Guides
Use these guides to plan your time at Africa Trade Show and focus on the areas that matter to your business. Whether you are booking stand space or visiting from a workshop, fitment centre or distributor, this section helps you choose the right route.
What you will find in this guide section
This section brings together practical notes for both sides of the show floor. Exhibitors can use it to prepare a stand, plan staff rotas, shape a live demo and decide how to present products to trade buyers. Visitors can use it to map their day, compare halls and make sure they spend time with suppliers that match the work they do every week.
Africa Trade Show is built around the automotive aftermarket, with a strong focus on parts distributors, workshops, fitment centres and body repair suppliers. The guides are written to help you move through the event with less guesswork and fewer wasted stops. If you are coming in from Johannesburg traffic or travelling from elsewhere in Southern Africa, that matters a lot.
Choose the right guide for your role
Start with the guide that matches your job on the day. A visitor from a fitment centre needs different detail from a supplier planning a stand build-up, stock samples and demo timing. The pages in this section are split so you can get to the useful points quickly.
- Exhibitors: Use these guides if you are comparing stand formats, planning product displays, booking demo slots or preparing your team to speak to trade buyers.
- Workshop and fitment visitors: Use these guides if you want to compare brake, filter, battery and tyre ranges, watch technical demonstrations and speak to suppliers about daily fitment work.
- Distributor buyers: Use these guides if you are reviewing multiple categories in one visit and need a simple route through the halls.
- Body shop suppliers and visitors: Use these guides if your focus is panel-beating equipment, repair processes or spray booth systems.
If you are unsure where to begin, read the planning guide first and then move to the more specific page for your area. That usually saves time once the aisles get busy.
How to compare your options
The easiest way to choose between pages in this section is to think about your main task, not just your industry. Some visitors want product comparisons. Others want to watch demos, ask technical questions or speak about supply terms. In the same way, some exhibitors need stand advice while others need help running a safe, useful demo.
- If your priority is time on the floor: go to the day-planning guide.
- If your priority is attracting buyers to your stand: go to the live demo guide.
- If your priority is workshop products: start with the brake, suspension, diagnostics or battery demo pages.
- If your priority is repair and refinishing: go to the body shop hall pages for spray booths and panel-beating.
A good rule is simple. If you need movement and explanation, pick a demo-focused page. If you need layout, route and meeting order, pick a planning page. If you need category detail, go straight to the product or hall page and work back from there.
For exhibitors: plan for trade conversations, not just foot traffic
Exhibitors often do best when the stand is set up for quick, clear discussions with buyers. Visitors from workshops and distribution businesses usually want to understand fitment suitability, stock support, warranty handling, packaging sizes and how quickly a product line can be rolled out. Long brand stories are less useful than practical answers.
Think carefully about what your team can show in a few minutes. A stand that explains part ranges, application coverage and common workshop questions will usually hold attention better than a crowded display. If you are running a demo, make sure the operator can be heard and that the process is visible from the aisle. Small details matter a lot here, even where the setup looks basic.
If your products are affected by dust, moisture or storage temperature, say so clearly. Buyers from coastal areas often ask different questions from buyers in the inland market, and it helps when your stand staff are ready for that from the start.
For visitors: plan your route before you arrive
Visitors can cover more ground when they decide on a route in advance. If you work in a workshop or fitment centre, start with the categories you fit most often and leave extra time for any live demonstrations. If you buy for a distribution business, group your meetings by hall or by product type so you are not doubling back all day.
- List your top product categories before you travel.
- Decide which halls matter most: general parts, tyre and battery zones, or the body shop hall.
- Keep time for at least one live demo where technical questions can be asked on the spot.
- Bring a simple note system so your team can compare suppliers later without mix-ups.
Many visitors arrive with a broad shopping list and then lose half the day on stands that are not relevant. A tighter plan keeps the visit usefull and makes follow-up easier once you are back at the branch or workshop.
Using the guides with the rest of the site
The pages in this section work best when used alongside the main exhibitor and visitor pages. If you are taking a stand, read the exhibit section first and then use these guides to shape your approach. If you are attending as a buyer or workshop representative, the visit section helps you narrow the halls and categories before you get into guide detail.
When you need more specific help, use the contact page enquiry form and tell us whether you are exhibiting or visiting, which product area matters most and whether you want guidance on live demos or hall selection. That helps us point you in the right direction without back-and-forth.
The aim of this section is straightforward: less wandering, better conversations and a clearer plan for what you need to see.
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Questions we get asked
Are these guides for exhibitors or visitors?
They are for both. Some pages help exhibitors plan stands and demos, while others help visitors from workshops, fitment centres and distributors plan their time.
Which guide should I read first?
If you are unsure, start with the planning guide for a day at the show. After that, move to the page that matches your product area or your role.
How do I ask a question about exhibiting or visiting?
Use the enquiry form on the contact page and tell us whether you are exhibiting or visiting, plus the product categories or hall areas you want help with.
Book a stand or register to visit
Send a note through our contact form saying whether you supply parts or equipment, or run a workshop, distributor or fitment centre, and our team will reply with the next steps.
Open the contact form