09 Aug 2017

Some entrepreneurs who participated in the last Makgadikgadi epic show have described the event as life changing because their small businesses blossom.

They said the show had played a significant role in their lives economically as all the time they reap better from what they sell.

The show started on August 9 at Sowa Town in the Central District and was organised by Nata Conservation Trust in collaboration with Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO).  

More guests are expected this yearfor the show that will end on Saturday.

In an interview, an entrepreneur, Mr Carlos Raleso said he was ready for the upcoming Makgadikgadi epic event, adding that he would be offering quad biking trips and his main events were sunset, sunrise watching, day trips and overnight trips as well as star gazing.

He participated in the previous events, where he offered the same services.

“Makgadikgadi offered a unique and the best spot to watch stars in the country. The stars and constellations were closer in the Makgadikgadi area during the show and therefore attracted lots of star lovers into the area,” he added.

Further, Mr Raleso said there were only a few competitors in the star gazing business because only few people knew about stars, therefore this offered him a whole lot of a full plate to savor its contents all alone.

He said guests were always eager to learn and compare the stars in Botswana with the ones from where they came from.

In addition, he explained that in Botswana the most common star was the Southern Cross, which primarily lies within the Southern hemisphere, where Botswana is globally located and is more visible in the Makgadikgadi area during the winter months, while in the western countries the common star is the North Star.

He said guests were eager to draw a line from the Southern Cross to try and find the North Star so as to determine where they came from adding "that is where all the fun come from."

Another entrepreneur who is also a business advisor, Mr Keontse Dikgetsi said since the inception of the show, he enjoyed better profits, adding that he had now added the event to his calendar  because it was an opportunity that one could not miss.

He advised other entrepreneurs to be well equipped when it came to fundamentals of business such as pricing and packaging, presentation as well as choosing the best spot for the right products, adding that product choice was a vital instrument on one-time events such as the Makgadikgadi epic show.

Mr Dikgetsi said during such events, retail businesses were ideal to think of as that was where bulk goods were divided into smaller packages to meet the needs of the buyer.

Other businesses he mentioned were guiding of guests around the Makgadikgadi and teaching them about the area, hospitality and catering, especially of local cuisine, sale of local ornaments and others. ENDS