For Desiré Stevens, the Erongo Business and Tourism Expo is more than an annual event. It is a connection to her late father, Eddie Edward Stevens, and the dream she now carries forward.
“It’s personal — it’s about continuing my father’s dream. Every year, I feel his presence in what we do.”
That dream began in Swakopmund in 2006, with just 15 exhibitors and a father’s belief that local businesses deserved a platform to be seen.
His ambition was straightforward: encourage Namibians to support Namibians, help small businesses gain exposure and create opportunities for entrepreneurs to connect with established companies.
It was a family effort, supported by friends, community members and local businesses. When then Walvis Bay mayor Derek Klazen encouraged Eddie to move the expo to the harbour town, the event found a new home and room to grow.
Growing up with the expo
Desiré’s own journey has followed the expo’s development. Once helping behind the scenes, she now leads the organising team.
“It’s been a journey of learning, leadership, and passion,” she says.
Today, the event attracts more than 160 exhibitors and thousands of visitors annually. Past participants have included embassies from Indonesia, Japan and Kenya, while the exhibition’s scope has expanded to encompass tourism, culture, education, energy and innovation.
But it is the smaller business stories that remind her why her father started it.
Over the years, she has watched entrepreneurs grow from one-person stalls into established companies, with some progressing to national expos and international fairs.
“Those success stories remind us why this platform is so vital — it’s about giving small players a big voice.”
Community participation remains part of that purpose, through school visits, performances and interactive games that collect food donations for people in need.
Keeping his vision alive
When Eddie died in 2022, continuing the expo took on a deeply personal meaning for his daughter. The event became both a responsibility and a tribute, sustained by an organising committee, volunteers, service providers and longstanding partners.
There are challenges. Funding and logistics remain constant demands, and planning for the next expo begins almost immediately after the previous one ends.
Still, Desiré’s motivation comes back to the people who benefit from the platform her father created.
“Seeing how the expo changes lives and uplifts communities is what keeps me going.”
In 2026, a renewed partnership between the two entities resulted in Namport becoming the main and naming sponsor of this major regional platform, now known as the Namport Erongo Business & Tourism Expo. Under Desiré Stevens’ leadership, the expo now caters to the whole of Namibia and beyond our borders.
She hopes future organisers and entrepreneurs will continue building on that foundation: supporting small businesses, creating opportunities and bringing people together.
What the expo means to her personally is simple: