Key takeaways from IMEX Frankfurt

For the first time since May 2019, the IMEX Frankfurt show took place in person at Messe Frankfurt in Germany from 31 May to 2 June 2022. IMEX – in Frankfurt – is the largest trade show in Europe for the meetings and events industry, bringing together global event planners and buyers with significant buying power.

Of the 9,000 attendees, more than 3,000 were buyers looking to place their upcoming meetings, exhibitions, and incentive programmes. In addition to one-on-one appointments between exhibitors and planners, a series of educational sessions took place, to deliver a better understanding of the post-pandemic landscape for planning and executing events.

Century City Conference Centre and Hotels joint chief executive officer’s Gary Taylor and Glyn Koetser attended the show and provided a snapshot of some of the key takeaways from the show as the industry begins to bounce back from the global pandemic.

Which new trends and topics have you discovered at the show?

There was a big shift from quantity to quality, and some of the biggest trends include digitalisation, innovation and sustainability.

It was very evident that live in-person meetings are preferred by all and that the meeting and events industry is back on track. Human beings are a social species and wired to connect.

We crave interpersonal relationships which can only be achieved when connecting with others in person. Sustainability continues to be a regular topic of discussion and is fast becoming one of the decision-making factors, our Net Zero Carbon Pledge for the events industry is incredibly important.

Buyers who we met with were also interested in our commitment to hygiene protocols in terms of sanitising stations, food service and preparation areas. Two words which come to mind when thinking about events into the future — experience and education! People are looking for new experiences and are happy to travel far and wide if they are gaining new information and knowledge.

What is the sentiment of business travel in general?

Sentiment is very positive, and the vast majority of business travellers are keen to get back to travelling for business. However, there are still a few who are either concerned for their and their families health while others would like to travel less in order to reduce carbon emissions. However, this is certainly the minority. The general sentiment is that business travel will return to pre-Covid levels by 2024.

It’s still early to gauge, however, we expect average length of stay to increase slightly and frequency of trips to decrease, not only due to the increasing rise in the cost of flights, but also due to the advancement in technology which has become useful for smaller one-onone meetings.

What is the perception of international business travel to SA?

South Africa and – specifically Cape Town – is still very much a desired destination for business travel and events. Perception of the quality of our hotels, conference facilities, food and value for money is very good, however, we are still painted with the same brush as the rest of the country when it comes to crime.

This does pose a challenge for us and, along with SA Tourism, we need to spend time and money promoting ourselves as a safe destination to travel to. We are also very fortunate to have numerous International Airlines flying daily into Cape Town, which provides us with great accessibility from the USA, Europe and the Middle East. A further concern is how to access the country internally, the stability of SAA and now, with the recent liquidation of Comair (British Airways and Kulula), travellers will think twice when planning their respective itineraries

What is the perception of SA currently as a safe and viable destination?

South Africa should see this is an opportunity to change the perception by educating source markets on what we have done to mitigate crime over the past few years. Several competitor countries are now facing similar challenges with migrants, racial tensions, xenophobia and violent crime.

About Century City’s Conference Centre and Hotels

Century City’s Conference Centre and Hotels stands out as one of the best conference and event venues that Cape Town has to offer. Century City Conference Centre boasts an ideal central location at the heart of Cape Town’s vibrant Century City precinct and is conveniently situated close to all of the Mother City’s key travel services and attractions. Voted as Africa’s most sustainable venue in 2019, Century City Conference Centre is the only conference centre in Cape Town that has been developed as part of a mixed-use development, with the award of a four-star Green Star Certification by the Green Building Council of South Africa.

The Conference Centre can accommodate up to 1,900 guests across 20 different, thoughtfully designed spaces boasting bold architecture, strong colours and unique artworks. There are approximately 900 rooms within walking distance of the Conference Centre, including their two hotels:

• Century City Hotel Urban Square, and

• Century City Hotel Bridgewater.

What is the outlook on business and events tourism?

There is a lot of pent-up demand and, based on what we have already experienced so far, during May and June 2022, you would hardly know that there was ever a global pandemic. Almost every buyer, hotel operator or DMC who we spoke to was extremely optimistic about the forecast through to the end of the year. Our challenge, going forward, will be how to fulfil customer expectations, but without compromising safety. South Africa can further stimulate demand by addressing its current political and economic image internationally.