Industry Predictions

Industry insights for 2021

In the ever-changing world we find ourselves, Business Events Africa asked business events industry leaders to give us some insights into what they are expecting from 2021. As 2020 has taught us, nothing is set in stone. This is an insight into what our industry leaders have had to say.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Esmaré Steinhöfel, regional director: Africa, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA)

The second ICCA Meetings Africa Association Day was held as part of the Meetings Africa 2020 BONDAY programme designed for ICCA Africa members and the local, regional and international associations attending, to share knowledge and to stimulate the market on the continent.

The main highlight on the ICCA events calendar, although due to Covid-19, was the first ever hybrid ICCA Annual Congress.

The reality that has unfolded earlier in the year meant that it could not be business-as-usual and that a new format had to be found.

The bold step was taken to organise this year’s event as a multi-week, multichannel and multi-hub event – both digitally and safely face-to-face, where possible.

The 59th ICCA Congress saw over 1,500 attendees attending both in person and virtually at either the main ICCA Congress which was held in Kaohsiung or any of the eight regional hubs. The Africa Hub was held in Cape Town at the Century City Conference Centre.

This new format provided a prototype of how our client audiences could organise events in both a restricted, but also an opportunity-rich, future and provided guidance to ICCA members and all in the supply chain dealing with these new realities.

In May 2020, ICCA worked in collaboration with several leading industry bodies to identify which changes associations had made and intend to make due to the impact of Covid-19 and published a report “The Future of global association meetings – The New Association Reality”. Amongst the more in-depth results, key findings in the research include:

• 66 per cent believe that Covid-19 will fundamentally change how they operate in the future.

• Events are under review by 47 per cent of associations, whilst 43 per cent are reviewing their digital propositions and 42 per cent their membership models.

• 84 per cent intend to include hybrid and digital elements in events going forward.

• 60 per cent of respondents believe that there are limitations to the ultimate success of virtual events when compared to face-to-face.

• 28 per cent said geographic rotations are under review and likely to change in the future.

• 78 per cent would consider the use of a meetings management company going forward.

• There is a significant opportunity for the supply side of the meetings industry to support clients through increased flexibility and innovation.

A follow-up report was done in September 2020, “The Future of Global Association Meetings – four months down the line”. With the follow-up report amongst other results, key findings were:

• In 2021, 15 per cent of respondents plan to cancel or postpone their largest in-person meeting, and 42 per cent plan to go hybrid or virtual. 61 per cent expect smaller attendance figures for their in-person meetings.

• 81 per cent of respondents believe that there are limitations to networking discussions during virtual events compared to face-to-face meetings.

• 88 per cent of respondents indicated that technology has changed the way they conduct their meetings, with 51 per cent using only low-cost solutions to support virtual/hybrid elements of their meetings.

The above is clearly an indication of how the pandemic has changed the way association conferences will be affected and take place in 2021.

The 2020 ICCA statistics which will be released next year will feature a new format ensuring proper representation of what occured this year including the following new categories: unaffected, virtual, hybrid, relocated, postponed and cancelled.

As an industry, both internationally and in Africa, a key going forward will be communication, collaboration and creativity. •

Justin Hawes, incoming president of the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES).

Across the world, it is expected that smaller local events will be the first to make an in-person return. These have a lower risk profile and are less of an investment for marketers, organisers and sponsors, which provides an excellent opportunity to test how hungry a given target market is to meet face-to-face. Once confidence starts to build from these, larger conferences and exhibitions should resume.

In South Africa, I expect that these smaller events will emerge from early 2021, with larger events starting either from June or September. June signals the start of the northern hemisphere’s summer. It is when we expect the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in that market. Industry activity there tends to have a knock-on effect on our local market, as many of our event attendees and partners are based there. But, if South Africans are still feeling cautious, we may well wait until our spring and the warm weather it brings.

These timeframes I have predicted depend on South Africa not experiencing a significant spike in new Covid-19 cases, as has happened overseas. While I do not think our government will put us into a strict lockdown again, a surge in infections will make corporate South Africa wary of hosting and attending events. But if things carry on much as they are, people will reach a point of ‘ Covid fatigue’, not to mention ‘Zoom fatigue’, and will be eager to return to face-to-face events. Our understanding of Covid-19 and how to prevent transmission continues to improve. This should allow us to reduce, even further, any risks associated with attending in-person events and build greater confidence in event safety.

It is also important to note that the financial return on virtual events is roughly 10 per cent of a live event. This isn’t worthwhile for organisers. But the current limited capacity of events is also not economically viable, especially for formats like exhibitions. Our industry is pushing for venues to be able to operate at 50% capacity, with no maximum limit. If government agrees to this, we will be in a far better position as an industry to reopen and begin our recovery.

When events do return, I expect they will look a little different. Covid-19 has introduced a new set of design considerations which will give exhibition stands and event layouts a facelift.

I also expect that most events will lack ‘frills’ such as gifts, free catering on exhibition stands and large staff representation. While suppliers will offer competitive pricing, everyone is going to need to be careful with their spend. This could lead to some innovative new ideas being tried and tested.

Another trend I expect to see, both here and overseas, is greater attention being given to sustainability. Covid-19 has been a wake-up call for taking better care of ourselves and our planet. This should cause a shift towards actions like reducing event waste – for example – with reusable face masks, packaging that doesn’t go to landfill, and more steps being taken to prevent over-catering. •

LOCAL TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

Glenton de Kock, chief executive officer of Southern Africa Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI)

Time, our greatest commodity, will be our biggest focus as we ponder what 2021 may hold for the business events industry. In the uncertainty in which we have operated during this year, there is no question that the world of events has been dramatically changed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The most challenging aspect is that nobody really knows…

We have seen event professionals, along with the rest of the world, trying to make the best of widespread lockdowns while eagerly anticipating the resumption of normal activities.

In this terribly confusing scenario, we may try and shed some light on when we can expect to return to normal; and when it will be safe to once again schedule economically viable events with larger numbers.

What we do know now, that we did not know early in the pandemic, is that we “can control the controllables” and as such, we attempt, as we have annually, to provide some insights on what we have in our control, as we consider what 2021 may look like.

The devastating effects of 2020 will carry forward into 2021, with a significant impact on budgets as many clients, companies and governments cut back on in-person meetings due to concerns of safety. The regulations have also limited the number of people allowed to gather, which will limit the economic viability of business events and exhibitions. In the short-term, we have seen the shift to hybrid events. While this has allowed events to take place, the great opportunity exists for these events to be more personalised and hyper-connected, with more immersive experiences and deeper engagement than ever before.

Having a virtual-first mentality means looking at how to use technology to create compelling, personalised experiences. The event for virtual attendees needs to feel like they are valued participants, and not just a back-row live stream where they rank second to in-person attendees. It also needs to feel like it is one cohesive event, not two separate events. At least, in the coming months we will be looking at how to combine and enhance the in-person and virtual experience for attendees. This will require business events professionals to step up their game with event technology expertise, personalisation and more immersive experiences at venues that can handle the latest health/safety and greater technical requirements of hybrid events.

2021 could see a future made of in-person events and virtual events. Maybe virtual events are a separate entity we will need to deal with. With its own moderators, special sessions and networking.

We would caution that the industry should not over-complicate everything. The needs of the client, how to connect with the audiences, what the messaging is and what content is required to carry this message across needs to be clear.

With time, we will return to in-person; however hybrid and virtual are here as a value add and 2021 may see a combination of these offerings within the business events industry. •

Greg MacManus, chairperson of the Event Greening Forum (EGF)

Having come through the anomaly we called 2020, the business events sector has very little to celebrate as we head towards 2021, but perhaps there are some rays of hope on the horizon that we could look forward to in the coming year. As I write this, Europe has once again gone into lockdown, and while it makes little difference to South Africa as we enter our summer season, there could be a lesson worth noting for the coming year unless we control and mitigate Covid-19 completely over the next few months.

Having said this, I believe the coming year is going to see a very slow recovery of the domestic meetings sector, with perhaps less progress in the events and exhibitions sectors while concerns about transmission continue to be felt by large parts of the consumer market.

Corporate business meetings in the coming year will continue to focus on electronic platforms such as Zoom and others now that the effectiveness of this medium has been proven. But I believe there will still be room for smaller on-site, person-to-person meetings from the second quarter of the year once international travel returns to pre- Covid-19 practice.

In respect of large gatherings, conferences and conventions, I don’t believe we will see much in the way of pre-2020 business this year, but as has been proven by the recent DA Elective Conference which attracted over 2000 delegates, hybrid, multi-venue events of this kind will probably fill the gap left behind as a result of Covid regulations.

International conferences and conventions will likely follow this model for the remainder of 2021, showing a return to some normality only in 2022. PCO’s and organisers will need to box carefully in 2021 to attract business and provide viable alternatives and even hybrid solutions for their clients, and hotels and venue owners will need to offer technological solutions and unlimited internet access to meet the new demand for on-line meetings by most businesses.

The exhibition sector will continue to feel the pinch in the coming year with a likely improvement only from the third quarter as regulations and fears subside. Online and virtual exhibitions have proved less successful or attractive than initially expected, and I believe this will continue to be the case in 2021 with most early international events being postponed for yet another year. Travel trade exhibitions such as Indaba, ITB Africa and others will be highly dependent on international travel being normalised, but less supported as most businesses have already geared their marketing efforts towards web-based platforms and social media. Smaller trade shows and exhibitions may get back to normal in hybrid form, and then only from the second quarter as the country comes through the potential of a second wave of the virus. Where exhibitions do take place, they will have limitations on the number of attendees and visitors, and strict social distancing requirements will be in force for the better part of the first half of 2021.

In respect to mass events, we know that the British/Irish Lions tour of South Africa is scheduled to go ahead in June 2021, and this could signal the return of large sporting and public events. However, other than for some smaller, controlled spectator events in the first half of the year, I don’t expect to see particularly large events taking place before then with televised events taking preference over live events for even the most adamant denialists out there. And even when they do start taking place again, social distancing and other Covid-19 mitigations will likely create limitations on numbers until we return to summer in 2021. Bearing in mind that our second wave could occur from March 2021, watch this space!

As so much of our industry is affected by what happens overseas and is subject to the vagaries of government policy in this country, predicting a sudden upsurge in the MICE sector is going to be difficult in 2021. This past year has seen conditions that no-one would have thought possible just a year before, and irrespective of the introduction of vaccines and other ‘solutions’ to the pandemic, the long-term effects of Covid-19 are likely to be felt by our industry for the next year at least. •

Gill Gibbs, chairperson of the Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa (EXSA)

We find ourselves in a brand, new world where globally, businesses and economies have been disrupted on a scale that has never been experienced. We are all forced to contemplate a new and different future.

2021 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Peace and Trust, the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development and the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.

Born of the need to promote sustained and inclusive economic growth, to foster innovation, to provide opportunities and benefits, to provide empowerment for all and respect for all human rights - along with supporting developing countries and countries with economies in transition in diversifying production and exports, including in new sustainable growth areas and including creative industries.

It is to be a turning point for our industry. Considering the long-term effect and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on ourselves as individuals, on our Industry and on the many and diverse Industries across the world, we are in a marathon, not a sprint.

Marathons are tough, moving forward into this new future is going to be tough and what is required for our endurance, is planning, anticipating more disruption along the way, crisis management and communication, pushing our limits – and then, recovery, which is critical and essential to our survival.

We will still see further pertinent developments in health, safety and well-being, digital technology and sustainability. Our industry landscape has completely shifted and contributors to our success, will be in how we adapt, flex and drive, using disruption to foster change, purpose, growth and awakening. We are an Industry body of change-agents and risk takers, people of passion, creativity, innovation and resilience. What is required of us ever more so going forward, is agility and focus.

Focusing on our purpose-led goals, we must continue to raise awareness for our industry and its plight, to educate and promote our industry, to cooperate, collaborate and network, whilst encouraging the sharing of best practices and experiences.

Our industry is seeing and experiencing the rapid rise and development in digitalisation. Exhibitions and events will continue to embrace technology and sustainability, with hybrid events and live streaming to reach those visitors, delegates and attendees that are not able to participate in-person and also, to manage the event foot traffic responsibly.

Our mantra: Digital technologies enhance our exhibition and event experience and that of our customer – this is not about a replacement, it is new-age, it is about development, change, growth and agility.

Protocols, social-distancing and contactless practices foster and enhance a sustainable event approach, from packaging to gifting, to promotional goods, to event swag and collateral.

There is to be an increased focus on repurposing, reducing and committing to a sustainable approach.

Right now, a few weeks away from the annual festive season, we are still definitely on the road less travelled. We are without our usual signposts, minus our clear pathways and our defined destinations. Know that it is going to take longer for us to get through this and every ounce of our strength and resilience is required, whereby we are to be infused with purpose and steely determination.

Covid-19 has brought many things to every one of us and what it has emphasised to many of us, is not to take anything for granted and to future-proof. We must be customer obsessed – remembering that each one of us is one another’s customer.

The global exhibitions market is responsible for US$197.5 billion in gross domestic product (UFI Global; EventMarketer Statista). We are an integral and significant contributor to the global economy and we will build and steer our ship again – it will be different and it will be about how we turn up, connect and engage.

The exhibition and event future awaits us. •

Tes Proos, chairperson of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (Site) Africa chapter

I have been holding off writing this piece for the longest time. Usually, I am the worst of procrastinators anyway but this time, I was waiting to see what happens before I put pen to paper. Apart from the fact that, locally, very little changed in our industry, the rest of the world has gone mad with Covid-19 infections spiking worse than ever before. It seems almost pointless having opened our borders as more than half the world is busy locking down again.

Of course, this is not economically sustainable. We have relied on our traditional markets for so many years, we are totally blind-sided by the fact that we suddenly have no business coming in. Everyone I know in this industry had their 2020 groups cancelled from March forward. Some groups who moved from 2020 to early 2021 are now either moving to late 2021– but mostly to 2022. Judging by comments from fellow SITE presidents, this is a worldwide phenomenon.

It is all good and well that destination mangement companies and suppliers have business on the books for the long term but what about the next 12 months and more, when there is potentially no income? Pockets are only so deep. Something must give.

But let me get back on my soap box. We need to find and create business within our own back yard. It is the age of collaboration and I love Winston Churchill’s saying about not wasting a good crisis. Private sector needs to work very closely with government.

Government needs to start collaborating with other governments. We need to help rebuild confidence at all levels. People are afraid to travel – not just afraid of contracting the virus but the burden of onerous and expensive testing. Travelling to Kigali for four days involves three tests and 24 hours quarantine upon arrival. Should I test positive, I must go into a two-week quarantine at my own expense. No CEO or MD is going to take that risk with his/her team for the foreseeable future.

Alignment of protocols across borders will be one way to give tr avellers’ confidence a boost. A client called it “Mission Impossible” – but we must try. If two or three African countries would take the initiative and harmonise their protocols, it may encourage other countries to follow suit. It is not the easiest thing doing business in Africa, but the paradigm is shifting and now is the opportunity to tap into those markets. Africa is ready for business and this is a golden opportunity to promote and develop Intra-African business travel. After all, MICE travel and events are economic drivers. It promotes trade and opportunities for learning. Let us make the most of it! •

Projeni Pather, chairperson of Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO)

For those of you who love board games (or used to love board games), maybe it is time to take out those games on the holidays or the weekends and review what it will take to be victorious. It is time to test your skills and show that you can still win this game.

What is it about board games, and why do we love to play them? Because we want to win, we want to exercise our strategic skills; we want to show off our competitive strength and forecasting ability. All this while we move towards our goal, to WIN! Every game comes with rules, but the ultimate goal of the game is to win; in Scrabble, it’s the player with the most points; in Chess, it’s when you call “checkmate”; in Monopoly, it’s the player with the most money.

What would happen if the game changed? In Monopoly, what if the winner was determined by who has the most houses or who had the most money after only four rounds of play. You will then play the game differently because the victory conditions have changed, and it is the same rule in business. 2020 has been a clear indication that the exhibition and event industry’s predefined victory conditions have changed. The problem is that we have become fixated on our historically cast conditions for victory to determine our success.

When the environment changes, revisiting your original strategy blinkers the bigger picture. Nevertheless, there are other means to play and win the game. The victory condition dictates how you play the game, not the rules. 2021 will see a change in the way we work towards success. Budgets and resources have been drastically reduced across sectors. Companies that want to succeed in the current environment need to figure out how to get the most growth with the least effort and expenditure.

Review, Refine, Reconsider…

1. Re-evaluate your company goals?

2. How do these goals impact your team’s efforts?

3. Re-evaluate your customers’ needs?

4. Are your goals aligned to your customers’ needs?

5. Are these goals possible within your current budget and resources?

6. Even though the ultimate victory condition in business is to be profitable, the current circumstances require you to redefine your victory conditions, review this with your teams, and work towards a common goal. I challenge you to look beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and consider ways to alter your thinking and business for renewed growth in 2021. •

Ellen Oosthuizen, chairperson of PCO Alliance Network

The year 2020 was greatly anticipated globally as a milestone, a year of change and moving forward in the 21st century. Collectively the events industry had many major, exciting events and exhibitions planned. Then Covid-19 happened, and everything stopped.

Cancellations of events was the order of the day and with it, millions of Rands worth of business. People lost jobs and some businesses closed. This scenario created a major shift in the event and exhibition industry and the SA Events Council was formed. It has 14 affiliate associations, of which the PCO Alliance Network is one. It was time for collaboration and the ethos of ‘united we stand, divided we fall’ has never been more prevalent.

The SA Events council collectively started campaigning with government to open the event and exhibition industry in a safe and responsible way. The Event Reopening Guidelines, written by The Event Safety Council, were formulated in accordance with the health and safety protocols from the Department of Health, the World Health Organisation and other international event organisations.

On 22 July, SAACI in partnership with the SA Events Council and the Event Safety Council, hosted a “Proof of Safety Concept” conference connecting various venues around the country to showcase the comprehensive risk assessment, safety checks and logistical planning that will be part of events moving forward.

On 1 September the PCO Alliance Network, in partnership with the SA Events Council, Event Safety Alliance and four venues around the country successfully undertook their own Proof of Safety Concept Conference to demonstrate to corporates and SA Business that the business events sector is ready to reopen in South Africa. The venues that generously sponsored these events were the Focus Rooms, The Capital Hotel Group and Cape Town International Convention Centre. They all adopted the SA Event Council Safety Guidelines protocol.

Looking ahead

With the easing of lockdown to Level 1, venues are currently allowed up to 250 pax indoors (if the capacity reached is not more than 50 per cent of venue space). Venues around the country have been gradually opening for business. Hopefully, this number will increase in 2021.

In preparation for 2021, the PCO Alliance Network has been hosted by various hotel groups and venues to experience the safety protocols they have in place. We have also been introduced to their dynamic and expert hybrid offerings with live streaming now becoming common place. New venues and upgrades have been introduced to us as well.

We will get through this together. •

CONVENTION BUREAUS

Corné Koch, head: Cape Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau

At the end of 2019, I had the privilege to attend the Global Forum session organised by BestCities Global Alliance in Copenhagen. The key focus at the event, was taking a deep dive into what the business events landscape would look in 20 years! Little did we know that this duration would be fast-tracked in just under 11 months, with the lessons becoming relevant much earlier than expected. Exploring Congresses of the Future and Fortifying Impact was the theme then – and is to me, what we can still expect in 2021.

This year has taught me that knowledge sharing, collaborating and structured networking would be the key to the survival of the business events sector. Considering that the sector is experiencing its Napster moment, the industry and destinations would have to think about how they future-proof themselves. As we are going through rapid transformation, we need new roadmaps revealing opportunities for innovation, differentiation and partnerships that will create value for our stakeholders.

The 59th ICCA Congress was held for the first time in its history on a hybrid model with eight destination hubs across the globe. As proud hosts of the hub for Africa, the conference provided an incredible new pool of knowledge and I recall a personal takeaway - that we should not focus on more, but better meetings.

As the hybrid event presentation models are here to stay for at least 2021, questions such as audience engagement and how to deal with online communities, blended into the real world, would get more attention. The other topic is how do we learn from other sectors, such as the gaming industry of keeping audience engagement and seeking alternative revenue models?

People have always travelled to meet and congregate. It is in our human nature to meet with others in an organised way, creating meaning to us as humans. Creating a lasting impact and advocating the real value of face-to-face meetings will remain an important factor to advocate for keeping this sector afloat.

Business events are catalysts for change and the reason why we host these will remain the best way to advocate for having meaningful interactions. Meeting concepts will likely be focused on personal and more intense participation and will therefore be smaller in size during 2021.

The role of associations as catalysts for change will drive its members’ work and life. As associations will most likely steer away from global conferences for a while, going intra-regional and building local differentiation will most likely stand at the forefront of survival of associations – and one of the main income streams to the business events sector.

The role of destinations in hosting business events will most certainly change. As destinations we need to become more actively involved in developing meetings and concepts, building new partnerships, and serving geographically smaller, but deeper markets. Strong professional engagement opportunities would be another key focus by which destinations could play a role.

Professionals would seek partnerships to exchange knowledge and inspiration, creating strong synergies, impact and legacies. Destinations would be important settings for authentic meetings and those that offer opportunities for personal and professional development could certainly be in higher demand. •

Rendani Khorommbi, deputy director, Johannesburg Convention Bureau

This past year has certainly illustrated to all of us that life is highly unpredictable, following the global pandemic ( Covid-19), which brought the entire world to a firm standstill.

The City of Johannesburg was no exception, as most events planned for 2020 were cancelled, postponed, or hosted virtually during the year. It goes without saying that the envisaged benefits such as positive economic impact, employment opportunities, and SMME opportunities generated through MICE activities were not realized due to the high impact of Covid-19.

Despite these monumental setbacks, the Johannesburg Convention Bureau has managed to keep abreast of developments both internationally and nationally by participating in virtual engagements with stakeholders, while also increasing our bid output to bring more future convention business to Johannesburg.

As far as envisaged and secured business events activities are concerned, we’ve been in numerous positive engagements with associations, Professional Conference Organisers and tourism partners at national, provincial and local level in an attempt to maximise business tourism opportunities through collaboration.

While I’m happy to report that we have a number of bids in progress and secured meetings to be held between now and 2021, I’d like to remind our stakeholders that our doors are always open to partnerships that can help increase the number of events we bring to Johannesburg. As a team we’re thrilled with Joburg’s continuous ranking as Africa’s most visited city in the annual Mastercard Global Destination Cities’ Index since 2014. This bodes extremely well for us on all fronts and is a great incentive to continue our efforts in showcasing Johannesburg’s credentials as a premier, global business events destination.

Things are gradually improving following the recent positive developments regarding the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions. Most of our venues are ready, prepared and enthusiastic for tourism business - having already opened their doors for bookings, with strict safety measures and protocols in place.

I am extremely positive that the trend is set to continue and that 2021 will be a great year for business events in Johannesburg, South Africa and indeed, the entire African continent. Some of the forthcoming events the Johannesburg Convention Bureau is looking forward to hosting and supporting include, but are not limited to:

1. Meetings Africa 2021.

2. Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) Congress 2021.

3. Junior Chamber International (JCI) World Congress 2021.

4. Safe Engineering Service and Technology (SESTECH) 2021.

5. General Assembly of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) WORLD Music Days 2023. •

VENUES

Lindiwe Rakharebe, chief executive officer of Durban ICC

While things have been unpredictable this past year, what we know for sure is that the Durban ICC was ahead of the pack in the livestreaming and online events arena and this has put them in good stead for 2021.

Looking back over 2020, I realise how far we have come. This year has been turbulent, unpredictable and possibly the toughest year that the business events industry has ever had to face. That said, we adapted quickly, retrained our staff and re-invented the way we hosted events with our clients. Luckily, the Durban ICC had already invested in its online, virtual events platform, prior to the virus outbreak. This, coupled with strong client relationships, enabled us to drive the organisation forward and we are definitely looking forward to a brighter 2021.

The levers driving the business events industry’s recovery over the next year are dependent on the strength and resilience of the national economy. Given the uncertainty in the international market and the prevailing travel restrictions, it is clear that the focus will be on servicing the domestic market for 2021.

However, let us not forget the role that we need to play as an industry over the next year.

As an industry we need to be instilling confidence in all our markets that we are open for business and that the protocols are in place to host events safely and responsibly. As industry role players, we need to focus on hosting Responsible Meetings. We all need to ensure that our hygiene and safety protocols are in place and that they are implemented effectively and consistently. All our guests need to feel comfortable and safe when they are in our venues for events.

We need to be working together with government through the SA Events Council and the correct channels to demonstrate the importance of the industry as a tool for economic recovery and social change in the country currently. We need to be emphasising the importance of the business events industry and the role it plays in facilitating dialogues and accelerating agendas in the areas of professional, corporate, academic and social development.

The dialogues and engagements which take place at our events are integral to our national economic advancement and societal development in general. This sector is a key element for delivering economic recovery at this critical time in our history and helping us be intentional about the renewal and transformation we want to see in our society.

If we are united in our efforts to establish the importance of our sector, the sooner we can see our industry opened to greater capacity and playing its critical role in our country’s recovery. •

Shaun Bird, general manager of Sandton Convention Centre

As I sit and contemplate 2021 and beyond, my thoughts drift to who and how we will be doing business into the future, not only from a customer point of view, but in relation to the supply chain.

Will we still be engaging with our current base; will they be around and will they be able to service customer needs?

As businesses move into the ninth month of an almost zero revenue base, what knock-on effect is this having downstream?

Our industry, apart from a few exceptions, is a model for SMMEs… private individuals who have poured their hearts and souls into creating fantastic businesses, that are now at risk.

A lot has been said about supporting each other, and as we move into 2021, its time to walk the talk…

For many years suppliers have been just that, suppliers, to be pushed around and in some cases bullied and forced to suck up unreasonable conditions set by venues and organisers.

It is time to realise that we need these amazing companies as much as we need customers. These partners are core to the industry’s survival, without them we are in more trouble than we think.

Take the time now to navigate the troubled waters with them, offer advice and support, engage and plan the way forward.

When this all turns, and it will, we will be in a stronger position, with great relationships and cooperation.

This can only be better for everyone, as that heart and soul, which created this business, is poured into supporting you into the future. •

Adele Hartdegen, chief executive officer of the Johannesburg Expo Centre

Covid-19 surely had, and still has, most of us questioning the way forward; from both a personal and business perspective, we remain in limbo. But move forward we must and contemplate a new normal we must.

It is probably one of the most difficult times to offer industry insights for the upcoming year, as on the one hand we want to be very optimistic and hope that all will return to a new normal, whilst on the other, we await the dreaded second wave in South Africa. All we can do right now is consider how we will respond to what the future may hold by basing it on our experiences in the last few months.

From a venue perspective, the Johannesburg Expo Centre has become very familiar with the term “new normal” from running large scale events on occasion to suddenly running a Field Hospital for the past six months has prepared all our teams to operate and realign their mindset towards the “abnormal” or “business unusual” space.

We are confident that the business events industry will rise again and most likely be bigger than ever before, if one thing, the Covid-19 pandemic has finally made people realise the value of networking and how connecting to others really does enable business growth. The industry on many levels has required change for a long time, and the pandemic has fast-tracked some of the elements we long contemplated would need to change. All the questions around if and when we will go digital have been answered, the questions around the value we deliver to our delegates and if people still want face-to-face interactions, have also been answered.

If you think about it, the last few months of operating under the “new normal” already provide us the footprint or road map for the way forward. Business events will both shrink and grow, meaning that the physical attendance may shrink whilst the online presence of the event and visibility of the event will grow rapidly. Virtual exhibitions and event showcases have a place in our market, but will not replace the face-to-face interactions, people still prefer attending live events for the networking element.

Return on investment becomes an absolute priority, we must convert our activities and content to a year-round activity culminating at the physical event. Ongoing exposure and activity become key to ensure the retention of large brands within the business events space as well as providing these brands with solid ROI data. The normal post-show report requires a revamp, including more valuable data to clients to define what they paid for, what was achieved, and what they would have lost out on had they not had a presence in the online build-up and physical event.

It is for all the above reasons that the Johannesburg Expo Centre was delighted to partner with Specialised Exhibitions for the Restart Expo. This is the ideal platform showcased to the powers that be that business events can and will be conducted safely, that it is an essential component to connecting brands and restarting the economy, and that the industry can adapt under even the most difficult circumstances. •

Bronwen Cadle de Ponte, general manager of CSIR ICC (in collaboration with team members Refilwe Nchebisang and Minister Kganyago)

The year 2020 will arguably go down as the most disruptive year in the business events industry on a local, national and international level. While that may be true, we must acknowledge that the disruptions cannot only be marked as negative, for the reason that, despite the huge tragedies of economic decline, there were some valuable lessons to be leaned as well as tremendous opportunities which have emerged.

It can be expected that the year 2021 will present a good playground for most businesses to start demonstrating the lesson takeout from the disruptions incurred in 2020. We may start to see agility more than ever before, rigid business strategies and business policies may start to fall away, paving the way to sound business strategies that are agile enough to change overnight driven by data and research and yet pushed by the fast-paced business environment.

More businesses may start to become what is referred to as “globally minded localist”. This involves embracing the paradox of being deeply entrenched in the local markets while being connected across the globe. This paradox will be perpetuated by the long, stringent, hard lockdown regulations due to the pandemic which halted huge numbers of international travel, thus hindering the success of the live business events industry. This disruption will give room for business events role players to start investing a lot more in local markets instead.

It goes without saying that there will come a time that will call for people to travel, meet and trade to rebuild their businesses and the economy. Meet to share knowledge, find solutions and discussions on ways forward will be a huge necessity despite the nature in which they take place (Virtual, physical, social distancing or not).

As a result, it can be expected that the business events value chain will have to become very technology knowledgeable. Not only from a supplier perspective but from a delegate perspective too so that the experience of hybrid and online events is seamless. Service providers will be expected to deliver on high-tech, but with touch services, to not neglect the human experience.

There is no doubt that uncertainty will prevail well into year 2021, those with good forecast predictions will then start more collaborative initiatives and strategic partnerships to ensure that they harness on the opportunity to provide value for their customers and rescue the endangered ship. As well as a time to develop, and deliver, an improved unique and attractive market offering. •

Charles Wilson, chief executive officer of Gallagher Convention Centre

My industry prediction for 2020 included the statement: “Venues such as Gallagher Convention Centre will continuously reinvent their offering to meet the ever-changing needs of clients.” I added the importance of reinventing events and acknowledging the importance of technology in this space. Little did I know that all these things would be accurate, but certainly not for the reasons that I imagined.

One thing that certainly still rings true, “The business events industry cultivates detailed orientated, pressure-proof people.”

2020 was for many reasons, one of the most challenging years that an entire generation has had to face and the business events industry was affected in a way that we are all still reeling from. Unfortunately, we will need to face the fact that the effects of 2020’s challenges will still be felt in 2021.

Firstly, it is vital for the industry to acknowledge that we cannot expect operations to return to “normal”. Going forward I do not believe that eventing will be the same as what we were used to.

Apart from the obvious, safety measures will remain a requirement. Venues will need to gain the trust of guests by giving them the tools to look after themselves and create an environment that is as safe as possible. Consumer confidence will have a marked influence on trade in the coming year.

With this being said, my opinion is that we will see an increase in co-located exhibitions in the coming year, as well as for some time to come as exhibition organisers reorganise their operations and calendars, accounting for the knock-on effect of 2020.

Unfortunately, in 2021 we may see a loss of a wealth of experience from the industry as staff members may feel the need to seek opportunities in other sectors due to the precarious situation in the events industry.

In 2021, role players in the industry will need to have a willingness to adapt their way of operating and, at the risk of repeating myself, it will be vital to reinvent their offering and have an innovative approach. Diversification will be crucial.

More than ever before, the venue will need to become part of the organiser’s team in ensuring the success of the events being hosted. Working with each other towards the common goal will have a direct impact on the success of events in 2021.

South Africans are unique in the way that we interact. Therefore, I do not believe that hybrid events or Zoom events will replace conferencing, networking or exhibitions in our market. As an industry we will find a way to rise above the challenges that we are posed with as the meetings, conference and events industry is not made up of individuals that will accept defeat, but will instead find a way to be successful within our “new reality”. •

CONFERENCE ORGANISERS

Nina Freysen-Pretorius, chief executive officer of The Conference Company

How does one summarise the past year, 2020, in writing that encapsulates the overwhelming emotion, stress, anxiety, and frustration in words other than the annoying “new normal”? To me, it is like watching a Hollywood movie that is just so far-fetched that you enjoy it, because it is mere escapism. Sitting on your couch you know that this is the director or writer’s imagination that has been re-enacted. But the Covid-19 pandemic is not a movie or a bad dream, sadly.

My sense is, as much as we would like to return to business and conferences as we know it, this is not going to happen soon. The most optimistic predication is that Q3 and Q4 of 2021 is when we will probably have some face-to-face engagement, but still with a virtual component. Virtual conferences and online engagement are here to stay and not going to go away anytime soon.

Virtual conferences have allowed more stakeholders to join at lower fees and this is also potentially more beneficial to associations’ revenue models. Less risk needs to be taken with regards to signing hotel, venue, and supplier contracts. No air tickets for international speakers that normally expect Business Class seats. This financial risk reduction cannot be ignored.

What has become clear is that for both face-to-face and virtual meetings, we need each other to deliver a world class product. It is not only about the expert speakers but the production team as well as the member support to achieve success. Inclusivity and Collaboration is essential.

Conferences and events that can offer some sort of accreditation or CPD points together with excellent content being shared, will most definitely be supported, and endorsed by members and sponsors.

What the pandemic has forced us do is stop and think about the impact we are having on the environment as an industry and human beings. Do we really need so many material possessions? Do we have to fly to meetings across the globe for 1-2 days? The planet belongs to us all and we need to start taking note of the increased number of natural disasters caused by the rising sea levels and temperatures, that we have caused. It would be wasteful to go back to how we did things before, knowing full well that this is not the best way and ultimately will be our demise as humanity. •

Pieter Swart, CMP, CMM, managing Director Conference Consultancy South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Everyone will reflect on 2020 with different lenses and experiences. Before March 2020, our industry was pushing forward at a tremendous pace to remain relevant. We engaged in linear or evolutionary innovations. However, in April 2020 our industry was brought to a complete halt and forced into a deep dive to reassess all aspects of our business. We initially tried to predict the impact, crafted short term solutions and based our hope on returning to business as we knew it. Wasn’t long before we realised that survival strategies were needed, that revolutionary change was required to meet changing needs and that we had to embrace concepts of radical or non-linear innovation, moving from Best-Practice modelling towards Next-Practice modelling.

Until recently, our industry was mostly reactive. We followed tech advances and trends and applied those in our portfolios of services and products instead of being innovation catalysts for change. Could this perhaps be the reason why we were caught unprepared and missed the signals that predicted the disruption? The answer to what lies ahead may be found in the change we have experienced over the past months – and it’s here to stay in variable degrees.

To think of an example, what digital event production taught us about the value of having pre-recorded presentations. Originally intended as a broadcast risk mitigated strategy; the unintended outcome was better quality presentations especially from non-professional speakers (content experts not used to speaking to large audiences) and then having them in the digital room for live questions-andanswers relieved them from all the stresses of live presentations. To the viewing audience, it makes no difference whether it is a live or pre-recorded presentation, the broadcast makes it a live appearance. Going forward, this approach may very well shape a new direction of how content will be delivered at in-person conferences.

The Next-Practice modelling anthem will be ‘more with less’.

Let’s admit to ourselves that we can learn to listen differently. Instead of thinking of reasons why an opinion may not work, let’s explore what it will take to make it work. This way we foster a culture of innovation within our businesses and encourage ideation, the cornerstone of innovation.

What we previously took for granted is now valued and appreciated differently. Let’s take this learning into 2021, build a culture of innovation and move our industry forward into a new and brighter future. Wishing you abundant blessings in 2021. Merry Christmas from our house to your house. •

Denise Kemp, managing owner, Eastern Sun Events

I must have read hundreds of 2021 predictions by industry experts and the one common thread is that no one really knows. So how can we protect our companies and our clients going forward?

In the hope that some of my fellow PCOs can relate to this, I thought that I would take a brief look at our 2020 and what we are planning to do in 2021.

At the end of March 2020, we lost fifteen months of work in one week. All cancelled or rescheduled to 2021 or 2022. Estimated income during these fifteen months – zero Rands.

Offices, staff members and expensive event software still needed to be paid. I had two choices: close the company and retrench the staff or reinvent ourselves. We had a staff brainstorming session and I explained the financial implications to the staff. I gave them the weekend to come up with some ideas and I could not believe how innovative they were. Ideas such as subletting our offices to the accountants in our building who were allowed back at work, as essential services, were put forward.

We decided to make ourselves experts in the digital space and we researched multiple platforms. Our software provider came up with an excellent virtual platform and the learning started. Our clients are medical specialists and they felt all they could cope with in 2020 was Covid-19 and they didn’t want digital conferences. A few months later we explained the online platform to them and all but one of our clients changed their minds. So, we were back in business.

From 2021 onwards we have planned to run hybrid events as I think that is what everyone has got used to. However, this comes with its own set of problems, particularly for national conferences that don’t have the high numbers, and resultant income, that international conferences do:

• Cost of on-site AV and livestreaming of all the sessions. In multiple parallel sessions on a four- or fiveday conference this cost is high.

• What can you charge a digital delegate? Because of all the free webinars that have been screened since lockdown, delegates think that there are no costs to a digital event and that the registration fees should be minimal.

• But, if the digital costs are too low, no on-site delegates will pay higher registration fees, travel and accommodation costs.

• For medical delegates attending virtually means no additional time out of their practice. This is particularly important while specialists try and recover financially from their Covid-19 year when much of their elective surgery, and resultant income, was cancelled because of lack of capacity at the hospitals and ICUs.

I think that everyone was hoping that 2021 would be different with regard to live events but, with the resurgence of Covid-19 in the UK and Europe, and the USA not having got their numbers under control, very few international speakers and delegates will travel to SA. For every conference in 2021 the LOC’s have queried whether they should go ahead or cancel.

But they have all decided to go ahead and we will have to look at smaller, more cost-effective venues to leave more funds for AV and the digital component.

When will we get back to normal? What is normal anymore? Like everyone else, I am not sure that things will ever be quite the same again. I think that digital is here to stay in some form or another and we need to embrace this. •

Herkie Du Preez, senior event manager at Event Wizards

Oh what an exciting time ahead!

Yes, the past year has been tough, but it has also been a learning experience with many positive outcomes for an industry that was waiting to be elevated to the next level. I am proud to say we are an industry that does not back down; we adapt, we stay positive, we innovate, and we deliver.

Although digital and hybrid events have been around for quite some time before Covid-19, this year has rapidly increased the rate in which we had to adapt to event-technology and digitalisation, influencing not only the structures within our companies but also how we go about our daily lives! There is no question about the fact that the face-to-face event restrictions have its limits especially when it comes to that personal and emotional human interaction.

With the world going online the opportunities are endless when it comes to data driven results. It gives ‘doing business’ endless opportunities and the value thereof was swiftly recognised by all. No, I am not saying we should forget the human element, this will always remain crucial, we just need to invest more time in developing the tools to drive engagement that satisfies the needs of both face-to-face attendees as well as virtual audiences. This will be an ongoing learning curve that will always be improved as we become sophisticated consumers of technology driven interaction.

Why exciting? We will build comprehensive and more strategic event programs. The collaborations between marketers and planners will be key for delivering data-driven results and also to add the human factor. The use of Event Platforms and Mobile Apps will play host to all your event information on one platform and this is a large plus!

With this new tech-wise human comes a more conscious earth population that is serious about preserving what was given to us, recognising what we did to it and what we need to do to fix the wrongs of the past and current bad habits. Event greening will not be just a term but will be written into our prerequisites and practices.

Health and safety protocols will move from a ‘maybe we should’ to the top of the list and event ethics and society will insist on strict adherence to it.

Of course no one can tell what will happen tomorrow. All I can say is, we will get up, adapt and we will strive to better our services and duties to our clients in any way possible. 2020 was not the end but rather the start of an exciting new era in the events industry.

Let’s make 2021 the beginning of a safe, efficient, and enjoyable era! •

EXHIBITION ORGANISER

Carol Weaving, managing director of Reed Exhibitions

As life as we knew it has completely altered, each of us has been faced with a host of challenges. These challenges talk back to our businesses, our finances, our day-to-day living and our personal well-being and that of our families.

The overwhelming impact that this pandemic has had is not unique to a single industry and we find ourselves having to reassess our priorities and restructure our business models.

Events as we know them have been disrupted and we have been forced to embrace new solutions for our partners. Adversity often helps us to foster innovation and our current reality has prompted the rapid development of online platforms.

Virtual events have become our current reality and modern technology allows for creativity and exciting opportunities. They enable a wider audience to reach and online tools ensure that they are measurable. Digital solutions are about supporting industries at a time of crisis.

However, one thing that remains certain is that this experience has highlighted a new awareness in humanity of their desire to interact personally and enjoy live events. At Reed Exhibitions, we have undertaken sentiment surveys for both exhibitor and trade visitors and the response has been overwhelming that they WANT live events.

Wearing masks and having to physical distance will not stop people from craving the experience of live events, human interaction, exhibitions and entertainment. Society is driven by personal interactions.

We have taken away a multitude of insights and learnings from this uncertain and trying time as we are incorporating integrated digital platforms with our exhibitions going forward.

As we look to 2021, we will see the continued adoption of hybrid events. With a plethora of digital offerings, live events can ensure greater value for our customers and stakeholders.

Our first events are planned for the second half of 2021 with the exception of Africa Travel Week planned for April as a hybrid (live / virtual event). However, there is a realisation that we will be doing things differently and where hybrid events may not be possible, we will run them virtually. Events are likely to be smaller than previous years and it is time to rebuild not only our industry but our entire economy.

All indications are showing that economic conditions should improve and the likelihood of 2021 being a year of recovery is very real. Our focus has always been to serve our clients in the best way possible; to create live events that are platforms for writing business that ultimately contribute to the economy. The power of Reed Exhibitions globally has enabled us to continue business unusual as we support our clients and aid them in future-proofing their businesses.

Our Reed promise is that all our events will give people a sense of safety and connectedness. We cannot wait to be able to personally welcome our communities back to our Reed business platforms and experiences. •

SUPPLIERS

Gary van der Watt, director, Resource Design

From a nomadic home office 2020 was a blur of virtual meetings and adaptations to a new world. Businesses have learnt to pivot and endure pain and angst. Personally, it was a tough lesson. That the controllables are in fact an exceedingly small percentage factor of our industry foundation and the unknowns can morph away in an instant.

This leaves 2021 in a vacuum. Space. A known entity but one in which we need new thinking to function, survive and grow. We cannot assume to start up again using our past processes.

Thankfully, there is huge industry effort to reclaim that ‘’space’’. Industry bodies and individuals are working tirelessly for the collective good.

In a response, companies both big and small have banded together. The most visible approach has been to embrace change and stabilise around shared learnings and resources.

So, despite the immediate gloom, the opportunity for 2021 and beyond feels attainable.

How do we plan? What strategy can ensure that when we are able to function again, that it is with efficiency and accuracy. #RestartingRight is a phrase that we adopted to package the elements that we can control and apply in our context.

Globally Covid-19 has made people far more aware of similar potentially catastrophic issues. The critical need for future sustainability has become one of the primary talking points.

This logic is uber-successful in nature and engineering. Notably, sustainability in the human context is only partly dependant on the ecological aspect.

The other two key areas are socio and economic.

Synonymous with sustainable thinking, circular economy-based industries have proven to be far more resilient than those applying a linear biased approach. (www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/ circular-economy/concept).

Imagine a structure made up of a chain of components. Many links that are each extraordinarily strong, in themselves in what they do best. Through close cooperation this inherent competency and strength allowing the overall chain, cycle, to be stronger, more robust and more adaptable. Each link relying on some to be strong when others are weak.

This replaces the idea of a singular, linear approach.

In strategising around our industry’s future, I envision the need for efficiencies to be our key challenge. Faster builds, more efficient on-site approach, increased used of innovative materials, less travel, modularity, adaptability, hybrid and cross-cutting events. Resulting in shared resources and stronger inter-dependency.

Concepts such as collaboration are synonymous in any discussion around recovery plans.

Most corporate or administrative (including SA government) plans speak specifically to local socio and economic upliftment. Use and inclusion of local resources. Part of this could easily be through closer inter-African collaboration. Building a ‘’local’’ strength before accessing global markets.

All these concepts can be contained under the term “circular economy thinking”.

I would suggest that approaching 2021 asks that we consider how we incorporate ourselves, our companies and our way forward using this principle. •

Craig Newman, group chief executive officer of GL events South Africa Group

The Covid-19 pandemic has undeniably taken the world by surprise, changing life as we know it. Naturally, most organisations started the year overly optimistic, making plans for growth, development and expansion. However, we have thus far witnessed or rather experienced the harsh casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic which have greatly impacted us as individuals, organisations and business sectors across all industries. With the impact that lockdown restrictions had on day-to-day operations, most businesses were forced to diversify their service offerings for continuity and staying afloat.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the government had a mammoth task to roll out solutions aimed at providing additional, and above normal medical support and assistance needed. Businesses which were able to quickly adapt to the current situation became involved in these programmes, delivering a service to the government in support of the fight against the pandemic.

Reflecting on 2020, our government has done a sterling job in managing the pandemic on a national level - South

Africa has once again shown just what a resilient nation we are. Our response to the coronavirus outbreak has been outstanding and we can all be proud of the progress we have made thus far.

Predictions for what 2021 and 2022 will look like are rather vague at this stage; however, in order to rebuild our economy, we will have to be more courageous and make more bold moves. Our goal should be to stand together, given the strict adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols, we will overcome.

I am confident that the Restart Expo served its purpose in showcasing to government and our stakeholders that we can safely reopen business on a larger scale. Going forward, we will need to look for opportunities of collaboration, redevelop our brands and offer products that deliver on expectation. This will be a golden opportunity for creative ideas to come to the forefront.

Covid-19 compliance is not impossible, the key is in adjusting and fine-tuning your approach in response to what the market requires. Positivity will be the key drive going forward.

By applying ourselves to RESTART we can sustain our industry. •

Patrick Cronning, commercial director of Expo Guys

The start of a new year, 2021– new possibilities and with this we will of course face new challenges - nothing worthwhile in life is simple. I am writing these few words with massive reservation and I am trying to think realistically, though at the same time remain my normal optimistic self. As the hammer falls and 2021 rolls in, there won’t be any difference from how we experience life right now; the uncertainty will remain, the fear will remain and everything will remain unknown, however we are also very aware that the new year brings the hope for renewed opportunity. We need to get on top of this pandemic, more than ever before and return to some type of normality.

We were not created to have social distancing, to wear masks in public and eschew social events, exhibitions, concerts, or any event for that matter. We can only do “virtual” for so long, so we know this situation must revert back somewhat - the problem is how long is this going to take?

One thing is certain - Africa is not for the faint-hearted. We are a continent of people that have either travelled immense distances to get here, gone through massive humanitarian events - more than most places in the world, and we stand up and fight another day. Not to play this pandemic down, but to quote my colleague’s words from Côte d’Ivoire, ‘This is just another disease in Africa, we get sick, we get better and life goes on”.

Our continent cannot afford shutdowns - it needs to operate responsibly and we need to focus on local business, we need to set the example for the rest of the world - this is Africa’s time to stand out. In saying this the restrictions need to be turned off in stages and at a slightly faster rate than what we have seen - we must treat all sectors of industry equally, not just limit exhibitions and events – we have seen that we can cope well with thousands of shoppers at malls who are unregistered, so let’s allow “registered” visitors (wearing masks), in their thousands, to attend exhibitions and events.

I think we still have a few more slow months ahead, possibly with some activity starting in February and March, and slowly increasing towards Q3, and Q4 of 2021. We must remember that exhibitions are a major economic catalyst, without which we are in bigger trouble than anyone can imagine; exhibitions have been a major stimulant throughout Europe for hundreds of years, especially after World War 2 – exhibitions are the building blocks for recovery. We need to open urgently. •

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT COMPANIES

Daryl Keywood, managing director, Walthers

The year that shook our industry, 2020.

Will 2021 be any better?

Although there were some exceptions, both the domestic (due to a poorly performing economy) and the inbound Business Events industry viewed 2020 with trepidation even before Covid, with all its challenges, arrived. By mid-year, the initial optimism that we would see a recovery from the effects of Covid within six months had waned and 2020 rapidly evolved into an annus horribilis. Tourvest’s Martin Wiest commented back in March that we should not expect much in 2020 and I was amongst those optimists that thought never! Martin’s words however prompted us at Walthers DMC to plan a worst-case scenario, and we did take the ultra-conservative approach resulting in some tough decisions. We assumed zero income for the remainder of 2020 and little for Q1 and Q2 of 2021. Unfortunately, this is proving to have been the correct decision to ensure business survival.

As 2020 winds down we have a mountain to climb before we can expect any meaningful income. Despite the huge efforts of TBCSA, SATSA and valiant efforts by industry leaders, we remained until the 11th November, a destination sending out mixed messages. Recovery will be slow and challenging and there is not much we can do other than communicate clearly and wait it out. Yes, continue marketing and keeping in front-of-mind so that your clients know that you are still around and that our destinations are safe. Until airlines return with regular schedules, governments offer clear regulations, business confidence returns, and clients deem it is safe, we are in for lean times. It was uncertainty that prompted flagship events like “Mining Indaba” and others to cancel their 2021 plans. At Walthers our longest postponement is a September 2021 medical conference that is now scheduled for late 2023.

Business will return and although some companies have successfully pivoted to virtual, I do not hear that many are making significant profits from virtual/online events. Virtual is here to stay but its “success” is not a permanent solution and has highlighted the value of “face-toface.” As engagement levels decline, and “Zoom fatigue” impacts, especially on large events, we long to meet in person. Humans are by nature social animals and need to experience, touch, feel and even smell their surroundings to fully engage. I believe that engagement is the primary reason that our industry needs to recover. As creative as virtual is trying to be, it can never fully replace the human factor.

Lessons from the past year include the importance of a clear separation of our client vs. our own operating funds. If you are using client deposits to fund your business, then you are in fact operating a de facto pyramid scheme and it will collapse. There also needs to be a clear understanding from our clients that we cannot work as hard as we did to support them through postponements, cancellations and refunds requiring double or even triple hours without any compensation as well as losing any margin or service fee on the initial booking. Would a legal firm consult on a project and not charge for work done when it is cancelled? Contracts and T’s & C’s have never been more important.

Where to next? Now is the ideal opportunity for organisations to incentivise their employees and channel partners. The desire to travel again is strong and any incentive travel programme should be self-funding with a structured incentive trip offering a three-to-one or better return on investment. Inbound as well as domestic clients will initially look to local or regional before long haul resumes. The safety of the participants will be a top priority, so industry needs to ensure that we are world class in terms of safety protocols and response. A safe and effective vaccine will certainly assist in rebuilding confidence. •

Yolanda Woeke, vice president: sales and marketing, Dragonfly Africa

2020, who knew… who knew that life as we know it would change so dramatically and so quickly?

We, as a tourism industry and, for Dragonfly Africa/Green Route Africa a key player in the business events industry especially; looking after and specialising in incentive travel, were probably hit the hardest.

Initially, we all knew we were going to be affected but only now, almost a year after the first infections were reported, do we really understand the scale and magnitude of this pandemic! How it will change not only business, but our lives, our way of thinking etc. … forever. What is this ‘new normal’ everyone is talking about, we simply do not know at this stage…

From a travel perspective, we do feel that leisure travel will pick up earlier and, of course, local domestic travel is already seeing that. Although that is not one of our core markets.

International leisure is already seeing some nice little green shoots, which we are incredibly happy and thankful for especially since we can operate in East Africa, where we also have a footprint. So, the bounceback is certainly faster there for FITs. People are wanting to travel, they are excited to see the world again, the wanderlust is there, and Africa is a wonderful and unique destination that would certainly be top-of-mind for travellers.

On the other hand, the incentive industry, which is Dragonfly Africa and Green Route Africa’s bread and butter, will bounce back much later, definitely softer and initially quite slower than before.

In my opinion once a vaccine is found, the comeback will be quicker and once people get over the fear of the unknown and the pandemic etc. I believe incentive travel especially to our destinations (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zanzibar) will be immense.

Therefore, we just need to ride this tsunami out, survive it strongly with our core values well in place, keep our companies liquid; to ensure that we can face what I believe is going to be a beautiful onslaught of travellers! Especially incentive reward travellers wanting to come to Africa, the destination that ticks all the boxes for motivational and reward travel.

For now, we are already seeing changes in the landscape. We have had numerous client calls and interactions and have heard from our partners that groups will be smaller, and perhaps in rotations – to facilitate big sales numbers, rather than moving large masses of people around. Exclusivity and privacy top-of-mind.

Big cities will possibly be avoided initially, and a trend towards staying at smaller, exclusive properties where there is less or no interaction with other guests and maybe even specifically go for properties that can offer exclusive buyouts.

I think again we stand in very good stead if you look at our usual competing destinations such as Asia, United States, South America etc. and even Europe, with the recent terrorist attacks, where people probably won’t feel comfortable travelling to initially.

So that is a positive for us, the destination itself is a big pull and specifically for South Africa the value-for-money for international currency exchange.

We are also seeing in some instances individual travel vouchers that are given to corporates where winners can travel on their own and not in big groups. So, they are still being rewarded, and still having a great experience but just on an individual basis.

There will for sure be a focus on CSR and give-back opportunities for clients travelling because the whole globe has literally gone into a recession and ‘give back’, ‘going green’ and leaving less of a footprint is vital. •