A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
Rebuilding the industry together The splendour and majesty of the Drakensberg is one of the big tourist drawcards of KwaZulu-Natal.
Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau is committed to recovery for our industry and the provincial economy. We know that the business events industry will lead the way towards global economic recovery in the near future. By Sonto Mayise, acting chief convention bureau officer of the Durban KZN Convention Bureau.
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s the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), we have taken swift and immediate steps to usher in recovery, such as collaborating with various stakeholders and the private sector. Our recovery efforts will continue and we look forward to being able to come together again as one industry. While Covid-19 continues to affect our ability to host events and travel, the meetings and events industry will remain vulnerable. Yet, through the vision of its leaders and resilience of the industry members, Covid-19 is proving a catalyst for change, forcing the adoption of new skills and business models, as well as shifting the industry towards virtual and hybrid events. Many of us are working from home for the first time, while others are experts at remote work. However, this I believe, will never replace face-to-face meetings– we are social beings and need human connection; we miss face-to-face meetings already! Looking ahead, we will continue working with the South African government in analysing the situation and following government regulations. We will continue adhering to the regulations whilst working
on strategies for future recovery. As a province, we have negotiated with event owners and associations not to CANCEL but rather to POSTPONE the events which were supposed to be hosted from March 2020 and beyond, pushing them to later dates when it will once again be safe to host business events in our destination. There are currently no definite dates for the postponed events as no one has a crystal ball and the end of the pandemic remains unknown. It is safe to say that most of the events are tentatively postponed to the third quarter of 2021 and others for 2022, when the situation improves, of course. With talks of the vaccine on the horizon, we remain hopeful. In terms of costs: before postponing or rescheduling an event because of Covid-19, we engage as parties and come to an agreement. Currently, there are no losses as all the events are postponed rather than cancelled. Should a situation arise that there are issues relating to cost recoveries, we will have to analyse their rights and obligations under relevant material agreements entered between parties. Unfortunately, Covid-19 is new for
14 Business Events Africa January 2021
everyone so there is no one-size-fits-all approach. A valuable lesson for us as an organisation, going forward, is to seriously consider including viruses, epidemics and pandemics in the list of force majeure events in all our agreements. Beyond Covid-19 As we continue with transformational travel, the CB will continue to push and extend the “experience economy” even further. Transformational travel proposes offering highly memorable, authentic experiences while connecting people with a deeper meaning that leads to personal growth and/or self-actualisation. The concept of transformational travel connects and incorporates concepts of wellness, sustainability, community and personal fulfilment through social responsibility programmes. To sum it all up, many of today’s incentive travellers desire more than fun in the sun with a piña colada in hand. Whether it’s a large or a small meeting, we will continue encouraging our partners and associations to have some sort of CSR programmes, to have some kind of positive impact on visitors when they come to the province. www.businesseventsafrica.com
