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The Nairobi International Trade Fair 2026 runs for seven days, from 28 September to 4 October, at Jamhuri Park Showground. The Agricultural Society of Kenya organises it, and Capital FM reported more than 500 exhibitors for this year's edition. For a seed company, an input supplier or a farm equipment dealer, a week on the showground is a serious investment in staff time. This guide helps you plan the accommodation side so your team can concentrate on demonstrations, buyer conversations and market linkages.
Check availability & book direct · Nairobi International Trade Fair stays at Karen Plains Hotel
Decide who needs to be there, and for how long
Few exhibitors need everyone for all seven days. Map roles to dates first, then book rooms around them.
| Role | Typical presence | Nights to think about |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-build crew | Before opening | The build-up window set by the organiser |
| Core stand team and field sales | All seven fair days | From the night before 28 September to 4 October or later |
| Agronomists and technical specialists | Demonstration days | Two or three nights around their slots |
| Directors and regional managers | Key buyer days | One or two nights |
| Breakdown crew | After closing | At least one night after 4 October |
Book each person for their own dates in our booking engine. Nothing is pre-set to the fair, which makes it easy to cover build-up and breakdown nights.
Seven days or a shorter visit?
A full-week presence gives you more time with visitors and room for repeat conversations with buyers who return. It also means seven days of meals, laundry and transport. A shorter visit keeps costs down but can miss the people who only attend on particular days. One practical approach is a small core team for the whole week, with specialists rotating in. If that is your plan, a flexible base matters more than ever.
Your pre-fair checklist
- Stand and passes: confirm your stand allocation, build-up times and any exhibitor passes directly with ASK. Hotels can't arrange show access.
- Equipment and samples: send machinery, seed and input samples through your own logistics provider to the showground. We can store guests' personal luggage only.
- Literature: print price lists, product sheets and order forms in enough quantity for a week.
- Lead capture: agree how the team will log enquiries each day, so field sales can follow up after the fair.
- Rooms: book early for the build-up crew, whose dates are the least flexible.
- Arrivals: arrange airport transfers. Ours are priced per vehicle, one way: JKIA sedan US$55 (up to 3), JKIA 4×4 Land Cruiser US$95 (up to 6), Wilson sedan US$45, Wilson 4×4 US$85.
The daily rhythm from Karen
Jamhuri Park Showground is off Ngong Road, on the western side of the city. Ngong Road is the main road between Karen and the city, so the showground sits on the same side of Nairobi as Karen. That helps, but you should still plan for show traffic.
- Early start: breakfast runs from 7:00 to 10:30. For crews who need to be on the stand before that, ask for a packed breakfast.
- Getting there: journey times vary with Nairobi traffic, so check a live traffic app each morning. We can arrange team transport, quoted on request, and company cars can use our free on-site parking.
- Evening: dinner at the hotel, then time at a desk. Every room has one, and our Starlink Wi-Fi handles quotations, order confirmations and photos of the day's enquiries. A generator covers guest rooms and Wi-Fi during power cuts.
Want us to line up rooms and daily transport together? Quote our trade-fair team's rooms and transport on WhatsApp. The message has prompts for dates and room numbers that you can edit.
Keeping a stand team going for a week
By day four, energy drops. A few arrangements keep the team presentable and well fed.
- Meals: lunch and dinner at the hotel can be added for US$40 per day for both meals. Our kitchen is built around Kenyan, Swahili and traditional African cooking, which makes for a proper meal after a long day outdoors.
- Laundry: wash, dry and fold for US$20 per bag. Branded shirts can be refreshed mid-week rather than packed in multiples.
- One team dinner: plan it for the middle of the week. It is a good moment to review leads and adjust the stand plan.
- Rooms that suit the job: the Deluxe Room has a king bed and a proper workspace; the King Room with Balcony adds a private balcony. For value, consider the Standard Room without Balcony.
After 4 October: breakdown and follow-up
The fair's value often shows up in the week after. If your field sales team plans follow-up visits to buyers, distributors or cooperatives, keeping one or two people in Nairobi can pay off.
- Book at least one night after closing for the breakdown crew.
- For longer follow-up, our One Bedroom Apartment has a separate living area and kitchen facilities. See our long-stay page for more.
- Our concierge can help with Nairobi navigation and personal shopping, arranged on request with costs quoted.
- Before flying home, a Nairobi National Park half-day tour is a fitting reward for the team. Sightings are never guaranteed.
Plan your stay with us
Come for the fair. Let us help with the rest. Book rooms directly for each team member's dates, including build-up and breakdown nights, and tell us about arrivals, meals and daily transport.
Check availability & book direct
Ask your KPH concierge on WhatsApp · Stay in Karen for the Nairobi International Trade Fair 2026
Live rates and availability are shown in our booking engine. Extras such as transfers, meals, tours and spa visits are quoted and confirmed separately.
Event details checked on ask.co.ke and Capital FM in September 2026. Please confirm the programme with the organiser. Karen Plains Hotel is independent and not affiliated with the Agricultural Society of Kenya.
