Meetings Africa is upon us and industry players planning to attend must have ticked the key side events during the conference.
Meetings Africa showcases Africa’s diverse offering of services and products where African associations and African meetings industry professionals can partner to help transform our continent.
Convention and visitor bureaus, African Tourism authorities and products, Trade associations, Destination management companies, Professional conference organizers among other ancillary service providers will be participating at the exhibition.
A number of Meetings, Incentives Conferences and Events (MICE) reports and findings continues to make case for the sector but the question still remains whether Africa is ready to take advantage of this multibillion industry?
In terms of jobs, the meetings and events industry create more direct jobs than large manufacturing sectors such as automotive, chemicals, and food.
According to the South African National Convention Bureau, South Africa hosts about one million delegates at business events every year, supporting over 250,000 jobs directly and indirectly in this sub-sector alone.
There are reports of an idea to form a coalition of African Convention bureaus to rotate events, build capacity for its people as well as attract mega events to the continent.
Mega business deals are expected to be closed as well as peer learning experience with South Africa leading the pack to carry fellow African countries along when it comes to the capabilities in the MICE Sector.
Over 20 African countries and ancillary organizations from the continent are represented at this year’s event.
Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe Mozambique Réunion Mauritius Botswana Kenya, The Kingdom of Eswatini, Malawi. Namibia and Mozambique are all participating at the exhibition.
Africa needs to take advantage of this huge sector to ensure that capacities are enhanced, New trends factored to reach its maximum potential. In recent years, the global meetings industry has begun to recognise Africa as a sought-after destination.
Highlights of the activities includes, Meetings of the ICCA Africa association
The 15th Meetings Africa will not just be another event shop but an avenue to galvanize the industry towards reaching its maximum potential for the