the organisers of the fair welcomed the South Africans, and the high status which was accorded to South Africa as Focus Country at the event.

"As a result, South Africa was put under the spotlight and this resulted in visitors flocking to the South African pavilion in droves."
The IITF offers participants from different segments of the industry adequate visibility for their products and services. Products displayed range from leather, textiles and handicrafts to jewellery furniture and furnishings.
More than a million people visited the IITF over the 14 days duration of the fair.