WESSA Living Green Expo - Proposal

The Expo is on Saturday August 30.

Context

• WESSA Lowveld operates in one of the fastest developing regions in the country.
• Water and electricity supply is in crisis nationally and acutely so in the Lowveld. In addition water treatment in the Lowveld is stretched to the limits.
• There are appropriate technologies available to ensure the environmental footprint of the existing and future built environment is significantly reduced.

Purpose

• WESSA Lowveld has thus decided to host a Living Green Expo to promote awareness of available options to build, renovate or maintain buildings in an environmentally more sustainable way. This applies to public as well as private buildings.
• We will encourage local and national suppliers in the building industry to exhibit their green products and technology to the people of the Lowveld.
• The Expo will attract school groups, construction industry personnel and members of the public, who will be invited to interact and participate in finding new solutions to pressing environmental problems. We will have two science competitions for the local schools which will be displayed and judged at the Expo.
• The Expo will serve as a forum for the exchange of information between the general public, government departments, environmental NGOs and suppliers in the industry.

Format

• The Expo is planned for two days, Friday Aug 29 and Saturday Aug 30.
• All exhibitors' green credentials will be carefully vetted.
• Exhibitors will be requested to create interactive educational exhibits, with the emphasis on hands-on demonstrations and public participation.
• Workshops will be held at regular intervals throughout the day, with a range of keynote speakers addressing different issues and answering questions from the public.
• In addition, panel discussions will be held, chaired by experts in the field.
• Local schools will be involved, by means of a science competition, with prizes for the best energy-saving invention.
• The Expo will be extensively marketed and advertised. This would include articles in the local and national press, talk shows on radio and television, banners on site and in the surrounding area and advertising in print media. Exhibitors will be asked to participate during the build-up to the Expo, by means of in-store advertising, ticket sales, competitions etc.

Funding

• Initial funding will be from corporate sponsorship, with three tiers of involvement. Significant opportunities exist for direct advertising as well as advancing Corporate Social Responsibility Programmes. Headline sponsorship would confer co-branding and naming rights. To avoid dilution of the WESSA name, the headline sponsor would need to be an organization with a proven track record of environmental responsibility, which is prepared to commit to a common framework.
• Exhibition space will be let at a market-related rate to industry. Exhibitors would be required to pay in full to secure their exhibition space, on a first-come, first-served basis. Advertising space in the programme will also be offered to exhibitors.
• NGOs in the environmental sector will enjoy a discounted rate.
• Additional funds will be generated during the event through ticket sales, parking fees, and food and beverage concessions.

Resources

• WESSA Lowveld has had a working sub-committee driving the project since October 2007.
• Casterbridge Farm Centre is an attractive upmarket shopping complex on the outskirts of the small and accessible town of White River.
• Once funding is secured, a dedicated employee would assist with marketing, admin and co-ordination.

Contact