African Utility Week: the (Digital) Show Will Go on

Cape Town, South Africa, August 02, 2020 –(PR.com)– The 20th edition of African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa may now be postponed in person, but is still scheduled to take place from 24-26 November this year as the organisers have promised attendees and partners an inspired and inspiring online platform with world-class speakers, live discussions and virtual networking and product showcases.

The postponed live, in person edition of this leading conference and exhibition at the Cape Town International Convention Centre will take place from 11-13 May 2021.

In announcing the postponement to industry, “The global pandemic has impacted live events from across the globe, and our local market is no exception,” says David Ashdown, MD of Clarion Events Africa, which has been organising this multi-award-winning power, energy and water utility event for the last two decades. “The live events industry is a core economic revenue generator for suppliers and buyers alike, and our commitment to the energy industry, despite being unable to meet in person, is to provide a market leading digital platform for buyers and sellers to connect and conduct business. Our project teams will be introducing this exciting pivot opportunity as they talk to customers individually.”

Remaining engaged with the industry
He adds: “Since the start of the pandemic we have made a very successful and innovative transition from live events to digital and virtual conferencing and networking. Throughout these challenging times we have made sure to remain engaged with the industry and stay focused on meeting our clients’ and partners’ needs as there is a demand from the industry to engage, ask questions, find solutions and close deals.”

“Whilst looking ahead at the post-pandemic energy landscape we are aware that technology has been, and will remain, an important part of this journey. The innovation shown by the project teams and their commitment to customer outcomes has been wonderful to watch and support. These are tough but exciting times and I believe with certainty that African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will be a stronger industry platform with greater industry reach in years to come. We are excited to meet again in person in Cape Town in May and with our technology advancement this year, we believe there is an opportunity to also engage a digital audience to the live edition in 2021.”

More interactive, full value chain
The first Virtual African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa took place from 11-15 May this year and was the first event in the sector to pull this off and the attendee numbers and level of engagement speak for themselves: 3,642 registrations and 7,015 matchmaking recommendations.

According to David Ashdown: “As event organisers we also heed the attendees’ feedback and the upcoming Digital African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will be even more interactive and the content will be of interest to the sector’s full value chain, from utilities and regulators to project developers and technology and service providers.”

Digital African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will run a three-day programme from 24-26 November and highlights will include:

Conference: 24-26 Nov 2020
Matchmaking: 24-26 Nov 2020
– Throughout the three-day event programme
Training sessions: 24-26 Nov 2020

Value added exposure
“The Digital African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will provide a mix of free and premium sessions,” David Ashdown explains, “ensuring that all levels of attendee can get the most value from in-depth content. It is our way to offer both our long time partners and friends, as well as new acquaintances, the opportunity to stay connected. For those industry leaders who want to join us in a commercial capacity for extra exposure to this fast growing regional energy market, we also have some exciting opportunities available to add value to their participation.”

Multi-award winning events
African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is organised by Clarion Events Africa, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, energy and mining sectors. Other well-known events include the Utility CEO Forums, Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria, Nigeria Mining Week, Africa Mining Forum and DRC Mining Week. Clarion Events Africa is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group’s Clarion Energy Series, which runs over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, making it one of the group’s largest portfolios.