Business events are usually judged by the number of delegates they attract, the meetings they generate and the business done in the room.
For a tourism trade forum, the host destination can become part of the event itself.
Essence of Africa, curated by On Show Solutions and ATTA®, brings international buyers together with African tourism businesses for pre-scheduled meetings, while also giving buyers time in the destination. They meet the people selling the product, then see the hotels, experiences and local businesses they may later put into itineraries.
The forum launched in Nairobi in December 2024, attracting 130 buyers and 125 exhibitors from 37 countries. Buyers took part in site visits and local experiences alongside their scheduled appointments, giving them a better understanding of what they might later recommend to clients.
That experience influenced the planning of the second edition.
For 2025, Essence of Africa moved to Malindi, one of Kenya’s longest-established coastal tourism destinations and a place outside the region’s usual conference circuit.
“When buyers experience a place for themselves, meet the people behind the tourism businesses and see what makes it unique, they’re far more likely to include it in future itineraries,” says Amanda Margison, co-founder of Essence of Africa.
In Malindi, local hotels, operators and tourism businesses had direct access to buyers who decide which destinations and products make it into itineraries. Those buyers also spent time in the town rather than encountering it through sales meetings alone.
Hosting the forum brought a different kind of impact.
Diamonds Malindi, a collection of hotels refurbished and rebranded under the Diamonds name, spent months preparing for the event. Additional staff were brought in and teams received specialist training.
The property had already achieved Travelife Gold Certification, with its environmental, social and operational practices assessed against internationally recognised standards. Its approach to local sourcing, staff development and community participation fitted with what the organisers wanted the event to achieve in the destination.
“Hosting an event like this meant additional training and preparation, but those skills stay with our team,” says Julia Ashby, the group’s Chief Commercial Officer. “They strengthen the resort and create opportunities long after the event has finished.”
The hotel’s supply chain also meant some of the extra demand created by the forum reached businesses outside the property.
Operations Manager Timothy Nyamutege Mroka joined Diamonds Malindi as a waiter in 1997 and now leads the property. Produce and seafood are sourced from nearby farmers and fishermen, while gardens and a farm contribute to the food served to guests.
“Tourism must support the people who make the destination what it is,” says Mroka. “That’s not just good ethics, it’s smart business.”
“Most of what our guests eat comes from within 100 kilometres,” adds Ashby. “We have gardens, a farm and buy from local producers so more people can participate in tourism.”
Regular artisan and community markets give guests the chance to buy directly from local makers and small businesses.
For buyers, this gave them a closer look at the economy behind the visitor experience. They could see who supplies the hotels and which local businesses are connected to tourism in the destination.
Malindi is not one of the region’s main conference hubs. Holding Essence of Africa there brought international buyers into a place many of them might not otherwise have visited for business. It also brought demand for staff, suppliers and services into the destination while the event was taking place.
The location therefore influenced both what buyers saw and where some of the event spend went.
The wider role of tourism also featured in the programme. The Long Run, a global sustainable-tourism network, introduced delegates to its 4Cs framework: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce.
For Joy Mbatau of The Long Run, the session showed that some tourism businesses are doing work they do not always know how to communicate to customers and trade partners.
“One audience member shared that they had not really considered communicating their impact because they were unsure what to share and what to leave out,” says Mbatau. “Thanks to the session, they left with a fresh perspective on why and how to do so.”
“The business meetings will always be at the heart of Essence of Africa,” says Margison, “but taking the event into different destinations gives us an opportunity to create value beyond those meetings. Our buyers get to experience the destination first-hand, while local tourism businesses gain international exposure.”
Essence of Africa returns in October 2026 at Diamonds Bijoux in Zanzibar. The property opened in February 2026 and is currently awaiting Travelife certification.
For Margison, continuing the partnership with Diamonds gives the organisers confidence that the next edition can build on the same approach.
“We know we’re working with a partner that understands what we’re trying to achieve,” she says. “For us, success is not only about what happens in the meetings. It’s also about what the destination and the businesses around it gain from having Essence of Africa there. That’s something we know we can keep building on in Zanzibar.”More info: https://essenceofafrica.travel/
