A 10-day mini expo ended on Monday in the Southern Province, with officials calling for innovation, hard work and quality service delivery for business to prosper.Over 100 exhibitors from Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and Pakistan, including about 20 technical and vocational schools, attended the exhibition which took place at the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC) in Huye District. Districts, cooperatives, agro-processing industries and private businesspeople  were also represented.It is the fifth time that such an exhibition was held in the province. The event, organised by the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in collaboration with IPRC-South, aimed at giving local businesses an opportunity to showcase what they have to offer and to learn from their peers.PlatformSpeaking at the closure of the mini-expo, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Emmanuel Hategeka, said exhibitions are a platform for businesses to market their products, share experiences, and cultivate partnerships with other businesses."This is an opportunity to open up and link with new markets,” Hategeka said.He urged businesses to invest in innovation and champion high-quality services to remain competitive.Other provinces are also set to host such events before the end of this year, according to officials.However, there was a significant drop in the numbers of visitors who turned out for the expo, according to statistics from organisers.It was expected that about 60,000 people would visit the expo but only about 20,000 attended, according to Francois Rutayisire, PSF chairperson in  the Southern Province.Rutayisire attributed the drop to heavy  rains."We are planning to host such fairs between June and July [each year] to avoid rains,” Rutayisire said.Best exhibitors recognisedMeanwhile, organisers recognised best exhibitors in various categories to encourage quality service delivery.The best exhibitors received trophies while runners-up were awarded medals.Officials said an evaluation exercise was carried out during the course of the fair, and the indicators included customer care, innovation and deco at individual stands.Kamonyi District emerged the best exhibitor followed by Nyaruguru in the category of services, while Kavumu VTC and Mpanda VTC were named the first and second, respectively, in the category of technical and vocational schools.Koimponya and Abatangana cooperatives won in the handcraft sector while Azela Iribagiza and Wellars Munyaneza were the best in the agriculture sector. In the industry category, Ubuzima Animals Processing Factory and Mukwano Company emerged the best, while the foreign exhibitor awards went to Pakistani-based Hey Dirty Der and Holly Fresh Ice.Alexis Mbonigaba and Hanyurwimfura won the awards in retail and distribution category, while Entreprise Urwibutso and IPRC South won in food and beverages category.