THE MEETINGS & EVENT PLANNER'S GUIDE TO
KWAZULU-NATAL
WHY KWAZULU-NATAL?
CASE STUDY
• Noteworthy events
•2 1st INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE: The impact of business events
•D urban - an award-winning city •T op things to do in Durban
•D urban ICC shines • F acts and figures
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GROWING SOUTH AFRICA’S ECONOMY Business events have a positive impact on the South African Economy. Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, Chief Convention Bureau Officer at the South Africa National Convention Bureau explains how.
A
S THE SOUTH AFRICA National
Convention Bureau (SANCB), one of the key strategic objectives, for us, is to continue positioning South Africa as a globally competitive, capable, professional, wellorganised and welcoming host destination. This includes the holistic approach we have for tourism in our country, and how we provide and leverage quality experiences delegates have when attending conferences in our country and use them to convert conference attendees into tourists through pre and post tours for them to return to our shores for leisure. Through the SANCB, South Africa now has a strategic platform for collaboration to claim a bigger slice of the global business events market. We are, however, cognisant of the fact that it is important that it is not only South Africa’s business events industry that grows but that of the rest of our African continent, too. Therefore, we have been working in collaboration with some associations and stakeholders for continent-wide marketing opportunities benefiting our African economy. The global meetings industry has also, in the last few years, recognised Africa as a business destination and, with that, we are encouraged to better our efforts. In 2015, South Africa hosted 140 international association meetings and conferences that attracted just under 80 000 delegates to the country. These events generate 542 combined conference days and generated just over R1 billion in economic impact for the country.
South Africa National Convention Bureau
SA_NCB
R765 MILLION INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOWS The SANCB created four international business events trade platforms for the local industry at the following shows: • IMEX, Frankfurt 2015 • IBTM, China 2015 • IMEX, America 2015 • I BTM World, Barcelona 2015. The SANCB subsidised 78 local business events products and services that enabled them to exhibit on the four platforms, including nine companies that qualified for the National Department of Tourism’s Tourism Incentive Programme. The SANCB generated 139 qualified leads from these trade shows, which could potentially attract 92 000 delegates to South Africa and generate R765 million for our economy.
Some 108 of these conferences met the International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) ranking criteria. Conferences that are recognised for the ranking need to meet the following criteria: • Only association conference and meetings are counted. • The meetings and conferences needs to rotate to at least three countries. • The meetings and conferences need to be attended by at least 50 international delegates. South Africa has already secured 66 international association conferences and meetings for the five years starting in 2017. These events are already contracted for South Africa and are guaranteed business for the country’s tourism and hospitality industry. We estimate these events will contribute about R1.4 billion in economic impact, will attract 108 134 association professionals and will generate 311 event days that will benefit all the suppliers in the business events value chain. In addition, we have 45 bids that are still pending, again planned to take place in the years up to 2022. These events have the potential to attract 112 000 delegates, over 216 days, and can potentially contribute R1.5 billion to our economy.
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES HOSTED IN FY 2015/16
South Africa hosted various international conferences and meeting during FY 2015/16. Hosting these conferences in South Africa enabled the country to address key challenges, by hosting leading minds on various topics and focusing the world’s spotlight on African innovation and solutions for these challenges. Some of the highlights included: CONFERENCE
CITY
NUMBER OF DELEGATES
World Forestry Congress
Durban
5 500
World Library and Cape Town Information Congress
3 000
Johannesburg 3 000
AfriCities Summit
SUPPORT SERVICES FOCUS: ORGANISER/DECISION MAKER BIDDING SUPPORT • Bid support • Bid document • Lobbying • Bid promotion • Bid presentations
SITE INSPECTION SUPPORT • Bidding site inspection • Convention planning site inspections
CONVENTION PLANNING SUPPORT • Planning support • Venue and supplier recommendations
FOCUS: DELEGATE/CONSUMER
Photos©Century City Convention Centre
DELEGATE BOOSTING SUPPORT • Marketing support to promote the conference • Delegate attendance promotion
DELEGATE-BOOSTING The SANCB also assisted the local industry with 39 delegate-boosting activations, promoting South Africa as the next host destination at various conferences and meetings around the world. These activations enabled South Africa to reach 115 000 delegates, promoting the country to captive audiences during these promotional activations.
BUSINESS EVENT RESEARCH REPORT 2014/15 The SANCB embarked on a five-year research study to measure a baseline for South Africa’s business events industry. Two years of data have been collected and estimate, based on the report produced in conjunction with Grant Thornton, that the total direct spend for business events was R38.5 billion in 2014 and R42.4 billion in 2015. In 2014, the International Meetings, Conference and Exhibition Industry supported some 267 660 direct and indirect annual job equivalents in South Africa and 280 555 in 2015. This great performance shows that South Africa is a dynamic and stable economy, and we are confident that the work we do at the SANCB will contribute towards maintaining and growing this solid economy. n
South Africa National Convention Bureau
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R2.1 BILLION BID SUBMISSIONS FOR 2015 The SANCB, in conjunction with our city and provincial convention bureaus, submitted 53 bids for international business events during FY 2015/16. These business events have the potential to attract 86 000 delegates to the country, creating 242 combined conference days and generating a potential R1.2 billion in economic impact for the South Africa. These bids contributed towards the number of pending bids that are still awaiting an outcome.
ON-SITE SERVICES • Support toward on-site elements of the event
FOR DESTINATION EXPERTISE AND CONVENTION PLANNING SUPPORT, CONTACT THE SOUTH AFRICA NATIONAL CONVENTION BUREAU Go to www.businessevents.southafrica.net or email convention@southafrica.net or call +27 (0)11 895 3000
businessevents.southafrica.net
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Smart and sophisticated, rural and rustic – there is no denying that KwaZulu-Natal is one of South Africa’s favourite business event destinations.
K
WAZULU-NATAL IS ONE of South Africa’s most
important economic hubs and tourism provinces, and is an area renowned for its conservation efforts, natural attractions, prehistorical and historical sites. Some of its key natural attractions include: • the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park • iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Sites • game reserves such as Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, South Africa’s oldest game reserve and where the white rhino was saved from extinction, and Tembe Elephant Park, which reportedly has the biggest elephant in Africa. The Drakensberg mountains are also renowned for rock art evidence of the early San people, or Bushmen, and this was one of the reasons why the mountain range was declared a World Heritage Site. Some of KwaZulu-Natal’s most fascinating historical sites are battlefields like Blood River, Isandlwana, Rorke’s Drift, Talana, Colenso and Spionkop.
MELTING POT OF CULTURE KwaZulu-Natal also has a rich cultural mix, which ranges from the cultures of one of the biggest Indian population concentrations outside mainland India to the famous Zulu people and communities from European ancestry. This makes KwaZulu-Natal representative of the wider world and a home-away-from-home destination for people from across the globe. This region is also associated with personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, John Dube, Albert Luthuli, Nelson Mandela and Alan Paton. Gandhi, for example, spent much of the more than 20 years that he lived in South Africa at his ashram in Phoenix, which forms part of a unique tourism route known as the Inanda Heritage Route. This route also includes the Ohlanga Educational Institute and the home of Rev John Dube, the first president of the African National Congress. This is the site where Nelson Mandela cast his first vote and went on to report to Rev Dube, at his gravesite, which is also found in the grounds of this institute, “We are finally free.” This symbolically also represented the end of Madiba’s “long walk to freedom”. KwaZulu-Natal is also known for its beach culture, which is influenced by a range of world-class beaches, internationally recognised surf spots and shark-diving reefs. It is this rich heritage and tourism environment that will provide delegates with a particularly distinctive experience while attending a conference in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as providing a deeper understanding of Africa and its resources. n
South Africa National Convention Bureau
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AWARDS
GALORE
Durban and KwaZulu-Natal were rated as Africa’s BEST MICE DESTINATION in 2012 and 2013 by the magazine Business Destinations.
AFRICA’S LEADING MEETINGS AND CONFERENCE DESTINATION BY WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS 2014 AND 2015.
Award-winning USHAKA MARINE WORLD is the fifth biggest aquarium of its kind in the world and has a leadingedge oceanographic research institute.
Voted the friendliest city in South Africa. EST CITY IN SOUTH AFRICA, B in terms of quality of life, in the 18th Mercer Quality of Life survey.
The New York Times named Durban as one of the 52 must-see places of 2015. Durban received the accolade of one of the New7Wonders Cities in 2014.
URBAN ICC has D been voted the best convention centre in Africa on 15 occasions by the World Travel Awards and as one of the top 15 Congress Centres in the world by AIPC. It has also won an international award for Most Environmentally Conscious Congress Centre.
businessevents.southafrica.net
HOSTING
NOTEWORTHY EVENTS It is important to note that Durban, mainly through its international conference centre, the Durban ICC, has successfully hosted a range of significant conferences, including:
A CONFERENCE OR INCENTIVE?
The Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau can assist with:
WELCOME DESK at the King Shaka International Airport TOURISM INFO DESK with collateral
COMPLIMENTARY OR DISCOUNTED VOUCHERS TO KEY ATTRACTIONS
Advising on PREAND POST-TOUR OPPORTUNITIES
A WELCOME RECEPTION and contribution to a GALA DINNER
RAISING OF SPONSORSHIP
CONVENTION PUBLICITY
DISCOUNTED AIRFARES through SAA PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS Educational trips and SITE INSPECTIONS SUPPLIER and VENUE info and quotations
Assistance with CONGRESS BIDS DELEGATE BOOSTING INFORMATION KITS and WELCOME PACKS for delegates SHUTTLE SERVICES IDENTIFICATION OF PCO services
South Africa National Convention Bureau
A HOTEL ROOM HOLDING and complimentary rooms for VIPS and speakers
AND MORE...
CONTACT James Seymour +27 (0)31 366 7580 james@durbankzncb.co.za
SA_NCB
• Microsoft Conference • Sugar Cane Technology Conference • World Congress of Surgeons • International Society of Haematology Conference • International Congress for Electron Microscopy • International Society of Chemotherapy • International Statistical Institute Conference • International Nursing Conference • 5th World Parks Congress • World Lottery Association Congress • International Sociological Association Congress • World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance • International Bar Association • 2007 FIFA Preliminary Draw for the 2010 Football World Cup • 123rd Session of the International Olympic Committee Congress • United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP 17) • 2013 BRICS Summit • 2013 World Association of Co-operative Education • 2014 Congress of the International Union of Architects • 2015 World Forestry Congress • 2015 Congress of the World Baptist Alliance • International AIDS Congress in 2000 and 2016 • Loeries Creative Awards in 2015 and 2016 • 2016 Congress of the International Society of City and Regional Planners
WHAT’S NEXT?
Major conferences lined up for Durban in October: • Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions • Institute of Municipal Finance Officers Conference 2016 • 2nd National Pharmacy Conference 2016 • International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness 10th General Assembly •2 016 World Hospital Federation Congress
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Photo©International AIDS Society/Marcus Rose
BUSINESS EVENTS The International AIDS Conference has not only had a major positive impact on Durban’s economy but it has helped establish the city, as well as South Africa, as a premier business events destination.
T
HE LOCAL ECONOMY of Durban has benefited
directly from the delegates’ spend with the hotels, restaurants, transport providers and tourist attractions. Over and above this, the city is also being showcased to this immense international audience as an attractive destination, which further stimulates the desire for people to return to the destination with their families in future years. From a venue perspective, it is an opportunity to showcase the Durban ICC’s ability to host mega events. The Durban ICC is well suited for events of this nature and has
South Africa National Convention Bureau
SA_NCB
successfully hosted many complex international events for high-profile delegations. Each time the Durban ICC hosts a high-profile event of this nature, it engenders confidence in the rest of the world that our country, the city and the centre can successfully compete at a world-class level.
THE PREMIER CONFERENCE DESTINATION Durban has played the pioneering role in South Africa’s international conference industry, having had the foresight to build the country’s first international convention centre back in 1992. South Africa’s conference industry owes much of its success to Durban and the Durban ICC for the role it played in ensuring that South Africa was welcomed back into the international business tourism community. Durban also offers all of the conveniences one would expect from a modern convention city, including a worldclass airport, an efficient transport system and a wide variety of excellent hotels and restaurants, not to mention the award-winning convention centre. The city’s scenic beauty, golden beaches and glorious sunshine make it an obvious choice for conference organisers. n
businessevents.southafrica.net
Photos©International AIDS Society/Rogan Ward
THE IMPACT OF
FOOD FOR THOUGHT 2 500
8 000
40 000
67 200
30 000
68 800
10 000
140 000
10 800
muffins
bottles of water
sandwiches
cups of coffee
pastries
cold drinks
DID YOU KNOW?
125 500
water cooler cups
1.2
tonnes of fresh fruit
A HELPING HAND
The Durban KZN Convention Bureau helped secure the International AIDS Conference by:
RAISING FINANCIAL SUPPORT WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF SANCB TO SUBSIDISE THE VENUE BY R7 MILLION
FACILITATING CITY DRESSING
HOLDING LEAD-UP WORKSHOPS
EXTENSIVE PROMOTIONAL SUPPORT
FACTS & FIGURES* THE 21ST INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE • 18 to 22 JULY 2016 DURBAN HAS PREVIOUSLY hosted the International Aids Congress, making it and Washington the only cities that have hosted this significant congress on two occasions
R800 MILLION
RECORD-BREAKING The largest event of its kind ever hosted in South Africa South Africa National Convention Bureau
TALKING RANDS AND CENTS
SA_NCB
economic impact from the International AIDS Conference
10 500 BEDROOMS
All hotels within a 45-minute drive were booked out. In addition, delegates stayed in alternative accommodation
20 000 +
combined delegates, exhibitors and visitors to the global village
CREATING JOBS 300 extra security personnel on duty
500 waiters and bar staff per day
120 supporting staff
assisting with set-up, technical requirements and turning around of venue configurations
businessevents.southafrica.net
Photos©Durban ICC
litres of milk
bottles of SA wine
* Info supplied by Durban KZN Convention Bureau and Durban ICC
loaves of bread
Photo©International AIDS Society/Marcus Rose
In the lead-up to the International AIDS Conference, these are some of the selected food and beverage items Durban ICC procured in preparation for the conference:
THINGS TO DO IN
DURBAN
EAT
PLAY
LEARN
More information: southafrica.net/za/en/articles/overview/durban
THE INDIAN DISTRICT
THE GOLDEN MILE
HIT THE BEACH
FLORIDA ROAD
Two waves of Indian imigration – one of indentured servants under British rule beginning in 1860 and the second by traders in the 1880s onward – helped make Durban home to the highest concentration of Indians outside India. You can stop off at the Zulu muthi (traditional medicine) market and the Victoria street market (the Vic), where dealers in traditional kurtas and saris hawk incense, ornately embroidered fabrics and aromatic spices.
Named for the golden, sandy beaches lining the coastal edge of the city’s central business district, the popular “Mile” actually extends about 6 km from Blue Lagoon south to Addington Beach and Durban Harbour. A wide, brick-paved promenade makes it easy to walk, jog or bike the route, detouring out on the piers to watch surfers and kite boarders or soaking in the warm Indian Ocean breeze.
Comfortable sea temperatures
With its warm street vibe
averaging 21°C year-round, a subtropical climate, and over 300 days of sunshine make any day in Durban a potential beach day. Each stretch of golden sand has its own identity: the South Coast for world-class surfing, Addington Beach for families and the Bay of Plenty for beach volleyball tournaments. The Golden Mile beaches closest to Durban’s city centre are the most convenient.
and unique, historic architecture, spending time on Florida Road in Durban is an atmospheric experience. Home to a range of restaurants, galleries, boutiques, studios and bars, Florida Road has earned its reputation as one of the city's trendiest streets, where people gather to shop, eat, drink, meet and hang out.
THE BOTANICAL GARDENS Founded in 1849, Africa’s oldest surviving botanical gardens house one of the world’s top collections of “living fossil” plants. These pre-dinosaur cycads (seed-producing plants extending back 250 million years) face possible extinction in the wild. The Wood's cycad species is named for founding Durban Botanical Gardens curator and botanist John Medley Wood, who, in 1895, discovered a single, surviving cycad plant in a Zululand forest. Walking through the gardens’ cycad forest is a bit like stepping on to the set of Jurassic Park. No dinosaurs here, but the pink-backed pelicans sitting in the trees do look eerily like pterodactyls..
South Africa National Convention Bureau
SA_NCB
BEYOND DURBAN South Africa is home to a wealth of diverse destinations and experiences. Popular destinations outside of Durban include Nelson Mandela’s capture site, Mahatma Gandhi’s Phoenix Settlement, and, further afield, there’s the option of flying to Cape Town or Johannesburg.
MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM Take a trip on the SkyCar or make the 550-step adventure walk to the top of the arch and enjoy panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and Durban. Or take a look inside the stadium. For the adrenaline junkies, try plunging off the 106 m arch on the Big Swing or explore the stadium on a Segway.
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