Why the summit is at KICC, and why the expo is in a tent

The Kenya-China Tea Summit runs at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Harambee Avenue, in the middle of Nairobi's central business district.

The building

KICC sits within walking distance of the government quarter, the main hotel cluster and Uhuru Park. For a delegation arriving from outside Kenya that matters more than it sounds: a venue at the edge of a city turns every between-session conversation into a taxi journey, and the conversations between sessions are most of what a trade summit is for.

The conference programme on Days 1 and 2 runs inside the building.

The tent

The International Tea & Technology Expo on Day 3 runs in a tent on the KICC grounds rather than inside. 146 numbered stands across two halls, in a 30m × 80m tent, with aisles of 3.0m and 2.0m.

This is worth stating plainly because an exhibitor who arrives expecting an indoor hall has a real problem on build day.

What a tented hall means if you are exhibiting

A tent gives a single uninterrupted floor with no columns, which produces better sightlines than most permanent halls. Sizes, rates and package inclusions are still being set, and the layout may change before stands go on sale.

Practical points to plan around once the exhibitor pack is published: power distribution and lighting are specified per stand rather than assumed; flooring is laid rather than existing; and build and breakdown windows are tighter than in a permanent venue because the structure itself has a schedule.

Booking

Register as an exhibitor and the Secretariat makes contact when rates are set and booking opens. Stands are then selected from an interactive plan in the exhibitor portal and held while the Secretariat confirms.

See stands and rates and the venue.