The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE 2021 edition of the Manicaland Agricultural Show will roll to life from October 21 to 24, with the annual expo taking a more business approach to comply with the Covid-19 precautionary measures.
The annual business exhibition show will see the first two days being business days, with stand judging, and official opening as the major highlights.
With the aim of decongesting the place wherein not more than 15 000 attendees will be allowed in, Saturday will be the public day. The previous edition of the annual fete saw more than 30 000 attendees paying their way into the show grounds to witness the event.
Running under the theme:“Building Resilience towards A New Era”, this year’s edition will be held under a different environment far from the usual pomp and fanfare it is traditionally known for.
Manicaland Agricultural Show Society president, Mr Patient Mbarara said there would be strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols during the business exhibition show.
“We encourage our exhibitors to be fully vaccinated, to mask up and sanitise. Vaccination will also be done in the show grounds.
“We will provide sanitising facilities, and do temperature checks at all entry points. We will make sure that exhibitors also follow suit at their stands as a way of abiding by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ministry of Health and Child Care safety guidelines,” he said.
Mr Mbarara said a maximum of 15 000 attendees will be allowed.
“The last time we recorded about 33 000 attendees, and this year we look forward to not more than 15 000. On decongestion, we are using different strategies. We will not congregate in the main arena as is the norm.
“We will also have limited numbers of stands. In fact, the 15 000 targeted attendees will be spread across the three days, and will be scattered in the show grounds at various stands,” he said.
The number of exhibitors will also be drastically reduced to about half of the usual numbers.
“The number of exhibitors for 2019 was 180, and we expect to host at least 50 percent of that number as companies are now trying to recover from the ravages of Covid-19.
“Attendance of the public will be minimised as we will also be ensuring that social distancing is maintained,” said Mr Mbarara.
This year will also see less of high profile entertainment icons.
“To avoid crowds, this year we are not providing high profile entertainment acts, and the exhibition is more business inclined than anything else,” said Mr Mbarara.
He implored those who will attend to cooperate in upholding Covid-19 precautionary measures.
“We want to encourage exhibitors to be cautious, and follow the Covid-19 prevention protocols and guidelines throughout the show as the nation continue to fight the pandemic.
“Manicaland Agricultural and Show Society remains committed to provide the best networking platform for businesses, and farmers in Manicaland, and beyond,” he added.
