AFRICA RISING
An event in Kigali Kim Roberts, director of Miseen-place Solutions, shared her recent experience on working on an event in Kigali, Rwanda. This is her story.
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direct flight to Kigali from Cape Town was not on the cards, on recent visits, with stop overs enroute. The team at RwandAir, however, are extremely friendly and pleasant to deal with, setting the tone for what can be expected in this colourful African city nestled in the heart of Africa. Known as a City of a Thousand Hills, Kigali’s landscape certainly lives up to its name. Accessibility once you have touched down is a breeze. Not only are there flights from all the major hubs, but getting a visa at the airport is as easy as 1, 2, 3, making it the perfect business events destination for conferences that have multi-country delegates. The city of Kigali certainly has enough to do to keep visitors occupied for a couple of days. It is easy to walk around, and there are plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants. Something that I personally
love to experience when I travel is the local night life and food offerings. One of the first things I noticed is that, particularly for an African city, Kigali is spotlessly clean, partly because plastic bags are banned in the country. There is also a strong sense of pride for those that are doing business in the city. There are multiple hotels in and around the city, many with conference facilities. Several of the more well-known brands have established a presence in Kigali, and more will be coming on line. One
of the things you cannot ignore is the building and infrastructure development that is happening in the city. It must be noted that Kigali’s accommodation is of a slightly lower standard than general international standards, which means a four-star property in South Africa is equivalent to a 5+ star property in Kigali. It is well worth understanding and knowing these properties, and having done your due diligence before making any recommendations. I was excited to see, however, that in the last month they have gone live with their grading system, which is great news for visitors. The Rwandan Development Board and Convention Bureau are hard at work improving services all the time. My dealings with service providers were pleasant, but for the most part not consistent. The people are really charming and warm, wanting to assist but not always grasping the importance of absolute detail and timing when it comes to planning and delivery on events. While this was a challenge initially, understanding the landscape by my second visit allowed for
There is also a strong sense of pride for those that are doing business in the city. 22 Business Events Africa December 2019
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