THE LAST WORD

The future of conferencing

Virtual conferencing holds a great many benefits outside of the obvious, post-Covid-19 safety factors. From a lower carbon footprint to cutting down on travel logistics and costs; more efficient time-usage by speakers and better focus by breakaway groups.

By Samuel Nassimov, managing director of Premier Hotels & Resorts.

Premier Hotels & Resorts, has confirmed that its business events business is exceeding its late 2019 performance, with the government sector proving stronger than the corporate market — which is still lagging. Although meaningful comparisons are difficult, we have seen growth of 29 per cent in 2022 business events performance, compared to the 2021 last four months trading, as restrictions eased. Overall, corporates largely remain cautious of big events, conference gatherings and many prefer the hybrid approach — with training and meetings taking place online or at their offices. This is expected to improve markedly in the second half of the year — notwithstanding the current energy crisis and their need to rebuild and strengthen their teams, exchanging ideas in person and building new networks.

That being said, out of all the feedback we’ve received from returning conferencing clients and from personal experience in the space, we can safely say that faceto-face conferencing is still superior.

Forward pipelines are still not as robust as 2019, but we are extremely encouraged by the demand for our flagship ELICC and Premier Hotels in East London. We also welcome an upsurge in sport, association and NGO business, which is encouraging.

International incentives and groups continue to lag due to restricted airline capacity and other country Covid travel restrictions — with the major nodes of Sandton, Durban and Cape Town still to recover thoroughly.

Exactly when we will once again be able to host ‘bigger’ face-to-face conferences in our venues, remains to be seen. So here are a few things to consider when it comes to conferencing in the short- to medium-term future:

Innovation is key

If Covid has taught us one thing, it is to innovate. Those entrepreneurs, brands and businesses who are adaptable, dynamic and innovative despite the past 18 months (or because of it) are the ones that will thrive, now and in the future.

Much like the live entertainment industry (we’re not talking about ‘regular’ business meetings here — a clear distinction needs to be made between conferences and business meetings) the conference sphere was forced to go virtual — moving to video-chat screens, with digital presentations and typed, chat-style Q&A sessions. Those companies that managed to do this in the most userfriendly and engaging ways are the ones that will (and have to date) garnered the most engagement from their dignitaries.

Smart use of technology

There is a wealth of conferencing technology and apps out there and the quality of the voice and video imaging continues to improve. Being able to follow crisp, clear presentations in real-time is why conferencing is back in demand. In addition to the face-to-face sessions, there will be digital recordings so that delegates can revisit the sessions post event, and it offers the opportunity for experts to dial in from all over the world. Venues have geared up to meet all these factors. At Premier Hotels & Resorts, we have various conference-specific venues across the country and all are well-equipped with the latest in AV and streaming equipment to facilitate both the in-person and the hybrid model.

Around the water cooler

One of the biggest benefits of ‘traditional’ (face-to-face) conferencing is the off-the-mic time. The networking, team-building and impromptu strategy sessions that occur away from the structured sessions. This is simply not possible in the virtual realm. Not on the same level of depth, anyway.

Hybrid or bust

It is from the learnings of previous events in the conferencing and entertainment space (and from the current remote-working philosophy of day-to-day business) that it is also likely we will see a ‘hybrid’ model of sorts, going forward. A model that incorporates both physical and virtual aspects. The ‘best of both’ if you will.

We remain committed to our government partners and believe that this sector will also show good growth in the second half of 2022.

Our primary focus remains on growing our market share in the corporate market and we believe our national footprint, and properties in the primary business nodes – including the newlyopened Umhlanga properties and refurbished Sandton hotels – positions us favourably to compete head-on with the larger hotel groups.

Who is Samuel Nassimov?

Samuel Nassimov is the managing director of one of South Africa’s fastest growing, independently owned hotel groups, Premier Hotels & Resorts. In 1990 he acquired the Carlton Hotel in East London which was later revamped and renamed as the King David Suites & Conference Centre. From a humble beginning of 40 bedrooms, Sam has grown the group’s portfolio to encompass 25 hotels and resorts, providing almost 2,000 bedrooms to discerning business and leisure travellers and employing in excess of 1,500 employees. Undoubtedly, the jewel in the crown is the East London International Convention Centre and adjacent Premier Hotel EL ICC which was developed in 1992.