COMPANY PROFILE

RAD RADISSON

Radisson Hotel Group signed five new hotels across Africa within the first quarter of 2022. Meetings magazine speaks to Sandra Kneubuhler, sales director: South Africa, on the group’s growth strategy.

Radisson Hotel Group is serious about Africa, and this is clear from not just its achievements thus far, but also its ambitious growth targets.

In 2021, Radisson signed 14 new hotel deals for the continent and by the end of the first quarter of this year, it opened five new hotels. It is hoped that by 2025, the group will have 150 hotels in Africa operating under the Radisson umbrella.

“Our next big and important opening for us is the Radisson Blu in Umhlanga, which will open in June. With 207 rooms, it’s located in the heart of the Umhlanga Rocks Village,” says Sandra.

Another exciting development on the cards for Radisson is Radisson Blu Livingstone, ideally situated on a river bend on the Zambezi River. The hotel will open its doors in Q3. In addition, Radisson Safari Hotel Hoedspruit will start welcoming guests in Q1 2023. The 138-room hotel made history when it was announced in 2020 as the first Radissonbranded hotel in South Africa, as well as the first international luxury hotel, for the Lowveld area.

Although the current hotels in the pipeline are all on track to open as scheduled, and Radisson are experts in hotel developments and openings, these aren’t straightforward. And as a rule of thumb, says Sandra, they need to expect the unexpected.

A VARIED OFFERING

Operating in South Africa and competing among a host of different international players, Radisson believes the country presents some rather attractive prospects. “I believe there is always an opportunity for a great product at the right price, regardless of the location. I think there are still some markets within South Africa that are underrepresented, and what we’ve learnt from our experience in places like Dubai is that there is plenty of space for new products that deliver value,” Sandra explains. Sandra is optimistic about Radisson’s expansion within South Africa, and Africa in particular, noting the potential of both the country and continent to grow and change as a destination.

“Africa’s airspace is operating at nearly half of where it was compared to 2019. Looking at the rate of our recovery, even if we address the shortfall, we still have a long way to go. This shows the huge potential for the right opportunities on the continent,” says Sandra.

Interestingly, Covid-19 resulted in Radisson laying claim to a lot more market share than

RESPONSIBLE RADISSON

Responsible business is at the core of everything that Radisson does; in April this year, the group announced that it has committed to being a net-zero carbon contributor by 2050.

“Radisson Hotel Group is making a strong commitment to decarbonise its business by setting ambitious emission reduction targets to be net-zero by 2050 – in line with the SBTi Net-Zero Standard. Building on its long heritage as a leading sustainable hotel group, Radisson Hotel Group’s 2021 Responsible Business Report outlines its latest sustainability targets in line with its strategic five-year plan. These include its commitment to becoming net-zero by 2050, to accelerating the implementation of the cross-industry Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality and Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative, and to reaffirming the group’s commitment to people, community, and planet.”

prior to 2020, and this is an opportunity the group wants to harness, Sandra adds.

PERSONAL ASPIRATIONS

With a range of hotels across several different markets, Radisson strives to have as diverse a portfolio as possible, and Sandra is passionate about what she does.

“There is something for every customer, in every location, and it is an absolute pleasure to sell for and represent the brand,” she remarks.

Sandra began working for Radisson Hotel Group three years ago when she was appointed to set up a South African sales cluster and tasked with developing a cohesive strategy across the company’s different areas. She had been in her role for a year when the Covid-19 pandemic hit but, she says, this didn’t intimidate her. In fact, this encouraged her to create more effective strategies for the local team. “Sometimes, these situations present ideal opportunities. We used the pandemic to gain market share and customers we never had, and we saw it as a chance to change what wasn’t working for the business,” says Sandra, underscoring that the working culture at Radisson is very ‘entrepreneurial’, allowing one to react rapidly to changing market conditions.

Sandra attributes part of her success at Radisson to those who have supported her in her role, including her mentors, one of whom is Bert Fol, regional director: Africa, Radisson Hotel Group.

“It is unusual when you work for a big corporate to allow so much freedom and latitude to change and diversify, but Radisson’s approach is that they want to develop people from within, and it is a super exciting time to be part of the company,” comments Sandra. BUILDING FORWARD

While many hotels appear to be experiencing a capacity challenge as business has quickly started to pick up within hospitality and travel, Radisson feels it has an advantage in that it opened as many of its hotels as soon as it was possible.

“We took the view that we had to adapt sooner rather than later, and we couldn’t wait for Covid-19 to be over before we opened – most of our hotels in South Africa were open by July 2020,” notes Sandra.

Ensuring the group was operating in this way meant that Radisson was already adapting its staffing models and structure for demand, tweaking this incrementally as the pandemic progressed. Working in this way has since become part of Radisson’s new norm.

“I think we were better placed because we’ve just had a bit more practice,” Sandra says lightheartedly; however, on a more serious note, she states that, as a company, Radisson is committed to its investors, so refining its efficiencies is key.

“We need to ensure that our hotels have optimal returns for our investors. We have had to be flexible and constantly adapt to demand, and I think what helps us is when we have a lot of product in a country; if we have one hotel that is doing really well and another that is experiencing a quieter period, we try to shift some resources around. Working in this way has helped a great deal during this time,” says Sandra.

For Radisson, the guest experience is at the heart of what they do.

“In trying to manage costs, the guest experience should never be compromised,” she concludes.

A comical AFFAIR

Meetings speaks to Carla Massmann, show director of Comic Con Africa, about the strategy to include StreamerCon as part of the show.

StreamerCon is an exceptionally innovative juxtaposition to launch alongside Comic Con Africa – what was the thinking in pairing the two shows? With content creation being massively rooted in meme and pop culture, the link came naturally. Over the past two years, fans have been able to get instant updates, opinions and even companionship from online personalities; the influencer of today is very different to what it was. Content creators are now the micro-influencers who drive exceptional engagement through niche communities.

The South African streaming scene is budding – and we strongly believe that, with the right support from brands and spotlighting creators, we can assist in ushering in a generation of content creators that will be praised worldwide.

We are excited to highlight pop culture as a driving force for content creators and celebrate the creation thereof.

How is StreamerCon being received by the market, and what sponsorship opportunities are you currently offering? StreamerCon has been very well received by the fans, content creators and the industry that supports them. There is an aura of excitement emanating from the community. Regarding sponsorships, StreamerCon does not want to become a sticker book of brand logos and is focusing on creating engaging experiences between brands and fans. The financial foundation of the streaming scene is vital to ensure that it is sustainable. As much as brands want to engage with their fans and users, creators want to engage with brands to monetise their talents.

Images supplied courtesy of Comic Con Africa What sort of uptake do you hope to see in terms of participation, and could this possibly spawn its own event in the future? I believe this is just the beginning of the imminent growth of StreamerCon – and we are glad to be part of the growth of the community and ecosystem. This is a show for the content creation community, and we are pleased to be working with them to create this space. In terms of participation, we are welcoming already established content creators, as well as those who are aspiring to get in on the scene and everyone in-between. At the show, fans can expect workshops, streaming pods, a creator alley and much more.

What growth prospects could we look forward to from StreamerCon – both for the streaming market as well as the event itself? One of the massive growth prospects for StreamerCon is collaboration. We are beyond excited to see the mash-ups and ideas that happen when creative minds meet! It’s quite humbling to be the medium and vehicle for something so explosive.

Having worked closer with the content creation community over the past two years, we are happy to be at the forefront of bringing them together. The community is our guidance and we are excited to be learning from them to deliver on their expectations.

Comic Con Africa and StreamerCon will run concurrently from 22 to 25 September 2022 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre. For more information, visit comicconafrica.co.za.