South Africa shines at IMEX America

South Africa proudly showcased its diverse and vibrant business events offering at the prestigious IMEX America, last month at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

With almost 15,000 confirmed participants on the show floor, of which over 5,000 were buyers, the exhibition was a great platform for the twenty South African exhibitors who partnered with the South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB) to cement South Africa’s position as a top-tier destination for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions.

As an emerging global player in the business events sector, South Africa left an indelible mark at IMEX America, where the show floor was buzzing with excitement as buyers learned about the array of immersive and unique tourism products that make South Africa stand out from the rest.

Participating in such global trade shows continues to yield returns for the South African business sector. The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) will host its annual conference at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in May 2026. This comes at the back of a meeting that took place at the SANCB stand during last year’s IMEX in Las Vegas, when the ISMRM representatives visited the SANCB stand, engaged with the Cape Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau, a unit within Wesgro and the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) team with a request for a proposal, and within a short period of two months, the deal between the Cape Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau, CTICC, SANCB, and ISMRM was signed and converted. This conference will see over 5,000 delegates from over 55 different countries coming to explore South Africa.

This illustrates the value and economic benefit of participating at global business events trade shows. From breathtaking event venues, luxurious accommodations, and state-of-the-art conference facilities to unparalleled natural beauty, South Africa offers a unique and enchanting experience to both international and domestic visitors. During the event, the South African delegation presented an array of immersive and unique tourism products that make South Africa stand out from the rest. Both the South African exhibitors and the buyers from across the globe found the show to be an ideal platform for networking, collaboration, and the exploration of exciting future business opportunities.

Zinhle Nzama, acting chief convention bureau officer of SANCB, said that the South African exhibitors represented the country very well. South Africa meant business. “Team South Africa had their hands full as they moved from one meeting to the next, and the message was clear: South Africa is ready to host quality business events, with worldclass infrastructure fit for global meetings, events and incentives travel,” she added.

Ms Nzama said South Africa’s exhibitors were overwhelmed by walk-in clients over and above the scheduled meetings, which bodes well for the tourism industry and injection to our GDP.

The SANCB team was also busy recruiting buyers for Meetings Africa, South African Tourism’s Pan African business events trade show, which will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 27-28 February 2024.

In closing, Ms Nzama said, “IMEX America 2023 was fantastic, and as our team and our valued partners depart Las Vegas, energised by the quality of buyers and their enthusiasm for the destination, we held close to 500 meetings, over ten group presentations and have generated close to two hundred leads. We are looking forward to hearing testimonies from our exhibitors about converted deals over the coming months.”