Meetings Africa 2014 at Johannesburg’s Sandton Centre attracted record attendance numbers, with 262 exhibitors and 839 ‘visitor delegates’, according to organisers South Africa Tourism.
This year 169 hosted buyers came from abroad and 10,169 meetings were arranged through the show’s electronic diary system, 2,000 more than in 2013.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Tokozile Xasa, opened the show and said: “Meetings Africa has established itself as the most valuable and exciting business events tradeshow on the continent.”
According to Xasa: “Business events do more than just contribute to the economy. They create a platform to develop the country’s intellectual capital and showcase sectors where South Africa demonstrates global leadership that money cannot buy. The FIFA World Cup, in 2010, brought 300,000 visitors to South Africa during the tournament, and proved an excellent catalyst for improvements in infrastructure”.
The theme for Meetings Africa 2014 was ‘Advancing Africa Together’ and African exhibitors, buyers and media came from 15 countries on the continent.
South Africa has only just begun to unlock the potential of the sector and is targetting 50 per cent growth in its business events sector by 2020.
But is the country’s MICE industry working together?
Thebe/Reed Travel Exhibitions and the Cape Town Authorities and ICC have launched IBTM Africa, ILTM Africa and WTM Africa in May as part of an Africa Travel Week. Thebe/RTE’s registered visitors to Meetings Africa were reportedly turned away at the Sandton show door and permission to exhibit was refused.
“South African Tourism welcomes competitor tradeshows but we will protect our exhibitors and buyers as well as our own investment in Meetings Africa and INDABA,” said South African Tourism CEO, Mr Thulani Nzima, defending the move.
“It was clear that the Thebe/Reed Exhibition delegation intended using its visitor status to recruit Meetings Africa exhibitors and buyers. The delegation comprised salespeople in the main. A decision was taken to not give them access to the trade floor as this would have been disruptive to the business of Meetings Africa.
“We were also protecting our investment in what is Africa’s biggest and best represented business event tradeshow,” said Nzima.
Sugen Pillay, Thebe Reed Exhibitions Business Development Director, said it was the first time the company has been turned away by a government institution.
“As a government agency you need to be impartial and support the private sector,” said Pillay.
South African Tourism acquired Meetings Africa in 2005 and CMW understands RTE has had at least one attempt to buy the show rebuffed.
The country’s MICE industry has come a long way since 1994, the first year of the new South African democracy, when the country hosted only 12 international association conferences that met the International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) ranking criteria. By 2012, the country had grown that number to 97 ICCA-recognised meetings which injected an estimated R663m (US$62.1m) into the economy.
Major events hosted in South Africa over the past two decades include:
- The International Aids Conference in 2000, which South Africa has won the right to host for a second time in 2016 (Durban) when an estimated 20,000 delegates are expected to attend
- The World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg) in 2002
- The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) conference in 2006 (Cape Town)In 2011, the UN Framework Climate Change Conference, COP 17 (Durban)
From having no international convention centres in 1994, South Africa now boasts one in almost every province.
The first to open was the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (Durban) in 1997, followed by the Sandton Convention Centre (2000) and the Cape Town International Convention Centre (2003).
In the last couple of years, the Eastern Cape has added two ICCs to the tally: the East London International Convention Centre (2010) and last year, the Boardwalk ICC in Port Elizabeth.
This was first published in issue 75 of CMW. Any comments? Email Zoe Vernor
