COVER STORY: KWAZULU-NATAL

KwaZulu-Natal — a majestic business events destination

The Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau (KZNCB) closed off 2022 on a high and positive note and ushered in 2023 with a number of bids won, up until 2030.

Sonto Mayise, general manager: convention bureau of Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau, said: “In 2022, the KZNCB, together with industry partners staged over 26 business events. The estimated economic impact generated in 2022 stands at around R2.2-billion for the province of KwaZulu-Natal.”

Ms Mayise said: For 2023, there are currently over 30 business events on the events calendar, which will welcome over 30,000 local and international delegates, thus translating into over R390-million in estimated economic impact.

At the end of 2022, Durban was voted as Africa's Leading Meetings and Conference Destination, at the 29th World Travel Awards.

Ms Mayise said: “This award globally recognised as the most prestigious honours in travel and tourism, and the province's victory in these awards is the ultimate industry accolade. This honour recognises our organisation's commitment to excellence, which put our province on the global map and created a positive image for our destination.”

“This win further cemented the province’s place among the leading destinations for business meetings and conferences in Africa,” she added.

Ms Mayise, continued: “It is also worth mentioning that, during the quarter ending in September 2022, of which it was a difficult period in KwaZulu-Natal, due to floods and other challenges, however KZN led as a host province for MICE travel, which is a testament that business events can play a meaningful role in economic recovery and growing the economy of the region.”

KwaZulu-Natal will continue to use business events as a key sector to grow the economy of the province.

Looking ahead

Ms Mayise shared some of the business event trends to be mindful of in 2023 and beyond:

“Business events trends have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is expected that hybrid and virtual events will continue to be popular in 2023 and beyond, as many companies and organisations have realised the benefits of these formats, such as cost savings and increased accessibility. Additionally, many attendees have become more comfortable with virtual events, and may prefer them over in-person events in the future with many events shifting to virtual or hybrid formats to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

“There has also been an increase in the use of technology, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, to enhance the event experience. Additionally, there has been a rise in the popularity of sustainable and socially responsible events. As the pandemic continues, it is likely that hybrid and virtual events will become more prevalent, and that technology will continue to play a larger role in the events industry,” she said.

Ms Mayise added: “Technology will also continue to play a large role in business events, as companies and organisations look to enhance the virtual and hybrid event experience. Virtual and augmented reality, live streaming, and interactive online platforms will become more prevalent in the events industry.

“Sustainability and social responsibility will also continue to be important trends in the business events industry.

Companies and organisations will be expected to take steps to minimise the environmental impact of their events and to promote social and economic inclusion.

“Another trend that is expected to continue is the emphasis on personalised experiences. Companies and organisations will look to create tailored experiences for attendees based on their interests and needs,” she said.

Ms Mayise, added: “Finally, data-driven decision making will also be important in the business events industry, as companies and organisations will look to use data to understand the impact of their events and to make better-informed decisions about event planning and execution. However, that all being said, it is important to note that face-to-face events have returned in full swing as people want to have that human interaction, as physical meetings helps to build trust and develop strong, lasting business relationships.

“As we continue with transformational travel, the KZNCB 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,” she said.

Ms Mayise added: “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 programme, to have some kind of positive impact when they come to the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Indeed, we are seeing a huge trend in both sustainability as well as give-back components and, as the Convention Bureau, we would like to encourage our partners and event owners to include this programme in their conference and incentive programmes when hosting in KwaZulu-Natal. This will be a long-lasting legacy for the destination as we rebuild together.”

“SMME and youth opportunities are also growing in the business events space in KwaZulu-Natal, noting though that the growth is slower than expected because of several challenges including the fact that as the Convention Bureau, we do not own the events, we depend on the event owners and associations to deliver on this mandate.”

“Creating an environment of inclusivity is not just about making sure that there is compliance, but the geographic spread is in the economic development of the various districts of KwaZulu-Natal. This is also not happening at the speed we would like it to happen because of factors like accessibility and availability of suitable venues. However, there has been some growth in hosting events in various districts of KwaZulu-Natal, outside of Durban,” Ms Mayise said.

In growing the business events in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the convention bureau has partnered with various private and public sector partners as we build and capacitate business events professionals and SMMEs around the province, for them to be able to be major players in the business events space.

The province of KwaZulu-Natal is excited with the future major events that are planned for the Province of KwaZuluNatal for the year 2023 and beyond, as the team has been hard at work lobbying for these major events to be hosted in the beautiful province of KwaZulu-Natal.

“The convention bureau is responsible to bid for business events nationally and internationally. Part of this includes researching potential events that will contribute substantially to the KwaZuluNatal economy, and contribute towards the transformation of the province’s business events sector,” Ms Mayise concluded.