Meetings Africa Daily News 23 February 2015

MEETINGS AFRICA DAILY NEWS 2015 | 1

Issue Number 1 23 February 2015

What to expect of Meetings Africa 2015

Meetings Africa 2015 opened on the morning of its tenth anniversary today with a jam-packed programme of events in the Business Opportunities Networking Day (BOND Day).

BOND Day offers meetings, workshops and seminars aimed at empowering delegates with information, skills and networking opportunities to boost profitability through engaging with peers and colleagues.

“Meetings Africa’s theme, Advancing Africa Together, informs the BOND Day programme,” says Thulani Nzima, Chief Executive Officer at South African Tourism that, through the South African National Convention Bureau, hosts Meetings Africa.

“BOND Day has been designed to give delegates every opportunity to widen their knowledge, boost their insights, and work together to grow this sector of the African economy. Already, business events has a lot of potential across Africa as our continent grows in stature as a business events host.”

BOND Day includes the annual association day, in collaboration with ICCA, the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leader Forum Africa and the Council of Event Professionals (CEP) Africa Summit.

Seven different workshops and events comprise today’s BOND Day programme. The schedule kicks off at 07:30 with the one-hour Event Greening Forum, an event for members only. It’s followed by the Event Greening Forum conference that’s open to all, but for which registration is required.

Association day, the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leader Forum Africa and the AIPC Africa Summit - all full day events - start at 09:00.

The Council of Event Professionals Africa, with EXSA, IFEA Africa, SAACI and SITE, opens its doors at 13:00. The ICCA Africa Chapter networking cocktail brings BOND Day to a close on level two of the Sandton Convention Centre. It’s a ‘by invitation only’ event.

The trade show floor opens tomorrow and Wednesday. Over those two days, Meetings Africa 2015 will play host to a live outside broadcast from the floor by Morning Live that starts at 06:00 and wraps up at 09:00. South Africa’s National Tourism Minister, Derek Hanekom, will officially open the show at 08:45 tomorrow and then take a walkabout the tradeshow floor to greet exhibitors and buyers and get a feel of the spirit of entrepreneurship in the industry.

At 11:00 tomorrow, Meetings Africa holds its Media Face Off. This is a media-only event that examines the business events industry in Africa and gives media delegates an opportunity to ask experts the tough questions about the sector, its challenges, successes and plans for growth.

Tuesday also sees a corporate B2B speed marketing event and a lunch for hosted buyers. Meetings Africa 2015’s second day will wrap up with the gala dinner that takes place in the ballroom of the Sandton Convention Centre.

On Wednesday, the last day of the show, Unique Speakers Bureau hosts the local corporate buyer event in the ballroom. This opens at 08:00 and closes with lunch at 13:00.

The green stand awards will be held at noon on Wednesday at the South Africa National Convention Bureau stand on the trade show floor.

“We wish every delegate a productive time here in Sandton this week,” Nzima says.

“Meetings Africa is engineered to offer the best business platform for this industry so that it can grow, prosper and deliver on its maximum potential for the African economy.”

For more information go to www.meetingsafrica.co.za and follow SA_NCB on Twitter.

South Africa National Convention Bureau

Twitter @SA_NCB #MeetingsAfrica15

Also read Meetings Africa Daily News on www.meetingsafrica.co.za

To download the Meetings Africa app go to www.meetingsafrica.co.za/app/

MEETINGS

AFRICA

“Already, business events has a lot of potential across Africa as our continent grows in stature as a business events host” - South African Tourism CEO Thulani Nzima.

2 | MEETINGS AFRICA DAILY NEWS 2015

Address:124 Main StreetCnr Main & Kruis StreetJohannesburgTel: +27 11 085 2500Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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By invitation only: African associations

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Association Day – in conjunction with ICCA

IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leader Forum Africa

AIPC Africa Summit

Event Greening Forum conference

CEP Africa – Advancing Africa together with EXSA, IFEA Africa, SAACI & SITE

ICCA Africa chapter – networking cocktail

The Meetings Africa Daily News, official newspaper of Meetings Africa, is published by Junxion Communications.

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The Sandton Convention Centre has over 22 000 m² of convention, exhibition and special event space. The Pavilion can seat 4 500 patrons. The Ballroom can seat 2 000 banquet guests and the 13 other meeting rooms can accommodate up to 350 delegates. The two exhibition levels have a combined floor space of 11 000 m².

This twelve-storey structure is designed and built to provide convention, exhibition and special event space over five main levels.

Meetings Africa daily news 2015 Today’s Programme

South Africa National Convention Bureau

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Also read Meetings Africa Daily News on www.meetingsafrica.co.za

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MEETINGS

AFRICA


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Competition, adaptation and relevance are three of the biggest factors driving today’s global meetings industry – and success in a highly competitive market will be largely defined by the extent to which destinations and facilities are able to respond to these. Fortunately there are already clear signs that many African products are rising to the challenge.

First, competing for business means being able to help clients respond to a wide spectrum of organisational objectives, ranging from accessing new market and membership opportunities to delivering a superior delegate experience. In representing both a rapidly emerging economic force with growing institutional and social expectations as well as a place with a wide range of unique and exciting destination attributes, many African destinations offer just such a mix.

In terms of adaptation, the speed of change in event formats and service requirements is creating a real premium for those that are able to keep up and even get ahead of growing client expectations. In that respect, there is an advantage to the fact that many of Africa’s convention centres are relatively new – and therefore able to reflect more of the latest in design, technology and service requirements than facilities in other parts of the world that may have been developed many years ago under far different conditions.

But it is in the area of relevance that Africa’s industry is showing some of its best strategic value. Today’s thinking is increasingly that a centre must not simply attract incremental visitor revenues but also contribute in a meaningful and measureable way to the overall economic policies and strategies of its host community.

Centres and their hosted events are well suited to this role – they routinely attract knowledge, professionalism, investment and attention in many key sectors – but this is not always recognized or seen as priorities for owners, many of whom are governments.

However, this kind of thinking is alive and well in Africa today – likely as a result of the fact that investment decisions are being made in the context of broader economic and social issues that demand a new kind of thinking not always taking place in other parts of the world where this industry has long just been taken for granted. The result is a higher level of appreciation and attention

being given to these broader roles in terms of how centres are developed, marketed and measured for performance. As an example, the fact that every African centre responding to a recent AIPC poll of international centre practices indicated that they measured and reported on economic impact generation (as opposed to a 65 percent global average) demonstrates the attention being given to these broader benefits.

That all this paying off is reflected in other results from that same survey - African centres reported the highest levels of revenue and attendance growth in the period 2011-2014 as compared with the global average. Also evident were some of the reasons for this, including greater increases in overall marketing investment and higher levels of new revenue generation and engagement in innovative business practices than many global competitors.

Finally, a region that understands and pursues the benefits of cooperation and exchange amongst industry members will always have an edge in an evolving market. The growing success of Meetings Africa as a forum for this kind of interaction over the past ten years illustrates the importance placed on this approach and the many benefits that can be expected as a result.

Today’s intense competition in the global meetings industry is demanding more strategic attention than ever – and by meeting this competition so effectively today, African centres and destinations are shaping a great future for themselves and their communities.

Rod Cameron is a strategic management consultant and association manager with an extensive practice in the international meetings industry. He currently serves as executive director of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), an organization consisting of 14 major international meetings industry associations, executive director of the Brussels-based International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC), whose members include 173 International convention centres in 54 countries worldwide and executive director of Convention Centres of Canada, which represents 21 of Canada’s major convention centres. He is also the faculty head for the AIPC Academy, a leading industry professional development programme held annually in Brussels.

Africa’s meetings industry - delivering value in a challenging marketRod Cameron


Convention Bureau

The Conference Company has been appointed as Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) of the 32nd triennial Conference of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), based in Geneva, Switzerland, which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 21 to 27 August 2016.

Nina Freysen-Pretorius, Chief Executive Officer of The Conference Company, says she and her team are very honoured by this appointment. “This is not only a major achievement for us, but as an all-women team we believe we are perfectly suited for the job. It is important for a PCO to not only deliver

a seamless event, but to understand the dynamics and the content thereof.”

She says The Conference Company, which has offices in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, has been researching the IFUW and its conference for over four years and eventually participated in the PCO election process that was managed by Wesgro, the destination marketing, investment and trade promotion agency for the Western Cape.

“This international conference will bring together opinion leaders and grassroots community leaders on the theme of education, looking at topical subjects ranging from current challenges

in education to new technologies, access to education and human rights education,” says IFUW President Catherine Bell.

The IFUW conference is expected to draw approximately 800 delegates from the federation’s affiliates in 62 countries and individual members in more than 40 others.

Founded in 1919, the IFUW is the leading girls’ and women’s global organisation advocating for women’s rights, equality and empowerment through access to quality education and training up to the highest levels. The federation is in special consultative status with the United

Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is maintaining official relations with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The Conference Company specialises in the association market. Major conferences managed by the company include the COP17 climate change conference held in Durban in 2011, the International Confederation of Midwives in the same year and the Zambian leg of the UN World Tourism Organisation’s world congress at the Victoria Falls in 2013.

Members of the business events industry have until 1 March 2015 to enter the IMEX-GMIC Green Awards.

The awards, run jointly with the Green Meeting Industry Council, have been developed to recognise organisations within the meetings and incentive travel industry that are making an effort to minimise their environmental and social impacts.

The four awards categories are Commitment to the Community, Green Meeting Award Small (less than 200 delegates), Green Meeting Award Large (200 or more delegates) and Green Supplier.

The awards will be presented at the IMEX gala dinner that takes place during IMEX in Frankfurt.

IMEX 2015 takes place from 19 to 21 May.

For more information visit www.imex-frankfurt.com.

international Federation of university Women conference for Cape Town

One week left to enter iMeX-GMiC Green Awards

Left to right: Natalie Kensley, The Conference Company, Hélène Queyrane, IFUW Programme Officer, Aneshree Pillay, The Conference Company, Catherine Bell, IFUW President , Lorraine Mangwiro, IFUW Administrative Assistant, Danièle Castle, IFUW Executive Director, Nina Freysen-Pretorius, The Conference Company.


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Together with Meetings Africa 2015, Maropeng, the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind and the Sterkfontein Caves, celebrates ten years of existence this year.

The Cradle of Humankind is one of eight World Heritage Sites in South Africa, and the only one in Gauteng. It is widely recognised as the place from which all of humankind originated. Our ancestors have lived in this area for more than 3-million years.

Maropeng is one of those rare venues that offer the whole package right on your doorstep. It is only a 45-minute drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria and, besides being the official visitors centre for the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site, it is also a certified Fair Trade Tourism and Proudly South African registered venue.

Maropeng is ideally suited to those wanting the comfort of luxury 4-star accommodation, excellent conferencing facilities, unique, fun and informative team-building or education activities to fit all pockets and individual requirements.

The venue’s numerous awards, such as the National Lilizela Tourism awards, which recognised Maropeng as the top tourism and business destination and even TripAdvisor’s Bravo Badge and Certificate of Excellence, speak for themselves. It also holds a gold certificate of membership from the Heritage Environmental Management Company as proof of the centre’s commitment to sustainable business practices.

The world-renowned Sterkfontein Caves are also part of the Maropeng experience. It is within these caves that scientists have discovered literally thousands of hominid and animal fossils, dating back more than 4-million years.

Maropeng truly has something for everyone. For more information or bookings call 014 577 9000 or visit www.maropeng.co.za.

Maropeng has exhibited at Meetings Africa since its inception ten years ago – congratulations from one decader to another.

February has not only been a very hot month in South Africa as far as temperatures are concerned – we have had an extremely warm summer— but it has been an even warmer one for me, or rather “hot”, due to a considerable amount of travelling.

I took the opportunity to visit the ICCA Head office in Amsterdam in anticipation of the ICCA Board of Directors strategy meeting at the end of February. My approach is to ensure I have a solid understanding of what makes ICCA work for all our members both in the spotlight and behind the scenes.

A very positive aspect of travelling is the opportunity for me is to have control over the TV remote, for a change. We have two television sets at home, but with two boys and a husband and being the only girl in the house, there is just no way for me to watch a programme of my own choosing! So now that I have control of the TV remote, I have been keeping a lot more up to date with current affairs and world news.

Switching channels between BBC World, CNN and Al Jazeera made me feel rather desperate about what is happening in the world around us today. The ongoing news on terrorist attacks, refugees fleeing war-torn countries, internet hacking and natural disasters make you question the quality of life.

However, regardless of all the mishaps and terror we are faced with, the world still has so many beautiful people who do wonderful things and we often forget to celebrate just that.

I strongly believe that we need to be realistic in our expectations since we are all looking and aspiring for change. However, we also need to make sure that the change we seek is for the right reasons and well thought through. One of our main objectives should be to continue to live up to our vision that the value of association meetings goes far beyond the tourism expenditure of the delegates, and

includes knowledge dissemination and transfer, economic development and inward investment, the overcoming of ignorance and prejudice, and meaningful job creation.

Visit www.iccaworld.com.

10/10 - from Meetings Africa 2015 to Maropeng

Meetings Africa 2015 - aspiring for changeNina Freysen-Pretorius ICCA President


Last year South Africa celebrated 20 years of freedom and with it the overall successes and strides the business events industry has made during the same period.

“Our industry’s track record over the last 20 years shows that we mean business,” says Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, Chief Convention Bureau Officer of the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB). “We have a string of awards and accolades to reaffirm our position as a top business event destination. This was confirmed last year when the International Congress and Convention Association released its 2013 rankings report, which showed that South Africa had gained three places on the global rankings, placing it at number 34, officially making it the number one convention destination in Africa and the Middle East.”

Two of the country’s cities – Durban and Cape Town – are placed in the Top 100 cities in the world for association meetings.

“It is obvious that South Africa’s business events

credentials are no longer in question. Yet, this is not the time to rest on our laurels. If anything, there is still much more work to be done especially if we want to maintain our country’s position as the undisputed business events host on the continent and grow our standing on the global stage.

“Meetings Africa has grown significantly since its inception in 2005. It has become the preferred meeting place for the industry, offering exhibitors from across Africa the single best platform to meet quality buyers from around the world, all under one roof.

“This achievement cannot be based on single entity. Rather, it is the result of the hard work and collaboration of all industry players. It is also the result of the many meetings, conferences, incentives and exhibitions of various scales, being staged in South Africa each year.

“Meetings Africa remains your partner in working together to help make this a reality,” says Kotze-Nhlapo.

As Meetings Africa celebrates its tenth anniversary this week, loyal exhibitors reflect on the role the exhibition has played in developing and growing South Africa’s business events sector.

Since it was first held at the Sandton Convention Centre in 2005, Meetings Africa has grown from a small show into the continent’s premier and best represented business events exhibition.

Exhibitors include convention bureaus, convention centres, destination management companies, professional conference organisers, local tourism authorities, transport and accommodation providers as well as trade associations from across the African continent.

“Meetings Africa is the most important platform for South African convention bureaus to meet with local, regional and international business event planners and decision makers,” says James Seymour, Chief Executive Officer of the Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau.

For Robyn D’Allesandro, National Marketing Manager for the Gearhouse Group of Companies, a leading supplier to the live event industry, Meetings Africa has proved an invaluable platform for building relationships.

“Our participation at Meetings Africa continues to be one of the most effective ways for us to directly access key business tourism role players by providing a platform to connect with end clients, intermediaries and fellow exhibitors alike on both a business and social level,“ says D’Allesandro.

Neil Fraser, Sales Director at hotel group Tsogo Sun echoes these sentiments: “Many mutually beneficial and lasting relationships have been developed over the past ten years.”

Exhibitors, many of whom have participated in the show since its inception, remain committed to being a part of the show.

“The CSIR ICC is certainly committed to exhibiting at Meetings Africa in the future as the quality of the hosted buyers and international media visiting the show is improving each year. We see Meetings Africa developing into a very large scale, well respected event on the international exhibitions calendar,” says Bronwen Cadle De Ponte, General Manager of the CSIR International Convention Centre.

Meetings Africa has been instrumental in driving South Africa’s global competitiveness as a business events destination.

“Positive indicators such as the fact that South Africa is moving up on the ICCA ranking certainly

owe some credit to Meetings Africa as this platform provides a much higher level of business-to-business interaction than the meetings industry enjoyed previously when South Africa did not have its own business events exhibition,” notes De Ponte.

Last year South Africa was ranked 34th in the global International Congress and Convention Association’s global rankings.

Since the first Meetings Africa in 2005, South Africa has seen significant investment in its business events infrastructure including the opening and expansion of a number of convention centres.

It has also seen the establishment in 2012 of the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB), a business unit of South African Tourism, to coordinate the country’s efforts in attracting more business events to South Africa.

“The SANCB has ensured an ever increasing number of prequalified local and international buyers attend the show. In recent years, it is especially encouraging to see the number of new buyers who had never attended Meetings Africa before,” says Fraser.

Seymour agrees. “We have noted dramatic growth in terms of the number of business event decision makers that are attending this show. Our appointments at this event have grown by more than 30 percent since 2012.”

In 2014, the Meetings Africa matchmaking system resulted in 10 169 meetings between 819 attendees, averaging 10 meetings per participant.

Meetings Africa has also proved important for building a shared vision for the sector.

“Not only is this event a very useful business development opportunity for us, but over the years it has fostered a strong unity and pride amongst all our local participants in what the country has to offer to the global business events market,” says D’Allessandro.

Thulani Nzima, Chief Executive Office of South African Tourism says that this spirit of unity and sense of solidarity as an industry is what will continue to ensure the exhibition and the industry’s success.

“Whether it’s bidding for events, marketing the destination or coming together at Meetings Africa to offer the world the very best the continent has to offer under one roof, the South African business events industry has proved that it has the will and the determination to continue to drive and build the destination’s global competitiveness,” says Nzima.

did you know tips� You can Bookmark the sessions you want to

attend and add them to your own agenda for Meetings Africa

� You can download the App from the Android’s playstore or Apple App store, search for Meetings Africa

� You can follow other attendees and interact with them in the App

� You can rate and review the exhibitors through the App

� You can interact with the exhibitors directly on their profile’s activity feed

� You can upload your photos which will appear on your timeline and the activity feed

� You can submit your question(s) to the sessions speakers through the App

� You can view the Event App overview video the by clicking on this link http://bit.ly/1zbQJTo

� You stand a chance to win a prize for the being selected the most socially engaging user of the Meetings Africa App. Terms and conditions apply.

At Meetings Africa we mean business

Long term exhibitors congratulate Meetings Africa on f irst decade

Tips for using the Meetings Africa App

“The CSIR International Convention Centre is certainly committed to exhibiting at Meetings Africa” - Bronwen Cadle De Ponte, General Manager of the CSIR International Convention Centre.

“Our appointments at this event have grown by more than 30 percent since 2012” - James Seymour, Chief Executive Officer of the Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau.

“Our industry’s track record over the last 20 years shows that we mean business,” - Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, Chief Convention Bureau Officer of the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB).

The Meetings Africa App is based on a world class mobile event platform.


Meetings Africa 2015 hotels are pulling all stops to ensure that this year’s exhibition is the greenest to date.

The Park Inn and Radisson are both accredited with Green Leaf, a local environmental certification programme.

The Maslow, Park Inn and Radisson all have comprehensive recycling systems in place and around 45 percent of waste is diverted.

The Park Inn and Radisson have 100 percent LED lights, while the Maslow has around 85 percent and continues to convert other lights through its on-going maintenance programme. The hotels also have key cards linked to their lights to avoid wastage in rooms.

The Radisson and Maslow both have systems in place where amenities left by guests are repurposed for the needy.

The Park Inn and Maslow both have herb gardens that the chef uses for cooking. This has become quite an attraction and talking point at the Maslow - if you staying there you will find it just outside the gym and spa.

The Park Inn is in the process of replacing all its plants with water wise and indigenous plants to help reduce water consumption.

The Maslow, Park Inn and Radisson all have onsite water filtration and bottling systems that provide bottled water to guests in the hotel and conference venue.

Most of the hotels can provide a paperless booking

system on request, so consider going digital when checking in or out.

The Park Inn and Radisson have continuous training for their staff on responsible business practices, including aspects such as energy efficiency and water conservation. As a reminder to staff, environmental messages and policies are made available in the back of house area.

Conference venues mostly use digital signage, while the Park Inn and Radisson provide a green package where the entire event can be carbon neutral.

There seems to be a shift towards more digital marketing collateral in all the hotels, specifically with regards to the international market.

Grace Stead, responsible for greening Meetings Africa 2015 says that all three these hotels are actively trying to reduce their resource consumption and carbon emissions.

“Their staff was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but guests also need to do their bit. So, if you are staying in a local hotel during Meetings Africa 2015 please consider if you really need to have that towel washed and remember to switch off the lights and air-conditioning when you leave the room.”

This is the first year that Meetings Africa will be giving an award to the greenest hotel being used by the organisers for hosted buyer accommodation. The award will be handed over on Wednesday, 25 February at 12:00 at the National Convention Bureau stand.

The Park Inn has seen a saving of R30 000 per month due to the replacement of lights with LEDs, while it saves up to R60 000 per month due to the replacement of boilers with heat exchangers.

The Radisson Blue has a system in place that allows guests to request their carbon footprint for their stay based on room occupancy, resource consumption and the number of times that towels or bedding needed to be changed.

It also has a dedicated Think Planet campaign and website for their hotels around the world to encourage a more sustainable business approach. This provides various case studies, practical tips and an opportunity for innovative feedback – see http://www.thinkplanet.rezidor.com/

Sun International’s The Table Bay at the iconic Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town has received a prestigious 2015 Traveller’s Choice Award.

This honour is awarded to the top one percent of all hotels on TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website.

The accolade, which acknowledges hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor. The Table Bay is ranked 12th in the top 25 hotels in South Africa, representing the upper echelon of local hotels on the TripAdvisor website.

When selecting Traveller’s Choice Award winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm that takes into account reviews ratings. Additional criteria include a business’ tenure and popularity ranking on the site.

“Receiving this award is a significant source of pride for The Table Bay, especially since the award is based on feedback from our guests. There is certainly no greater stamp of approval than a vote of confidence from a customer. We would like to thank all of our customers who took the time to complete reviews on TripAdvisor,” says Sherwin Banda, the hotel’s General Manager.

The Table Bay – part of Sun International’s premium SunLux Collection of hotels – was opened by former South African president, Nelson Mandela, in 1997.

With Cape Town’s working harbour, Table Mountain and the Atlantic ocean providing its backdrop, the hotel has 329 opulent rooms with panoramic views of the ocean or waterfront, a world-class spa, five beautiful function venues and a spectacular pool-deck.

Traveller’s Choice Award for The Table Bay

Meetings Africa hotels going green

The Maslow’s herb garden taking shape.

Green Tip # 1 Embrace eco-procurement Buy locally-produced materials for your stand.

Green Tip # 2 Reduce your waste to landfill by aiming to reduce, re-use and recycle as many products or materials from your stand as you can.

Green Tip # 3 Reduce your use of energy by choosing energy-efficient technology for your stand, such as LED lighting or energy-efficient plasma screens. Also consider switching off your power to the stand at night.

Green Tip # 4 Use public transport to get around, where possible. Encourage your staff to use the Gautrain, buses or a car pool when travelling to and from the show each day.

Green tips from the Event Greening ForumHelp us to ensure that Meetings Africa remains the greenest show in South Africa.

A SPACE TO SHAPE IDEAS

Welcome to Africa’s preferred multi-purpose venue, the Sandton Convention Centre.

Our state-of-the-art venue provides a platform for people to share new ideas, inspire

progressive thinking and project innovative solutions regarding local and global issues.

If you’re looking for a proven leader in the event industry, give us a call on +27 11 779 0000.

sandtonconventioncentre.com

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Meetings Africa Daily News 23 February 2015