Trade shows

» Despite the economic downturn, there has been an increase in the number of exhibitors that will be showing their fishing-related products at the only trade show for the SA sports and outdoor industries, the SAFTAD exhibition, held 24-25 July at the UNISA Ormonde Conference Centre at 2 Vinton Rd, Ormonde, Ext 1, Johannesburg. The show will be open until 8pm on the Saturday and Sunday nights. For more information and pre-registration contact Mary-Ann Hodgskin on Tel: 011 943 4921 or Email: maryannh@mweb.co.za.

» This year there will be 868 exhibitors at the Outdoor Europe trade fair at Lake Constance in Friedrichshafen from 15 - 18 July. 140 of these exhibitors are shoe manufacturers, a 14% increase from 2009's 123 shoe manufacturers. A shift towards faster and more athletic hiking has put demand on more multi-functional and lightweight hiking shoes, which are currently experiencing a clear increase in sales. See www.outdoor-show.com for more information on visiting this popular outdoor show.

» Düsseldorf in Germany will host the GDS and Global shoes trade fair simultaneously from the 10th to the 12th of September 2010. To book tickets for these twice-yearly footwear shows contact the Southern African German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAGCC) on Tel: 011 486 2775 or contact Annette Pringle-Kölsch on apringle@germanchamber.co.za. For more information visit www.messe-duesseldorf.de.

» With 250 exhibitors and over 350 brands occupying 55 000m2 exhibit space, the annual Bike Expo (22-25 July in Munich), organised by Messe Munchen International, is gaining popularity. In its second year the number of exhibitors increased by 20% and the exhibition space by 17%. This year's Bike Expo will again be focused on "Urban Mobility", a trend with enormous potential for growth. A big range of textile brands will present their collections as well. See more at www.bike-expo.com.

Coming shows:
» 14-16 July: ICAST. Las Vegas Convention Centre, Las Vegas, USA. www.asafishing.org/icast. Trade show for sportfishing.
» 15-18 July: Outdoor. Friedrichshafen, Germany. www.outdoor-show.com. Trade show for camping and moutaineering accessories, clothing and tents.
» 22-23 July: Bike Expo. Munich Trade Fair, Munich, Germany. www.bike-expo.com. International bicycle trade show.
» 24-25 July: SAFTAD. Unisa Centre, Ormonde, Johannesburg. maryannh@mweb.co.za. South African Fishing trade show.
» 3-6 August: Outdoor Retailer Summer, Salt Place Convention Centre, Salt Lake City, USA. www.outdoorretailer.com. Trade show for the outdoor industry.
» 9-11 August: WSA Show. The Venetian & Sands Expo and Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA. www.wsashow.com. International footwear and accessories exhibition.
» 10-11 August: HUB. Bristol, UK. www.2010.hubtradeshow.com. Trade show for board sport industry.
» 14-16 August: Action Sports Retailer. San Diego Convention Centre, San Diego, USA. www.asrbiz.com. Trade show for the action sports industry.
» 10-12 September: Surf Expo, Orange County Convention Centre, Orlando, USA. www.surfexpo.com. Trade show for active lifestyle product and apparel manufacturers.

The carnival is (nearly) over

And finally it will be Nike (Netherlands) and adidas (Spain) battling it out as suppliers of the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner’s jersey, with Puma (Uruguay) and adidas (Germany) competing for the bronze medal on Saturday. And from next week we all have to start dealing with the withdrawal symptoms following the month-long party that made us so many new friends and made us all so proud to be South African. Read more.

World Cup add R38bn to GDP

Current projections are that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will add 0.4% to SA’s real GDP (R38bn), Pravin Gordhan, SA's Finance Minister said at a press conference. SA has prospects of fast growth as a result of the infrastructure that has been built for the World Cup. The minister added that he is sure all will realise the social and economic benefits that the tournament has been able to provide for SA, as we now earned the reputation of a country that can deliver and that is good for future growth. Read more.

Stellenbosch opens Youth Sport Initiative

Stellenbosch University opened a football Youth Sport Initiative centre aimed at developing football talent at Lentelus sports grounds in Stelenbosch. The centre forms part of the FIFA 2010 Legacy project and will provide a base for the University's Youth Sport Initiative.

The centre will act as an after school learning facility where young people from the surrounding communities can receive a nutritional meal to ensure that they can train beneficially, educational support, life skills and football training in a safe environment. Read more.

Jabulani uproars continue

After a series of tests an Australian scientist, Derek Leinweber, concluded that the Jabulani ball travels faster and is more unpredictable than its predecessors, which means that the goalkeeper can no longer anticipate its trajectory. This adds fuel to the many complaints from goalkeepers, strikers, coaches and managers about the flight of the ball. Brazilian team manager Dunga challenged Jerome Valcke, FIFA Secretary General, to come onto the pitch himself and attempt controlling it since he, along with Jabulani manufacturer adidas, claimed that the ball was 'perfect'. FIFA said that they would further examine the issues surrounding the World Cup ball after the tournament. Adidas has made the official World Cup ball since 1970 and is contracted to provide the ball until the 2014 event. According to adidas the ball was given to all the qualifying teams before the World Cup to test it and no complaints were laid then, they still stick firmly behind their ball.

Kia and Emperors Palace has a big ball

Emperors Palace and Kia Motors made the Guinness World Records when they showed off the biggest soccer ball in the world. The ball needed to conform to certain specifications before it could be entered into the Guinness World Records. It had to be inflatable and deflatable, able to be rolled and kicked and must be an exact replica of an official FIFA match ball. Although the ball is 1 500 times heavier than the Jabulani and almost 70 times bigger, the Kia and Emperors Palace ball was based on the 1970 FIFA World Cup ball, the Telstar. The 15m high ball, made of PVC, resting on the Chariots fountain next to the D'oreale Grande Hotel, has become an enormous draw card for Emperors Palace and their FIFA World Cup entertainment complex and viewing zone.

Cycling industry faces price fixing penalties

The Competition Commission referred its findings of price fixing against 28 bicycle wholesalers and retailers to the Competition Tribunal for adjudication. The firms face the allegation that they colluded to set wholesale and retail prices of cycling products thereby excluding competitors, such as internet retailers, from the market. The Commission has asked the Tribunal to levy an administrative penalty of 10% on the annual turnover of each of the firms involved.

Their finding was based on the fact that wholesalers sent retailers a price list with the wholesale price and the recommended retail price on a regular basis. Read more.

Top fishing products win awards

The best new product winners were announced at the European Fishing Tackle Trade Expo (EFTTEX). The Shimano Lesath AX rod won the Best New Rod award while the G Loomis NRX won the New Fly Rod award. The reels winners were Wychwood Truefly Salt ( Best Fly Reel), the Shimano Stella FE ( Spinning Reel) and Okuma Andros (Multiplier Reel). The Snowbee XS was the Best New Fly Line, Parrallelium Hyperfluorocarbon 3Core the best Monofilament Line and Strike Wire Extreme won the New Braided Line award. In the lures category Sebile D&S Crank DR won the New Hard Lure award and Sebile Pro won the Best Metal Lure, while the Strike Pro Reaction Baits won the New Soft Lure. Berkley Gulp! Carp won the Soft/dough natural looking baits award and JRC Cocoon Carp Crib the best new Carp Bivvy/Shelter award. Patagonia Rio Gallegos won the clothing category for their Breathable Wader and the Rapala Touch Screen Scale won the Visitor's Choice award.

Dunlop sponsors world #2 in Squash

Dunlop announced that they now sponsor 4 out of the top 5 squash players in the world after they signed Ramy Ashour, currently #2 in the squash PSA rankings. This makes Dunlop the choice of the majority of top squash players in the world. Ramy's older brother, Hisham Ashour has also signed a deal with Dunlop. Dunlop sponsors world #1 Nick Matthew, Amr Shabana, world #3, Gregory Gaultier, world #5 and Ramy Ashour, who will play with the Aerogel 4D Max racket.

Salomon Featherbed & Petzl Night Run draw 600

The Salomon Featherbed Trail Run Series, which includes the Petzl Night Run, wowed the outdoor crowd at the annual Knysna Festival yesterday. A record number of 600 entrants from around South Africa including Ultra Marathon Champion Ryan Sandes and District 9 actress Vanessa Hayward, took part in the three trail runs, presented by organisers Magnetic South, in the private Featherbed Nature Reserve. For more information on the event and winners visit www.magneticsouth.net. Photograph by Jacques Marais.

Adventure Addicts 2nd in tough race

Ram Mountaineer’s Tatum Prins got a special birthday present when the adventure racing team she’s part of, Team McCain Adventure Addicts, came second in the no-holds-barred, multi-disciplinary event, XPD Cairns 2010 expedition race in Australia. The race, over six and a half days, covering 700km, involved adventure racing, trekking, running, kayaking, snorkeling, biking and rafting through croc territory. After the race team captain Graham Bird and Iain-Don Wauchope had to spend the night in hospital to undergo treatment for dehydration and serious infection on leg wounds encountered during the night hikes.

Youngsters trained for trail running

A sponsorship from Salomon and Velocity Sports Lab enabled the The JAG Foundation to host a trail running camp for 26 children from the ProNutro JAGRunners programme, a running initiative to empower and equip Western Cape youth in disadvantaged communities. World-renowned adventure racers Ryan Sandes and Tatum Prins (from Ram Mountaineering) shared their expertise with the youngsters, who also received headlamps from Black Diamond, shoes and kit from Salomon and Velocity Sports and watches and bands from Imazine.

Job Classifieds:

Skye Footwear & Clothing, handling brands such as Converse, Dickies, Samson, Brentwood and Millé are seeking sales talent in Jhb & Dbn for both Footwear & Clothing.

You will service an established customer base as well as sourcing new customers with tremendous growth potential. You must be passionate about brands & customer service, energetic and self-motivated, with a proven track record showing exceptional negotiating skills & sales performance. Experience in footwear & clothing sales to a retail trade would be advantageous. Grade 12, own car + drivers license is essential.

Forward your CV to skyeproducts@gmail.com.