Hi all,

From the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, there has been an increase in street and open market activities; selling of lags, t-shirts and other items made of national colours of participating Countries. Although there are designated areas for these informal activities, people are often spotted at high pedestrian traffic areas and at traffic lights (called robots in South Africa) selling flags and the famous vuvuzela (plastic trumpet). Hey, I bought my vuvuzela from one of the designated trading areas in Cape Town. The 2010 FIFA World Cup has indeed stimulated informal trading in South Africa, especially the host cities.

I'll back with more on Markets in Africa.

Hello Folks,

See this fascinating conference opportunity and link below:

CALL FOR PAPERS
2011 World Marketing Congress Reims, Champagne, France July 19-23, 2011 Submission Deadline: October 1, 2010
Conference Theme – The Customer is NOT Always Right? Marketing Orientations in a Dynamic Business World
Conference Program Co-Chairs: Barry J. Babin, Louisiana Tech University, USA Adilson Borges, Reims Management School, France

Hello Friends!

I was at UCLA for the street vendor conference and it was great!

I met Joaquin Contreras who will be joining us as a blogger.

Edward Naa Dakora, from South Africa, will be doing the same!

Thanks to them both.

For your information I have a new article on zoning for urban agriculture - see the journal Zoning Practice. My very large review of marketplaces in the U.S. will appear in the Journal of Planning Literature sometime in the next six months or so....

More about that later!

best to you all!