INTERNATIONAL TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

we want to do this in person.

Esmaré Steinhöfel, Regional Director: Africa, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA)

The business events industry experienced a continued resurgence in 2023 as, globally, we left the constraints of the pandemic behind us. Of course, being a global industry, we must learn to negotiate difficult and disturbing events as and when they occur. Yet, as we look towards 2024, we are buoyed by a willingness to meet, collaborate, and find solutions for the betterment of all. And

The last few years have taught us to be resilient, to adapt, and to change. It has taught us to innovate. There is a need for innovation that courses through our associations, our venues, our DMOs, and our suppliers. And, in ICCA’s view, through constant innovation, we find points of difference, making events better, more engaging, and more rewarding. As business events people, it is our job to facilitate the very best experiences so that associations can show their members the real value and worth of travelling and meeting in person.

Advocacy is now part of the ICCA DNA. We are proud champions of sustainability, DEI, legacy, and innovation. We implore our industry – at all levels – to use this framework to supercharge proposals and best practices. Events need to matter, not in the sharing of information, but in a way of promoting idealism for the betterment of all. ICCA is committed to bringing this language to government and policymakers so that we can reiterate the value our community brings to cities, towns, and countries in terms of revenue, global exposure, and opportunity. We must wear our achievements and our ambitions with equal pride. We must tell bigger and bolder stories about who we are… and what we do. Factors such as co-creation, listening at a micro- and macro-level and shaping the industry from top to bottom… will deliver more value to our members. None of this is more crucial than developing new talent and new markets, and perhaps, one is the key to unlocking the other.

Global events are rapidly returning to Africa, and we are seeing extensive growth in association meetings. Kigali, in Rwanda, recently hosted the World Travel and Tourism Council, a great global opportunity for all involved to promote the country and the region.

The forecast is positive, but remember that sustainability remains a cornerstone of industry growth. As we move further into developing markets in Africa, it is imperative that we prioritise sustainable best practices. It is what our associations expect. Sustainable event planning not only aligns with global efforts to combat climate change, but resonates with a generation of consumers, businesses, and politicians. It remains the biggest story we tell. By bringing this narrative into every conversation, we begin speaking about legacy, future and hope. ahead, next year. At the end of the year, we will publish the ‘5 trends to watch’ for 2024.

It is our role to hope and to show what we are capable of when we work together. It is in our gifting, as meeting professionals, to accept that the smallest changes we make in personal attitude and aptitude, might be the biggest change of all.

For Business Events Africa, here is a sneak peek at the first two trends:

• Focus, focus, focus on the changing customers

All our conversations and surveys show that our industry is focusing ever more on the specific needs of our customers. As much as this should be a given for every business, it is here that we see expectations and demands evolving ever faster. This includes everything from real-time data from the show floor to DEI policies, from carbon budgets to matchmaking, from pricing structures to year-round activations. In 2024, we will see a lot of learning and adapting, with many of the new, young talented people who join our industry, putting their skills from other industries to work in our changing industry.

• Climate crisis regulations finally leave the pandemic behind and relegate those hard years to the past.

Although it’s been a busy and buoyant year, we can still see the impact of the pandemic as many companies continue to rebuild. Our clients are also rebuilding, which means that they are looking for value-for-money solutions.

Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer at UFI

It took our face-to-face industry only two years to essentially recover from the most serious pandemic in more than a century. In addition, the industry has managed to deal with global inflationary pressures not seen in a generation. On top of that, we have faced new wars and growing geopolitical tensions. Despite all of those challenges, our industry has recovered and returned to growth mode. And, as investor fantasies around the metaverse and virtual events imploded, there is no lack of investors willing to put their money into our industry and our core business model.

All of this is quite remarkable. It speaks to the power of our industry and our business model. We build and operate marketplaces and meeting places where people come together in person. The value of that simple model has been proven once again.

So — are we all good to go, for 2024? As with every year, the UFI team has been listening to and talking with our members and industry leaders from all around the world to get their views on what lies

In 2023, for the first time, the global surface temperature partially tracked 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than in pre-industrial times, as planet Earth experienced the hottest year, on average, since the dawn of humanity. Extreme weather conditions will lead to more frequent show cancellations and postponements. They will also impact travel and show attendance. Climaterelated reporting standards are being introduced. More and more businesses are prioritising their investments to match emission targets. The ‘Net Zero Business Events’ Initiative delivers good practices and evolving industry standards, but our industry will need to speed up and go beyond the ‘lowhanging fruit’ if we want to remain in control over how our industry responds to this very real threat.

All five trends for 2024 will be published on the UFI Blog in December 2023 — to read them, visit: blog.ufi.org

Justin Hawes, Past President of IFES (International Federation of Exhibition & Event Services) and Managing Director of Scan Display Review of 2023

This has been a positive year for the local business events industry, with the industry operating normally, although somewhat differently to the modus operandi pre2020 — with smaller teams and infrastructure, and vigilant cost management. We have been happy to

Many people who left the industry during the pandemic have re-joined, and new staff members have been employed and trained. This means that our skills base is strong again, enabling us to work efficiently.

While there have been many large global exhibitions and conferences taking place in South Africa and other African countries this year, I think the biggest growth has been in smaller, niche, and focused conferences, launches, and meetings.

On the exhibition stand and display front, we have seen smaller exhibits with more vibrant colour and graphics. We’ve also seen LED display walls and reusable fabric graphics being used on a large scale. Exhibition stands have had fewer closed meeting spaces, to allow for greater interaction between exhibitors and visitors. The demand for personal interaction we experienced in 2022 has continued.

Sustainability is becoming more and more mainstream, and our industry is cognisant of the wasteful nature of events and is attempting to minimise its carbon footprint. It was great to see the 2023 SAACI conference successfully showcasing several clever sustainable initiatives.

Outlook for 2024

This coming year looks set to be another positive one for our industry. Our skills base is stronger and more efficient than previously, and the even-year means that there will be some large biennial events taking place.

I expect the growth in business events in Africa to continue and that South African suppliers will participate in this growth, as their skills are in demand throughout the continent. industry, with most parts of the world back to or close to pre-covid numbers. It is extremely encouraging to see the resilience of our industry.

We know that sustainability will continue to be an important issue as the Joint Meetings Industry Council, an international federation of business event associations, continues to spearhead the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) initiative to address climate change. This means that there will likely be more pressure on the local industry to prioritise sustainability.

Despite geopolitical influences, it seems that this trend will continue into 2024 and include the Asia Pacific market, which has seen a more sluggish recovery. All indications show an upward trend which will continue and perhaps gain momentum.

While the supply chain and capacity issues we were facing a year ago have lessened, there are still some challenges that will carry over as we continue to move forward.

Our industry must continue to strive for diversity, equality, and inclusion. It is not just a new hot topic: it is one we must consistently embrace and demonstrate in the business we do.

2023 has been a banner year in our

The acquisition and retention of qualified, competent staff is still a struggle for many. Most attempts to lure back pre-covid staff has been unsuccessful as there is still a slight perception that our industry is unstable in terms of job security. Various solutions to remedy this situation are, for example, to provide a good work-life balance (to which our business is not always conducive), employee education, and advancement opportunities.

The path to Net Carbon Zero Events (NCZE) is a challenging and rocky road and is affected by so many elements — legislative bodies, financial concerns, and resources. The NCZE goal to connect the event industry globally towards net zero by 2050 is a major project, involving many stakeholders in the value chain. A great amount of time, effort, and resources must be allocated in this arena for us to achieve this goal. This will continue to be a major focus next year and beyond.

The future is bright, all indicators show that our upward trend will remain steady (assuming that there are no drastic changes in the geopolitical situation). Forecasts depict that we are likely to see growth on a small-scale next year. We can now concentrate on moving out of the survival and recovery mode and look forward to a future of growth, innovation, and expansion.