Africa-Press – South-Africa. Business as usual” is over in South Africa’s events industry – it’s time to get serious about transformation and to give more small businesses more access to this multibillion-rand sector, Sthembiso Dlamini, CEO of Gauteng Tourism and a former acting CEO of SA Tourism, said on Friday.
Speaking at the media launch of Meetings Africa 2023 in Sandton, Dlamini bemoaned the hurdles new entrants to the events industry face, and called for more diversity in the sector.
“How many conference organisers are black?” Dlamini asked, adding that an incubation programme was in the works to equip more people to enter the events industry.
“How do we find a balanced ratio between anchor [exhibitors] and new entrants?”
Meetings Africa is an annual gathering of the continent’s stakeholders in the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) sector. This year, its 17th in existence, it will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 27 February to 1 March.
The aim is to enable more businesses that cannot necessarily afford to build and set up a stand to take part and have meetings with buyers. This will be done with special package deals.
A helping hand
“The events industry is a multibillion-rand sector,” Dlamini noted, stressing Gauteng’s importance as an economic hub – and that the province is home to the overwhelming majority of large corporate head offices in South Africa.
To date, 275 buyers representing 45 countries have been approved to participate in Meetings Africa out of 450 applications. A total of 305 exhibitors representing 15 African countries are currently registered to showcase their wares.
Zinhle Nzama, acting chief officer of the SA National Convention Bureau (SANCB), said this year’s Meetings Africa would be “more African”.
In the view of SA Tourism acting CEO Themba Khumalo, the summit is critical for Africa to ensure that its conferencing facilities are on par with the rest of the world.
“The refreshed brand for Meetings Africa supports the need for providing authentic experience when we deliver our events in the future,” added Glenton de Kock, CEO of the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI).
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