EDITOR’S COMMENT

Hear, hear! — to an ‘eventful’ 2022

The year has already been rather ‘eventful’ – pardon the pun – and all I can say is, may it continue!

At times, I reflect on when we were in the midst of the worst of the pandemic and wonder, what was it that kept us all going?

Personally, it was the people within the industry who became friends during this challenging time. The check-in calls and messages every now and then, the continuous association and organisation webinars, Zoom and Teams meetings — just keeping in touch.

Business Events Africa played a major role in keeping the industry informed during these times and was constantly seeking positive stories throughout the industry to share with our readers. To be honest, this is what kept me sane during these unprecedented times. Now, even more so, Business Events Africa is here to assist the industry with sharing its news with our readers, both locally and internationally.

This week I was speaking to an industry colleague, who shared a story of the time she spent in hospital with Covid (when it was at its worst) and how desperate the environment was, with people passing away in the ward, but what she found was that the spirit of human kindness and compassion was always evident, even in what could only be described as a war zone.

So where do we go from here?

In my opinion, good always prevails.

The floods in KwaZulu-Natal have been devastating, but again, what shines through is the way in which people come forward to assist each other during the worst of times.

I am so happy that Africa’s Travel Indaba returns this year to Durban. This event will bring KwaZulu-Natal much needed economic benefits.

This is what the business events sector is all about: it is about connecting people throughout all spheres of different industries, through these meetings, exhibitions, events and incentives. During these business events, new relationships are formed, knowledge is shared, ideas created, communities are uplifted due to legacy programmes, and the economic benefits are immense.

Another role I see our sector playing, is encouraging people to overcome the fear that resulted from Covid-19, by getting them to meet again, face-to-face. This mindset of fear is a tough one and is evident in our societies. It will take a while for people to overcome this. Our industry can certainly be the conduit for changing perceptions, by following health and safety protocols to ensure people that they are in a safe environment.

The hybrid model is here to stay, which means that people are able to either attend or travel to business events as they wish, though, in my opinion, nothing beats meeting in-person.

As the year gets into full swing, with lots more conferences, exhibitions and events, I look forward to seeing more industry people… face-to-face!

Irene

Email: gomesi@iafrica.com