SAACI NEWS

Associations: The driving force behind destination success for meetings and events

In the dynamic landscape of the meetings and events industry, destinations are prioritising collaboration with associations to gain a significant competitive edge. Industry representative associations play a pivotal role in enhancing a destination’s appeal, fostering economic growth, and ensuring a seamless experience for event organisers and attendees alike.

De Kock, chief executive officer of SAACI

One of the key advantages of association collaboration is the ability to pool collective resources and expertise. This was witnessed during the pandemic, when fourteen local industry associations within the meetings, events, arts, and sports sectors collaborated under the banner of the SA Events Council. By combining their strengths, the associations were able to utilise their combined networks too. In driving better engagement with stakeholders, both nationally and internationally, the meetings and events industry’s supply chain can create ecosystems that deliver events that enhance a destination’s appeal. It also ensures that shared expertise is always available with experience-based solutions.

In addition, and even more so now, there is a need to create comprehensive bid proposals that showcase a wide range of facilities, services, and local expertise, making the destination more attractive to event organisers, which in turn drives demand for our country. As an industry, we need to leverage this core element more in South Africa.

This pooling of resources may extend beyond the bidding process, as associations can coordinate marketing efforts, share best practices, and leverage their collective networks to promote the destination effectively.

Our destination capabilities in hosting large-scale meetings and events are well documented. We have the logistical, accommodation, and venue management capabilities that match many an international destination and are sometimes even better in certain areas. Through collaboration, as associations we have to leverage our members’ combined knowledge and connections to address the future and more importantly, consider how we wish to set our destination apart from the rest.

Many of our local associations, can tap into their deep-rooted relationships with businesses, government agencies, and community organisations, securing support and leveraging local resources to ensure a seamless event experience.

One of the crucial roles is to advocate for policies and regulations that support the meetings and events industry, within the destination. At the same time, we need to ensure that we have a singular narrative. By working together, we can present a unified voice and lobby for infrastructure improvements, favourable tax policies, and other initiatives that enhance the destinations’ attractiveness for hosting events. These advocacy efforts can have a lasting impact on the destinations’ competitiveness and long-term success.

In the past year, we have seen more cross-promotion and networking opportunities, such as events hosted by one association that are promoted to the members of other associations, expanding the potential audience and attracting more attendees to the destination. This crosspollination of attendees not only benefits the associations themselves, but also generates increased economic activity for the host destination.

The meetings and events industry is a significant driver of economic growth, and associations play a vital role in amplifying this impact. By collaborating to attract more events to a destination, associations contribute to increased visitor spending, job creation, and tax revenue generation. This economic activity can spur new investments, infrastructure development, and overall community growth, creating a virtuous cycle of destination enhancement.

In today’s competitive landscape, destinations pioritising association collaboration will gain a distinct advantage. By leveraging collective resources, addressing logistical challenges, advocating for supportive policies, facilitating crosspromotion, and driving economic impact, associations become the driving force behind a destination’s success in attracting and hosting successful meetings and events.