Big four bank Absa will be an official event partner of the #BuyaBusiness Expo, to take its franchising and small business funding options and support programmes to entrepreneurs at the co-located #BuyaBusiness and Small Business Expos.
With a strong focus on business development, Absa offers a range of commercial banking solutions, as well as support services for start-ups and small businesses through its Enterprise Development business unit. Through this unit, Absa small business clients can access services such as finance and markets, enterprise development centres and an SME toolkit.
Carol Weaving, Managing Director of expo organisers Thebe Reed Exhibitions notes: “We are delighted to welcome Absa aboard this significant small business and franchising industry development event. Since Absa is known for its proactive and innovative business development products, its presence at the expos will add the crucial banking element to the end-to-end business opportunities and services featured at the event.”
At the three-day #BuyaBusiness and Small Business Expos in Northriding, Johannesburg, Absa will host an Absa Connect Zone, where products and services appropriate for new franchise owners and start-ups will be showcased. Visitors to the expos will have access to Absa small business development experts, bankers and consultants, for talks on the Absa products and services available to help them launch and grow their businesses. Absa’s franchise specialists, with advice and solutions for those wanting to franchise their business and prospective franchise owners, will be on hand to discuss the pros, cons and appropriate financing and transactional solutions for franchises.
Brienne van der Walt, Head of Customer Sectors and Segments, Business Banking, at Absa says: “The SME sector contributes anywhere between 34% to 57% to South Africa’s GDP, and is an important job creator in the country. Its importance cannot be over-emphasised, therefore Absa believes it is crucial to support SMEs with appropriate financing and banking products throughout every phase of their growth. Absa offers a range of products and services to do this, and our participation in knowledge-sharing events such as the #BuyaBusiness and Small Business Expos is in line with our small business development programmes.”
The #BuyaBusiness Expo will be staged at the Ticketpro Dome in Northriding Johannesburg from the 8th -10th September 2016. The event will be staged alongside the Small Business Expo in partnership with Eskom. The co-located expos will serve as a hub for all franchisors and prospective franchisees, businesses, partners, investors and customers. Valuable information sessions, pre-scheduled meetings, workshops and business networking opportunities will run throughout both expos.
For more information, go to www.buyabusinessexpo.co.za and www.smallbizexpo.co.za
About Thebe Reed Exhibitions
Thebe Reed Exhibitions is a joint venture agreement between Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading events organiser and part of RELX Group, and Thebe Tourism Group Pty Limited, South Africa’s oldest black-empowered tourism group. Reed Exhibitions brings over 50 years of experience in developing, marketing, selling and organising exhibitions, events, conferences and meetings. We enjoy connecting businesses with their markets by helping them leverage events as a cost-effective marketing tool.
About BuyABusiness Expo
About Absa
About Absa Bank
Absa Bank Limited (Absa Bank) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Barclays Africa Group Limited, which is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is one of Africa’s largest financial services groups. Absa offers a range of retail, business, corporate and investment banking and wealth management products and services primarily in South Africa and Namibia.
Barclays Africa is 50.1% owned by Barclays Bank PLC (Barclays). At 31 December 2015, we had 847,8 million shares in issue and a market capitalisation of R121.6 billion. We operate in 12 countries with about 40 thousand permanent employees and we serve more than 12 million customers.
Our registered head office is in Johannesburg, South Africa and we have majority stakes in banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania (Barclays Bank Tanzania and National Bank of Commerce), Uganda and Zambia. We also have representative offices in Namibia and Nigeria. Barclays Bank PLC has operations in Egypt and Zimbabwe which continue to be run by Barclays Africa operationally.
For further information about Barclays Africa, please visit our website www.barclaysafrica.com
