Reed Exhibitions has signed a joint venture agreement with Thebe Tourism Group to acquire a majority share in Thebe Exhibitions & Projects Group based in South Africa.

TEPG will be renamed Thebe Reed Exhibitions and will be owned 60 per cent by Reed Exhibitions, 30 per cent by Thebe Tourism Group, with Carol Weaving retaining ten per cent.

It is one of the largest and most successful business events companies in South Africa and runs major exhibitions such as Decorex, Mediatech Africa, the Sports and Events Tourism Exchange and the Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo.

The recently announced Africa Travel Week will be run by the newly formed Thebe Reed Exhibitions in conjunction with Reed Exhibitions, and will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre to run from April 28th to May 3rd 2014.

The event will comprise three co-located shows – WTM Africa, IBTM Africa and ILTM Africa - encompassing Africa’s inbound and outbound markets for general leisure travel, luxury tourism, and the MICE/business travel sector.

Carol Weaving, managing director, Thebe Exhibitions & Projects Group commented: “We are delighted with the partnership.  Not only will it give us access to some of the leading brands in the world, but it will help us to grow the footprint of our group across the continent. 

“Reed is the leading global player in the world of exhibitions and its credibility speaks for itself.”

Weaving continued: “Thebe Reed Exhibitions, through its vast experience and extensive resources, is likely to become an important player in Africa’s future economy. 

“The inaugural Africa Travel Week in Cape Town in April 2014 will set the tone.”