The Emigration Expo opens on Thursday at Sandton City in Johannesburg, making it the first public expo to open in South Africa since the start of the pandemic.
The event is scheduled to run until May 1 at the Sandton shopping centre. It will run in parallel with the virtual expo via The Emigration Expo digital platform (TheEmigrationExpo.com).
Organisers said it would be the first expo of its kind to open in the country and to serve the thousands of people who are looking for change and opportunities in a new land.
“It has been an extremely tough 12 months for the exhibition and events industry,” The Emigration Expo founder Sarah Howarth said in a statement.
“We are the first expo organisation to launch a Covid-prepared solution to hosting public events. Sandton City is perfectly positioned to host The Emigration Expo safely, and we have had hundreds registering on the site to attend the expo already, so it is clear that the public is ready to go to expos again and that there is a big demand from people looking to make their move,” she said.
According to industry surveys, emigration is shown to be a massive business locally, with many South Africans searching for opportunities outside of the country.
When asked where they see most South Africans looking to emigrate to, director of emigration at Sable International, John Dunn, mentioned countries like the UK, Australia, US, Portugal, and Malta.
“We know that emigrating from South Africa might be a bit of a contentious topic,” Howarth said.
“However, we want to help provide a platform for those looking to begin anew or simply explore their options, even if it may be in another city within South Africa.”
The Emigration Expo is hosted annually over three days, offering families, entrepreneurs, students, job seekers, and anyone else looking to live abroad a comprehensive range of options.
Visitors who wish to attend can register for free on www.theemigrationexpo.com/register-to-the-emigration-sandton.
For more information, you can visit TheEmigrationExpo.com.