MARKET NEWS

Africa Business and MICE Masterclass birth action group for Africa meetings

Nearly half a dozen of Africa’s leading convention bureaux have committed to pushing for an action group whose aims are targeted at building a resilient and vibrant business event sector.

The idea, which was first conceived at the inaugural Africa Business Tourism and MICE Masterclass in 2018, has gathered momentum during the fourth edition and 2021 two day Africa Business and MICE hybrid Masterclass, hosted by South African Tourism and Gauteng Convention and Events Bureau on 24 and 25 March 2021.

Senior government officials from South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, Seychelles and Tanzania made a strong case for the collaborative group, which they believe will help coordinate, lobby and collectively pitch for events for the Africa region.

The Action Group is expected to identify and prioritise agenda points to guide the coalition’s activities and operations.

Among the tasks that the group will undertake is to conduct high-level research on existing coalitions and groupings, to identify the preferred format, constitution, roles and responsibilities for the Action Group.

Kwakye Donkor, chief executive officer of Africa Tourism Partners, who initiated the process, believes that this is the right time to consolidate the gains that the sector has chalked in the region. “If there is anything we can take away from the pandemic, it is collaboration, partnership and mobilising together to rotate events in the region and also attract mega and legacy events to the region. We can no longer work in silos and the MICE sector can be the bedrock to accelerated tourism recovery if well-coordinated.”

Sharing in-depth analysis and data following the dreadful effects of the Corona-virus on the sector at the Masterclass, speakers affirmed the need to incorporate hybrid as an intrinsic part of various MICE models across Africa.

Designed as the first hybrid Africa MICE Masterclass, since its inception in 2018, this year’s Masterclass assembled a limited number of pre-selected fifty in-person attendees and 250 virtual delegates from over twenty countries in Africa and the rest of the world. It was organised by Africa Tourism Partners in partnership with BDO and hosted by the South Africa National Convention Bureau and Gauteng Convention and Events Bureau.