Following the South African Government’s announcement of a national state of disaster and subsequent ban on public gatherings of over 100 people, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clarion Events Africa (formerly Spintelligent) is rescheduling African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa.
The event, originally scheduled to take place from 12-14 May, will now run from 24 – 26 November 2020. The venue – CTICC in Cape Town, South Africa – remains unchanged.
African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa attracts over 10,000 people from more than 90 countries and is the largest energy show in Africa. 2020 marks its 20th anniversary.
“The health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, employees and the wider public is of paramount importance to us,” said managing director David Ashdown.
“Following the Government’s announcement, we have worked with industry to reschedule African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa to November, in order to minimise potential health risks to those connected to the event.
“It is expected that the current challenges presented by the Coronavirus will slow down significantly within the next few months, which means the new November date for African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will allow us to deliver the most meaningful event in terms of maximising ROI for our exhibitors and excellent content and experiences for our visitors.
“The power sector in South Africa is facing incredibly challenging times. By committing to running the event this year, Clarion Events Africa can continue to drive energy security on the continent, support the local industry and provide business-critical market opportunities to support our exhibitors’ future prosperity.”
A spokesperson for South Africa’s national power utility, Eskom, said: “Eskom recognises the role that this event plays in addressing the challenges facing the provision of electricity on the continent.
We recognise that COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenges and are glad that a solution has been found to allow the event to continue this year. We look forward to welcoming energy stakeholders from around the world to Cape Town in November 2020.” Eskom is also the Host Utility of African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa.
