A WiM win The Top Women in MICE Awards for 2020 was

from Meetings March April 2020

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Now in its seventh year, in the lead-up to its next chapter, the Top Women in MICE (WiM) Awards 2020 promises to be the best yet.

The event has, over its years, evolved to ensure that it takes all strides necessary to uphold the excellence of women within the meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions industry. This year is no different and – with the announcement of its new

A WiM win

The Top Women in MICE Awards for 2020 was officially launched on 26 February 2020 at the Sandton Convention Centre. Meetings sees what’s in store for this year’s instalment.

theme, judges, mentorship programme and its inaugural brand ambassador – the WiM Awards will continue to recognise the women who are upping the ante and propelling the MICE industry forward.

VERSION 2.0 The theme for this year’s Top WiM Awards is Version 2.0. This signifies a new dawn for the format of the Awards, which, historically, have recognised 40 women within the industry along with special category winners.

“The Version 2.0 theme was chosen because we are ready to take these Awards to the next level and refresh how they are done with what we want to achieve through them,” commented Jacques Breytenbach, general manager at 3S Media.

This is defining for the Top Women in MICE Awards because, going forward, they will be fully categorised (see Categories sidebar).

“We believe that these categories embody and reflect the qualities we see in women within the MICE industry and we could not be prouder of the strides we are taking in order to recognise women in this way,” announced Shanna Jacobsen, editor of Meetings magazine, during the launch of the Awards.

The announcement took place at a ceremony held at Sandton Convention Centre on 26 February 2020, alongside the 15th annual Meetings Africa event, with industry heavy-

WIM AMBASSADOR

During the launch of the Top WiM Awards 2020, it was revealed that Thami Nkadimeng would be representing WiM as an initiative. As a Top 40 WiM recipient in 2016, Thami embodies the qualities that the Awards uphold and will bear the flag for WiM across South Africa, and beyond.

hitters such as Cape Town International Convention Centre CEO Taubie Motlhabane and Durban ICC CEO Lindiwe Rakharebe in attendance. Guests were welcomed by chief convention bureau officer of the South Africa National Convention Bureau Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo.

TOP WOMEN IN MICE MENTORSHIP & DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE In addition to the announcement of its new format, Shanna also revealed that the Top Women in MICE Mentorship & Development Initiative is partnering with Queen Ramotsehoa, founder of the Tsheto Leadership & Coaching Academy, to roll out an exciting programme over the first quarter of 2020.

The mentorship programme has specifically chosen to partner with Queen and the Tsheto Leadership & Coaching Academy for its

empowered and empowering approach to achieve high-performance results. Together with Queen’s expertise, this will ensure that the mentorship programme is effective and delivers real benefits to the young women who are starting out in the industry.

“We hope that the programme gives back meaningfully to our valued women in MICE. Our aim is to equip them with the skills and tools needed to better give back to our young up-and-comers and help shape our future leaders,” said Shanna on the significance of the programme. The audience was left feeling inspired when Jane Linley-Thomas, East Coast Radio presenter and co-founder of KindnessCan, delivered the official keynote to underpin the overall messaging for the morning.

“Kindness can change the world and that starts right here, with us,” she said.

MEET THE JUDGES

The organisers of the Top WiM Awards 2020 are immensely proud of our judging panel, which is a powerhouse if ever there was one. This year, we welcome the participation of:

• Nonnie Kubeka Executive Director, Gauteng Conventions & Events Bureau • Sonto Mayise Acting Head, KZN Conventions Bureau • Sonto Ndlovu CEO, Limpopo Tourism Authority • Corne Koch CEO, Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Wesgro) • Vanessa Perumal Managing Director, JT Communications