Gl Events South Africa (pty) Ltd

Name

Gl Events South Africa (pty) Ltd

Legal name

GL events South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://gl-events.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Infrastructure and Exhibition Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Trade Shows & Exhibitions (Booths, Show Management) (BPAFAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trade Shows & Industry Expos (B2B) (MPAGAHAB), Exhibitions, Trade Shows & Booth Management (HSACADAH)

Keywords

• Exhibition stand construction
• Event infrastructure services
• Retail shopfitting solutions
• Marquee and temporary structures
• Event furniture rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Stand Design and Build Services: Design, manufacture, and installation of custom and modular exhibition stands for trade shows and exhibitions. Services range from basic shell-scheme packages to premium custom builds with full project management from concept through installation.
2. Furniture and Equipment Rental: Rental of event furniture including banquet tables, lounge furniture, cocktail tables, outdoor furniture, and conference furniture. Also includes marquee hire (clear span, glass, frame, and stretch marquees), flooring systems, and lighting equipment.
3. Event Infrastructure Solutions: End-to-end event infrastructure including marquees, staging, flooring, lighting, and electrical solutions for corporate events, conferences, gala evenings, and large-scale outdoor events.
4. Retail Shopfitting Services: Shop fitting and office fitment solutions including space planning, design, sourcing, and installation of complete store layouts and interiors. Services also include council approval assistance for retail and corporate brands.
5. Printing and Branding Services: Large-format printing services for banners, backdrops, signage, vinyl graphics, exhibition panels, retail displays, and branded installations. Includes design collaboration, production, delivery, and installation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GL Events South Africa designs, manufactures, installs and dismantles exhibition stands (modular and custom), supplies temporary event infrastructure including marquees, flooring, lighting and electrical systems, rents premium event furniture, delivers large-format printing and branding services, and provides retail shopfitting solutions (GL Retail). Operating as a full-turnkey B2B event solutions provider, the company runs the Johannesburg Expo Centre and supports clients across South Africa from offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Product overview

GL Events South Africa is a full-service event infrastructure provider offering comprehensive physical products and services rather than a unified software platform. The product portfolio includes exhibition stand solutions across five tiers: Basic Shell-Scheme Stands (entry-level), System Design Stands (mid-range), Maxima Stands (premium), Eco Mod Display System (sustainable), and Custom Exhibition Stands (fully bespoke). Supporting services include marquee and temporary structure hire, premium furniture rental, large-format printing and branding services (including 3x9m seamless fabric printing), event lighting, temporary flooring, and retail shopfitting under the GL Retail brand. The company also operates the Johannesburg Expo Centre as a owned/operated venue. All services are delivered through in-house capabilities with warehouses in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, supporting turnkey event solutions from design through to installation and breakdown.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GL Retail: Retail shopfitting services division providing expert shopfitting services across South Africa in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban for more than 20 years.

Products and services

• Basic Shell-Scheme Stands Entry-level modular exhibition stand package offering cost-effective standardised panels, carpets, electrical services and stand name signage for trade shows, consumer exhibitions, product launches and info stands, with optional upgrade of furniture, graphics and tension fabric systems.
• System Design Stands Upgraded modular exhibition stands built on a robust framework supporting flexible configurations, shelving, display units and integrated lighting for a more dynamic brand presence at activations, exhibitions and conferences.
• Maxima Stands Premium modular exhibition stands using a different aluminium profile construction providing a modern, upmarket finish with sleek frames, clean lines and the ability to support larger, multi-level and intricate stand designs.
• Eco Mod Display System Sustainable, modular exhibition and retail display solution manufactured from recycled paper-based materials, locally manufactured, flat-packable, with superior weight-to-strength ratio, excellent acoustic properties, reusability up to 3-5 times and tool-free installation.
• Custom Exhibition Stands Fully bespoke exhibition booth design and build service offering cutting-edge design with high-end finishes, ranging from small 3x3m stands to large double-storey structures, custom hospitality areas and office interior revamps, including consultation, conceptualisation, technical drawings, 3D modelling and professional installation.
• Marquees and Temporary Structures Event tent hire service offering clear span marquees for corporate events, glass and frame marquees for high-end events and gala dinners, and stretch/Bedouin tents for relaxed outdoor events, modularly configurable for any crowd size.
• Furniture Rental Premium event furniture hire including banquet tables and chairs, lounge furniture, cocktail tables and bar counters, high-top tables, outdoor furniture, conference furniture and accessories for conferences, workshops, seminars, VIP lounges and gala dinners.
• Printing and Branding Large-format printing services including banners, backdrops, signage, vinyl graphics for glass/flooring/furniture/vehicles, exhibition panels, counters, display units, directional signage, sponsor boards, entrance branding, retail/POS displays, posters, flags and branded kiosks, plus 3x9m seamless dye sublimation fabric printing.
• Event Lighting Event lighting hire including ambient lighting for dining and networking areas, accent lighting for architectural features and branding, stage lighting for awards and speeches, dynamic colour effects for after-parties, and integrated audio-visual systems for hybrid events.
• Event Flooring Temporary event flooring hire for outdoor lawns and uneven terrain, carpeting for indoor events, and raised platforms or stages for speeches and performances, including climate control and accessibility solutions.
• Retail Shopfitting (GL Retail) Full-turnkey shopfitting and office fitment solutions across South Africa and Africa offering space planning, design, sourcing and installation of retail display stands, point-of-sale displays, custom retail environments and office interior fitments, with council approval assistance.
• Johannesburg Expo Centre (Venue) One of the largest purpose-built exhibition centres in Africa, spanning over 150,000 square metres of flexible indoor and outdoor multipurpose event space, featuring 6 large exhibition halls, over 20,000 parking bays and 100,000+ people capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Full-turnkey solutions covering all event infrastructure needs under one provider
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• XanitacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 6 November 2024GL events South Africa announced an exclusive partnership with Xanita, a leading sustainable events and exhibition solutions manufacturer, becoming the sole supplier of the Xanita Eco-Mod range within the exhibition and events sector in South Africa. The Xanita Eco-Mod product range features unique modular, versatile design made from eco-friendly paper-based materials that are fully recyclable and re-brandable. The partnership reinforces GL events South Africa's commitment to environmentally responsible solutions and positions Xanita Eco-Mod as a go-to solution beyond events into retail spaces.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• dmg events: dmg events is a leading international exhibition organiser operating major energy, construction, and hospitality trade shows, including several in Africa. It overlaps with GL events South Africa in exhibition infrastructure services for its own-organised events and provides comparable competitor venue and event services.
• Reed Exhibitions (RELX): Reed Exhibitions is a division of RELX and operates more than 400 events in 30 countries. It is comparable to GL events South Africa as a global incumbent in trade-show organisation and the broader events infrastructure ecosystem.
• Messe Frankfurt: Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's largest exhibition organisers and venue operators, running more than 150 trade fairs globally. It overlaps with GL events South Africa in trade-show venue management and event infrastructure, though with broader organisational scope.
• Informa Markets: Informa Markets is the exhibitions division of Informa plc and the world's largest B2B exhibition organiser, operating major brands across multiple verticals. It competes with GL events South Africa for both organiser relationships and exhibition services revenue, particularly at international trade shows held in South Africa.
• GL events Group (Parent): GL events Group is the Paris-listed parent company and global integrated events group operating venues, organising exhibitions, and providing event services worldwide. It is comparable as the parent platform through which GL events South Africa operates and serves as the broader international incumbent in the same industry.

Direct peers

• Freeman: Freeman is a global leader in integrated brand experiences, providing event design, exhibit construction, and event logistics. It is directly comparable to GL events South Africa in serving corporate exhibitors with end-to-end stand and event infrastructure services across international markets.
• Scan Display: Scan Display is a leading South African exhibition, events, and display solutions company offering custom stands, modular systems, and event infrastructure. It is a direct domestic competitor in the same South African market, offering similar shell-scheme and custom build services.
• GES (Global Experience Specialists): GES is one of the world's largest exhibition and event services providers, offering custom exhibits, event management, and logistics globally. It directly competes with GL events South Africa in the exhibition stand design-and-build space and operates with comparable full-turnkey capabilities across multiple continents.
• MCI Group: MCI Group is a global association, event, and community management company providing association management and event services worldwide. It is comparable to GL events South Africa in delivering corporate events, conferences, and association-led exhibitions with similar B2B target customers.

Regional players

• Spintelligent (Hyve Group): Spintelligent is a Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser focused on African markets across mining, energy, and infrastructure verticals. It is a regional peer to GL events South Africa as a competing organiser of major industry-specific events in the same Southern African territory.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gl-events-south-africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gl Events South Africa (pty) Ltd