The Event Issue 10

Issue 10 | 2018

X I MEE RICA AM

+ MAURITIUS

Blending Business and Leisure Effortlessly

+ LOST IN TRANSLATION

Navigating the Complex World of Languages

+ MIDSIZE CITIES

Why Planners Prefer Smaller Destinations

CONTENTS

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02.

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W12 to Boost Cape Economy

04.

WTM Africa Launches New Buyer Programme

LOST IN TRANSLATION What challenges do translators and interpreters face in SA? Natasha Skoryk reports.

06.

Industry Snapshot

10.

Don’t Get Lost in Translation

14.

How Tech is Disrupting the MICE Sector

TECH DISRUPTION The meetings industry is facing mounting pressure to embrace digital transformation.

18. The Rise of the Midsize City 22.

Africa’s Hotel Sector at a Glance

24.

Botswana: Business Events Made Easy

MIDSIZE CITIES Skift makes an irrefutable case for second- and third-tier destinations the world over.

26.

Mauritius: Business Events Made Easy

MAURITIUS An idyllic and picturesque destination for small to medium-sized business events.

28.

Events to Diarise

30.

Associations News

32.

Directory of Advertisers

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NEWS

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W12 TO BOOST CAPE ECONOMY The W12 Future of Water Conference is the first of its kind, and is set to take place in May 2019. local community – creating some muchneeded job opportunities in the region.

“Never before have conferences of this nature been more important globally, with drought – as a consequence of climate change – becoming a global phenomenon,” says Wesgro CEO Tim Harris.

A key objective of the conference is to focus on the role of ordinary citizens

W12 will be held in the picturesque region of Stellenbosch

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ave Our Schools NPO and the Cape Town and the Western Cape Convention Bureau have announced the W12 Future of Water Conference will take place in Stellenbosch next year. The historic town will be the first host destination and an ‘owner’ of the conference concept

going forward. W12 takes place at M’Hudi Wine Estate, with up to 1 500 delegates expected to attend the three-day event. This will create an estimated economic impact of R12.8 million, with all infrastructure for the conference set to be built with assistance and participation from the

and to encourage active citizenship; while education around solutions based on experience from the 2017/18 crises will culminate in a ‘Major City Best Practice Water Protocol’ guide.

The Mayor of London has confirmed their interest in participating and co-hosting the second event for 2020 – with climate change activist, philanthropist and ex-Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, confirmed a keynote speaker.

IAB BOOKMARKS OPEN FOR ENTRIES

The 2019 IAB SA Bookmark Awards focus on digital excellence and tangible business impact – with a simplified entry process.

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usinesses big and small are invited to enter the 2019 IAB SA Bookmark Awards. Not only does winning an award like this position your business as a digital pioneer and business leader, but your work also contributes to the bigger picture. The data and case studies you share will contribute to wider industry benchmarking, which will empower all South African businesses

to thrive in the digital economy.

“The Bookmark Awards celebrate the body’s key strategic pillar to Build Brands Digitally and the award’s core values of creativity, innovation and excellence,” says Paula Hulley, IAB SA’s CEO. Over the past year, the IAB has met with their members and councils to understand what improvements and learnings to take forward. The

2019 Bookmarks committee is diverse and reflects the needs of the industry, and as a result have expanded on the entry options within the categories.

Submissions can be made online, and any work that appeared online during the period of 18 November 2017 and 31 October 2018 is eligible. Early bird entries, as well as IAB SA members, are eligible for a 10% discount. For more information, visit entry.thebookmarks.co.za.

EXHIBITION FREIGHTING G.S.M SERVICE

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EXHIBITION FREIGHTING G.S.M Freighting goods to South Africa for an exhibition? Here’s why you should be using Exhibition Freighting G.S.M. HOW WE WORK:

1. Instruct our colleagues in your country to make contact with you.

2. Collect your display material from your door.

3. Import your product into South Africa.

STORAGE

4. Take care of necessary SA customs procedures.

5. Store your products until the build-up date of the event.

6. Deliver your products to your booth.

7. Store the empty packages.

8. Visit you and discuss the outward movement of your products from the event.

9. Re-export your products back to its origin or send it onto another event.

If you use your own agent or a courier: •

• • •

They will collect your material from your door and send the product to SA, but…

They will not be able to clear your shipment, as your agent/courier is not a registered importer.

You will then be requested to make contact with us – a registered importer.

Therefore, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR RESEARCH.

Please contact us for your shipping requirements on: Tel: +27 21 552 7248 | Fax: +27 552 2349 | Email: ef-gsm@ef-gsm.co.za

N.B You need to be a registered importer to bring goods into South Africa.

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NEWS

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WTM AFRICA LAUNCHES NEW BUYER PROGRAMME

World Travel Market Africa’s dedication to inbound and outbound travel on the continent sees new and exciting changes to its 2019 event, taking place at the CTICC from 10-12 April.

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he launch of WTM Africa’s International Exhibitors’ Dedicated Hosted Buyer Programme creates connections for a specific collective of buyers involved in outbound travel from the SA market.

“This new dedicated programme will ensure that out outbound international exhibitors can arrange appointments with potential hosted buyers in advance that are actively selling travel, accommodation and experiences to the African market,” explains Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio General Manager for Travel, Tourism and Sports at Reed Exhibitions. “Our matching process between buyers and exhibitors is testament to the quality of the buyers we have hosted in previous years, with US$365-million worth of business having been written in 2017 alone.”

Our matching process between buyers and exhibitors is testament to the quality of the buyers we have hosted in previous years.

Buyers will commit to a minimum of 20 out of 30 pre-scheduled meetings specifically with international exhibitors.

WTM Africa will cover flight contributions and accommodation and additional networking opportunities after show hours will be included. Exhibitors will also have a chance to share information in the Destination Theatre.

CTAA SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD

Following their win at Routes Africa 2018, Cape Town Air Access was named runner up at the World Routes Marketing Awards.

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ape Town’s Air Access initiative was named runner-up for the Destination Marketing Award at the annual World Routes 2018 Marketing Awards, which took place at the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou in September. The World Routes ceremony is a highly regarded event in the aviation industry, awarding outstanding marketing that has supported the launch of new air routes or the development of existing services.

Walking away with the Destination award was the Canary Island Tourist Board – Promotur, which oversaw a record 151 new routes in 2017. Cape Town Air Access was shortlisted for this prestigious award following their win at Routes Africa 2018, where the team won Best Destination Marketing and the overall Routes Africa Award.

Since its inception in 2015, the CTAA team has assisted in establishing 13

new routes and expanding 18 existing routes. During this period, more than 750 000 inbound seats were added to its international network.

“The Cape Town Air Access initiative is a prime example of the potential that can be achieved when collaboration takes place across government and the private sector.

We look forward to continuing to secure new direct routes and expand on existing routes,” says Wesgro CEO Tim Harris.

JOHANNESBURG EXPO CENTRE

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MEETING YOUR DEMANDS,

EXCEEDING YOUR EXPECTATIONS

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ver the years the Expo Centre has kept pace with the remarkable growth of the local exhibition and conference industries, evolving into a world-class facility that offers exhibitors, visitors and delegates a first-rate experience.

But how does the Expo Centre manage to maintain its position as one of Southern Africa’s leading national and international exhibition, conference, convention and events centres?

The answer is simpler than one would expect. South Africa’s rich heritage and unique cultural flavour is imbued in every aspect of the Expo Centre, from the infrastructure to the people that work within its walls.

Staff The Expo Centre’s highly-trained, knowledgeable and friendly team have one priority at the heart of what they do: to create and facilitate business and leisure events that are memorable, exciting, professional and top-notch. Service culture is often overlooked in the frenetic and high-stress environments that come with the business-events world, but at the Expo Centre, service comes first. This means that staff are prepared for every eventuality – no client request is too big or too small.

Flexibility Venues need to be flexible, as business events are, by their very nature, constantly evolving. This means that a venue must be ready to accommodate an event’s needs, from infrastructure, to time, to hospitality offerings.

Décor The Expo Centre stands alone as a beautiful location, but it can also be changed, dressed up, dressed down or transformed into whatever the event requires. Its ample indoor and outdoor spaces are sure to wet the appetite of any event planner or meeting organiser.

And the team is standing by and onsite to make sure these visions are achieved timeously and within budget.

Adaptability The Expo Centre has conference rooms encompassing 4 000m2, with five-star catering facilities. It also offers world class facilities for the corporate industry, validated by the receipt of the coveted PMR Africa Diamond Award in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 again 2018.

For business expos, the multipurpose exhibition halls provide over 50 000m2 of space. It is also favoured for government functions, as it is conveniently located, with 24 hour security, and offers ease of access to all of Johannesburg’s major arterial highways. It is also within 30 minutes of OR Tambo International Airport. A multipurpose arena that can accommodate up to 20 000 people

For this and more on the world of events, stay tuned to: Facebook: @jhbexpocentre1 Twitter: @jhbexpocentre1 Website: expocentre.co.za

is perfect for companies launching on-demand products. And who could forget the Expo Centre’s legendary festivals? With over 100 000 m² of outdoor exhibition space, it is home to the world-famous Ultra Music Festival.

Uniquely African International delegates may feel at home amongst the Expo Centre’s world-class amenities and first-rate services, but it is the distinctly South African feel – in the food, hospitality and people – that make this venue memorable. It encompasses everything “Ubuntu” In conclusion, the Expo Centre is constantly harnessing its professionalism, experience and hospitality to offer its clients world-class service; and to ensure their experience always exceeds their expectations.

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INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

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INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT We dig into the issues and news titbits in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions industries across Africa.

AIRLINE FOCUS Kenya Airways Adds Direct Flights Kenya Airways have launched two more direct flights between Nairobi and Cape Town. This is in addition to the three flights between the two cities on a Boeing 737-800, launched in June this year. Kenya is the fourth largest source market to the Western Cape, with statistics revealing significant double digit growth of 29.5% of visitors to the destination in 2017 when compared to 2016.

“Kenya is one of the top 20 countries for two-way travel from Cape Town International, and we are delighted that Kenya Airways has seen enough demand and value in this route to increase its frequency,” said Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities.

Aviation Drives Growth for Mauritius The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the government of Mauritius to continue to focus on aviation as a strategic enabler of the country’s economic and social development. “Mauritius and other small island states have a critical competitive advantage in implementing an aviation strategy— and that is size. The country is small enough to rally the aviation universe—the airlines, the airport, the tourism infrastructure—to agree on a strategy and to get it implemented quickly and nimbly,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO, said in a keynote address at Aviation Day Mauritius.

Key elements of a comprehensive aviation strategy include safety, alignment with global standards, a focus on competitiveness, and cooperation. IATA urged dialogue

A Fastjet Tanzania Airbus A319 with the airlines as Mauritius embarks on a project to more than double the capacity of Sir Seewoosugur Ramgoolam Airport to 9 million passengers annually.

frequency between Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Harare on Wednesdays, and introduced double daily flights between Maputo and Beira in Mozambique.

Fastjet Enhances Product Fastjet, Africa’s economy airline, announced that starting 6 August 2018 it will include the first item of checked luggage as well as a snack and/or refreshment in all tickets sold. The move comes following several months of research into market trends and customer expectations, with the airline exchanging its BigSaver and Achiever fares for the new-look, value product.

“We have listened to our customers,” says Fastjet Chief Executive Nico Bezuidenhout, “and redeveloped our product to better match what travellers on our network expect from a value-airline.”

Fastjet recently launched daily flights between Harare and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, added an additional

BID ANNOUNCEMENTS Bid Breakdown At the SAACI Congress this year, Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom broke down the current bid numbers that the country is working to win. In the first three months of this financial year, the SANCB has submitted 37 bids for events between 2019 and 2024. They have the potential to attract over 25 800 delegates, and generate 511 event days and R818 million in economic impact for SA. Last year, the bureau secured 36 bids, with 55 still pending. “Even more encouraging is that 13 of the total bids submitted are for smaller cities including Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, Stellenbosch, Pilanesberg and Mpumalanga, ensuring

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

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The support for the bid from not only astronomers but also industry, academic institutions and government has been phenomenal, and its success is a testament to what we can accomplish through our united efforts.

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the bid committee, and Astronomer at the South African Astronomical Observatory and the University of Cape Town.

SA Bids for 2023 Netball World Cup The municipal and provincial government in the Cape are bidding to host the 2023 Netball World Cup. Netball SA President Cecilia Molokwane explains that it could be the first time that a womandominated sport hosts a World Cup in SA. If the bid is successful, the event will be hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in July 2023.

The announcement about the winning host nation will be made in April 2019.

VENUE SPOTLIGHT Ritz Hotel Closed Temporarily As of July 2018, the Ritz Hotel has been closed temporarily, apparently due to a leasing agreement dispute. Cape Town Magazine was told that they are “working hard to reopen soon” and will announce when they do. Restaurants CASA and Top of the Ritz are also temporarily closed.

A local non-profit organisation has lost out as a result of the shutdown.

The Message Trust SA has been left R39 000 out of pocket after the previous management failed to refund their venue deposit. The charity had planned to host an Urban Hero Awards evening at the hotel to celebrate excriminals and ex-convicts that are now making a positive impact in society.

Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom at Africa’s Travel Indaba © SA Tourism

the spread of business across South Africa,” he said. “It is thus no surprise that the business events sector contributed R115 billion to the South African economy, with the overall travel and tourism industry’s contribution amounting to over R412 billion in 2017.”

Cape Selected as IAU 2024 Host Cape Town has been selected to host the 2024 International Astronomical Union General Assembly. The ten-day event, which will be held at the CTICC, is expecting up to 3 000 delegates,

with an estimated economic impact of R192 million for the province.

This is the first time this event will be hosted on African soil.

“The support for the bid from not only astronomers but also industry, academic institutions and government has been phenomenal, and its success is a testament to what we can accomplish through our united efforts.

For astronomers, this is like winning the bid to host a Football World Cup or the Olympics. It’s time for Africa!” says Dr. Shazrene Mohamed, member of

Ritz Hotel Cape Town is closed temporarily

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INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

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Hotel Verde takes greening to the next level “The event management has changed. We haven’t heard from previous management and they have our almost R40 000 deposit,” said CEO Tim Tucker.

“No one had even contacted us to say the management had changed. The new Ritz management is doing their best to help us.”

Greening the Hotel Biz The Radisson RED in the Silo District of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront has been awarded Green Key status. This comes after the hotel group has partnered with the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA). The Radisson Hotel Group recently highlighted in their 2017 Responsible Business Report that with 220 awarded hotels around the globe, Green Key is the main eco-label partner of the company. On receiving the award, Dale Simpson, Curator of the Radisson RED in Cape Town said, “We are very proud to have achieved the Green Key accreditation here at Radisson RED within our first year of operation.”

In other news, Hotel Verde has exceeded its 95% waste management target. Historically, waste management in South Africa has focused mainly on technologies such as landfilling (for general and hazardous waste) and incineration (for medical waste). The hotel actions and

encourages responsible procurement, buys in bulk and uses eco-friendly alternatives.

They bottle their own water in re-usable bottles, and promote operations that minimise waste in general, according to eProp. “We have also installed split bins in all 145 rooms and at strategic points throughout the hotel along with educational signage and green tips – our guests are rewarded with a unique in-house currency called ‘Verdinos’ when they participate in correctly using the bins or any of the hotel’s other green initiatives,” says Dawie Meiring, Group Systems and Sustainability Manager at Verde Hotels.

Mount Nelson Wins Best Hotel The Belmond Mount Nelson in Cape Town has won Best Hotel in the Middle East, Africa and the Indian Ocean at the annual Conde Nast Traveller UK Awards 2018. The runner up was Singita Sabi Sand in the Kruger Park. Italy was picked as the best country for its fine food and scenery, while Emirates was named top long-haul airline.

TOURISM UPDATES Lesotho Banks on Tourism Tourism is seen as a potential to drive Lesotho’s struggling economy. This has now become a priority and an

Lesotho’s debts to the Chinese government have been cancelled. ideal opportunity after the Chinese government resolved to cancel debts owed by the Kingdom. These debts are as a result of the construction of their parliament building and the ’Manthabiseng National Convention Centre.

Given its exceptional natural beauty of rugged and lofty mountains, Lesotho will be harnessing its potential to attract tourist arrivals and boost economic activity.

Marrakech a Hospitality Hotspot According to an STR report, Marrakech is emerging as a standout performer among

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

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status among the many emerging platforms across the industry.”

To read the full report and find out what opportunities lie in store, visit www.skift.com.

60% of US travellers use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to get inspired about where to go © Mesut Kaya es Salaam, while recent increases in demand have driven occupancy growth as well as rate growth in local currencies for Lagos and Addis Ababa.

TECH TALK

key African cities. In the first half of 2018, the city’s average daily rate (ADR) increased by 40.7%, and the market also recorded a 12.3% increase in occupancy, despite the rise in rates. Another key African destination seeing notable growth is the Cairo and Giza market. In H1 2018, occupancy went up 10.1% while ADR went up 9.6%, reaching US$93.

In other major African cities, the picture is bleaker. In Cape Town, occupancy dropped by 10.8% when compared with H1 2017. Occupancy has also dropped in Nairobi and Dar

Experiences are an Untapped Online Market According to a recent Skift report, global tour operators are customising their products more and more, especially since digital distribution is changing the way operators do business.

Projections of the scope of global tours and activities are inconclusive, however it hovers around the U$150 billion-mark annually, and according to Skift research, is expected to grow 9% annually in coming years. “Online booking has been limited mainly to simple tours that are treated like commodities on sites like TripAdvisor and Viator,” they explain, adding that venture capital is now flowing into the tours and activities sector, with investors betting on its future as the next great uptapped market in online travel. “The business rationale is there; grabbing even one percent of a $150 billion industry would bestow unicorn

Are Influencers All That?

Although influencers are getting a chunk of some travel brands’ marketing budgets, the amount of pull they have over travellers’ trip decisions remains questionable. As this market inevitably grows, it will go through some growing pains, with more governments stepping in to ensure that influencers label the content they are paid to create.

According to Facebook, over 60% of US travellers use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to get inspired about where to go and what to do while there. Last month, the Australian government announced a ban on digital influencers for all government agencies after finding some had spent hudreds of thousands on influencer projects.

Some 52% of social media influencers worldwide said they always label their content if it’s an ad, and 41% said they only label content when asked. This according to a January 2018 survey from Zine, an influencer marketing technology agency. Ultimately the jury is still out on this one.

Influencers are perhaps not as influential as they were once thought to be. © Jernej Graj

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FEATURE

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Hello, how are you?

Nice to see you

Спасибо, прекрасно!

Увидимся

DON’T GET LOST

IN TRANSLATION What does translation and interpretation involve and what are some of the challenges facing language professionals in South African eventing? Natasha Skoryk reports.

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ecently, the BRICS Summit in Sandton, and its adjacent events around South Africa, were hosted to great aplomb.

Event organisers and their teams had to consider how to accommodate such large-scale international delegations, and, for the most part, did an admirable job of this. As South Africa grows as an eventing destination, interpreters and translators will most likely continue to become more in-demand – particularly for languages spoken by the rest of the BRICS alliance. We spoke to two language professionals: Mike Lin, of Chinese Conference Interpreters, and Tatiana Kaliazina, a Russian-English interpreter and translator based in Cape Town, to find out more about their industry.

Firstly, what is the difference between translation and interpretation? “Generally translation refers to ‘written’ while interpretation is ‘verbal’. Some people see these two terms as interchangeable, thus they will call an interpreter ‘a translator’ and vice versa,” Lin says. But the field can be broken up even further.

“Interpretation can be consecutive (verbal, no equipment used) or simultaneous (conference equipment used like booths, mikes, headphones, etc.),” says Kaliazina.

The skill sets required for translation and interpretation overlap, but are not identical. “The skills required for both types of interpretation include, first and foremost, excellent knowledge and fluency both in source and target languages, as well as good education, intelligence, broad

general knowledge, quick thinking, and IT skills,” explains Kaliazina. Most language professionals engage in both forms of work – they translate and interpret, as required by the client.

However, written translations particularly are not all born equal – sworn translators are required for all official documentation. “Certified translations are done by sworn translators, who translate documents from the source language into the target language and certify with their stamp and signature that the document is a true translation,” Kaliazina says.

“Those translations would then be accepted by various authorities like Home Affairs, immigration companies, embassies and consulates.”

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Conference Icons © Freepik

Special Certification In Kaliazina’s experience, dealing with the Russian-English language pairing, BRICS interpreters have only been highly in-demand when South Africa chairs the summit. Kaliazina was an interpreter at the BRICS Heads of State Summit, which she found to be a challenging and exciting event, but such opportunities are rare; they come around once in five years. “We almost never deal with end-clients directly.

We are hired by translation agencies or companies organising conferences and events for the clients,” she says. This means that having additional certifications – such as a High Court Sworn Translator Certificate – can be a major advantage for language practitioners, particularly those dealing with rarer languages.

“Only sworn translators may interpret in courts and take part in various legal procedures,” Kaliazina says. “To become a sworn translator of High Court, one needs to obtain a High Court Sworn Translator Certificate on the basis of a sworn affidavit from another sworn translator confirming his skills and proficiency in the language or submit a diploma or any other reliable document confirming his qualifications from a credible tertiary institution or language college.”

Obtaining such a Certificate can

be challenging for certain language combinations. Speaking as a ChineseEnglish translator and interpreter, Lin explains: “In South Africa, there is little emphasis on formal training. Also there are only a handful of schools or colleges offering courses on translation and interpreting.” While this is not necessarily the case for all language pairs, it has certainly been a challenge for Lin: “As a Chinese/English interpreter, I really struggle finding suitable training courses here. Maybe this is not a problem for other interpreters, say French or Portuguese interpreters.

In my case, I believe educational background, practical experience, and ongoing learning are what makes a good and successful interpreter.”

Rising above challenges So what should translators and interpreters do, given the lack of formal courses and programmes in South Africa, particularly for so-called ‘unusual’ languages? “I welcome formal training in translation and interpreting.

But if it is not available, there are also other means of training that one can use,” says Lin. “These days there are a lot of good materials on the internet.

Of course, each person is different,

so you really have to think about what you want to achieve and find the right resources that will help you get there.”

It is also vital to understand the ‘lay of the land’ – and to know what to expect as a translator or interpreter.

“My advice to beginners would be first to make sure you are ready for this job, that you know the language very well, your general knowledge is good, you read a lot, you are up to date with local and international social and political life, and familiar with the challenges this job entails,” says Kaliazina. Interpreting at events is an extraordinarily stressful and oftentimes challenging job – and not one to take on lightly, or simply because one speaks the required language.

For Lin, the stresses of interpreting stem from being attentive to several things all at once. “This requires a lot of brainpower. You have to listen, understand, and interpret almost spontaneously and this is very exhausting. You also have to cope with your own nerves.”

Even when you’ve done all of that, there can be unexpected challenges. “I was at this WCET biennial congress at the CTICC and on the second day we had a session where they presented some research papers on ostomy-related research,” recalls Lin.

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Thank you, enjoy your day

Xièxiè

“There were three teams of interpreters at this congress and we could see each other through the side windows that separate each booth. While I was interpreting, I realised the presenter started using the various scientific terms of the organisms in his research paper. I stopped and looked to the other teams, and I just saw them throwing their hands up in the air out of despair! The presentation continued but none of the interpreters dared to turn on the mic and interpret…

That’s simultaneous interpreting for you!

You can do as much preparation as you can, but there is always the unexpected.”

Kaliazina agrees with this assessment – and finds that as an interpreter, you can often learn a lot yourself at an event, especially given the odd topics for many of the conferences and events hosted in SA.

Planning for an event Given the inability to anticipate every possible issue, what does the planning for a conference even look like, from the interpreter’s side? Lin gives a brief run down of his process: “For a typical international conference, I will first ask the client for the programme and any materials

Спасибо

available. I will then go through it to familiarise myself with the conference itself, i.e. who the speakers are, and whether there are panel discussions or breakaway meetings, etc. Sometimes the client is able to provide PowerPoint presentations and speeches. If so, I will go through them to make sure I understand the subject matter/ idea/topic. I will also note any special terms and learn them. After I have gone through the materials provided by the client, I will then go and visit the official website for the conference. All my preparations will be compiled into an electronic document in an orderly and clear manner. I find this especially useful and effective when you are working under pressure.”

Organisers should never underestimate the challenges faced by the interpreters.

“Interpreting is difficult, stressful and exhaustive work as interpreters are the last people clients and participants of various events would normally think of or care about,” bemoans Kaliazina.

Even international conferences do not always allow for much preparation – even conferences with obscure topics. “The topics of conferences may vary from TB, HIV, politics, and sheep breeding, to

nuclear physics, aviation, trade, mining, finance, law and more. Sometimes we learn about the topic of the conference when we arrive at the venue!”

This means that issues like Lin’s at the WCET congress arise frequently.

Oftentimes, this is the direct result of a lack of planning from the conference organisers. “Despite all the efforts of our agencies, clients quiet often fail to provide any papers, presentations, speeches, programmes or lists of participants in advance for interpreters to familiarise themselves with the terminology or topic of the event. Conference interpreting is a team work and you, to a great extent, depend on professionalism and good preparation of your booth partner and fellow-interpreters in other languages for quality relays. The interpreters have to deal with various accents and fastspeakers, and have to quickly switch from one language to another,” says Kaliazina.

And, despite the difficulties and challenges regularly faced by the teams of interpreters, they are often forgotten by the organising team. This can, of course, be demoralising for teams of language professionals.

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Conference Icons © Freepik

Lin believes this might be because organisers simply don’t understand the complex skillset required for the job.

“To me the biggest challenge is that most people don’t seem to understand what we do or the role we play. They may think interpreting just happens naturally,” he laughs. This might be due to the multilingual nature of South Africa – but when dealing with unusual, foreign languages, the assumption that this is easy simply cannot be made.

Moreover, when dealing with obscure topics, most language professional require time for preparation and research.

There are also additional structural problems, which result due to this misunderstanding of interpreters’ worth. Organisers provide very little or no information to the interpreters, which makes preparation very difficult.

Sometimes the hardware is also problematic. For example, the interpreters’ booth is too far from the stage, or has poor visibility… Basically little attention is given to the interpreters, which means we have to put in extra effort to make sure we have what we need for the work we are expected to do,” Lin tells us.

When dealing with unusual, foreign languages, the assumption that this is easy simply cannot be made. Moreover, when dealing with obscure topics, most language professional require time for preparation and research.

Additionally, due to many event professionals failing to fully recognise the extreme skill required for interpretation, charlatans offer up their services and push true professionals’ rates down.

“There is a problem of low rates due to severe competition between service providers and unprofessional people claiming to be interpreters or translators,” says Kaliazina. “Unfortunately, clients do not always understand that not everyone who is prepared to accept very low rates is able to do translations or interpreting professionally!”

The Last Word Perhaps interpretation at events should go the way of the High Court – with formal qualifications being required in order to

offer your services. This will ensure that those offering their professional skills, sharing their knowledge, and constantly upskilling, are fairly compensated. Until then, it is worth putting in a bigger effort to appreciate and notice the interpreters working at your event; to include interpreters in the planning stage; and to ensure interpreters’ hardware requirements are fully met.

After all, language professionals are indispensable in international eventing. If they weren’t there, half of your guests and participants wouldn’t understand what was happening. If South Africa is to grow even further as a world-class MICE destination, working conditions for language professionals needs to improve.

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© Jannoon028 / Freepik

DISRUPTING THE MICE SECTOR HOW TECH IS

A multi-billion dollar industry the world over, the meetings industry is facing mounting pressure to embrace digital transformation.

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oteliers, event planners and meetings destinations are being pressured to embrace technology in order to market themselves more effectively. There is more competition from new destinations and a string hotel developments worldwide. And, with real estate and labour costs rising in urban markets, it’s more expensive to maintain and expand regional sales offices. Planners also face rising expenses despite their budgets remaining flat. As a result, they source hotels on cloud-based platforms to save time.

According to a recent report by Skift and Cvent, moving to digital sourcing platforms offers both buyers and suppliers a wealth of benefits. “Online hotel marketing tools foster a more direct relationship with the customer because buyers and suppliers can conduct business independent of

third parties. When hoteliers truly own the relationship with group planners, they get to know their customers much better, and can more effectively personalise the sales experience.” Digital platforms also assist in acquiring more sales leads and ensure hotels and management companies are run more efficiently. The industry needs to move beyond email, spreadsheets and phone calls to do business in this bright, new digital world.

“We’ve had great success with digital tools such as eRFPs, high-definition drone video, virtual reality, and Facebook Live,” says Miguel Diaz, Director of Sales and Marketing at Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach in Florida. “Everyone wants the highlevel efficiency and convenience that only technology can provide today. We believe a combination of state-of-the-art tech

and service-focused team members is the right way to deliver exceptional service.”

As digital transformation enters a new phase – one known as a 3D Internet environment – where augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence merge the physical and digital world, we will see more technology informing this movement.

“Eventually, using either their phones with advanced AR/AI capabilities, or new AR eye wear entering the market in coming years, consumers will explore the physical world while accessing an overlay of complementary digital content at 5G speed to help navigate brand experiences and messaging,” the Skift report explains.

“In addition to that, conversational commerce and chatbots are revolutionising how consumers communicate with brands across every sector.”

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Cloud-Based Tools Thanks to rising costs, planners and hoteliers alike – increased third-party intermediation, more expensive tech systems, rising labour and real estate, and a heightened attention to security – are scrutinising already constricted budgets.

“Our budget is staying about the same and we’re expecting increased attendance, so in effect the per person budget is decreasing, says Ana Pena, Head of Operations for Global Events at the Teach for All network of educators

in New York City. “We’re thinking about how to reset attendee expectations on what we will provide, versus what they’ll have to source on their own.”

This has driven the industry to increasingly adopt cloud-based marketing tools to create more streamlined and cost-effective processes. Every aspect of sourcing and producing events today has a corresponding technology solution that’s designed to save time and resources, and ultimately increase ROI for both buyers and suppliers, Skift’s report explains. “Event technology does many things. First, it connects people and organisations with aligned needs using sophisticated search platforms and highly customised identifiers.

It also streamlines and automates a great deal of tasks that once required tedious and error-prone manual labour. Furthermore, event technology helps all participants and stakeholders personalise their message, product, and/or event experience. It also provides a wide array of powerful analytics to measure performance and inform business strategy.”

The U.S. meetings and events industry has an estimated economic value of US$300-billion dollars in spending annually, according to Kalibri Labs’ 2018 report, U.S. Groups and Meetings: The Economics and Complexity of Intermediation. It is estimated that 40-60% of group business

Watson Assistant In 2018 IBM launched the Watson Assistant for Hospitality. It is designed to bring AI to back-end tech stacks at hotels, and differs from Amazon’s Alexa in several ways. Firstly, it is enterprise-level AI rather than consumer. Hotels can white-label it so guests won’t be talking or texting to engage Watson specifically. Instead, they can establish their own personality for the brand. It also keeps their data rather than sharing it with IBM – making it easier to work with other partners. It also offers hotels the option to integrate Watson Assistant voice functionality into existing chatbots and apps, or they can build something new.

is intermediated at some point during the sales cycle. This has caused hoteliers to drop commission rates for intermediates, with Marriott International dropping their rates from 10% to 7% for US and Canadian hotels. Shortly after this announcement in January, Hilton Worldwide and InterContinental Hotels Group followed suit.

The ‘Rose’ Chatbot

Chatbots are designed to interact with people over messaging apps, and they are typically integrated into the likes of websites, text messaging, Facebook Messenger and event apps. They offer the first glance into the future, where brands can deliver mass personalisation at scale with direct, contextuallyaware messaging to anyone, anywhere, at any time via mobile.

The ‘Rose’ chatbot shows the evolution of conversational commerce and how customers are engaging hospitality and travel brands. Guests who use Rose spend an average of 30% more in-hotel based on her recommendations, which are personalised to the individual user.

© Janny Stock Photo

Chatbots

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© RawPixel Ltd.

Planner Budgets Remain Unchanged Meeting spend globally isn’t expected to change much this year, however group hotel rates and costs per attendee continue to rise.

This requires group planners to navigate a widening gap between budget constraints and attendee expectations, says Skift.

“As budgets and control of expenses become an increasingly more prominent area of focus for meeting planners, the

5G is a Game Changer According to Josh Weiss, Hilton’s VP of Brand and Guest Technology, the speeds that 5G technology brings is unbelievable and will definitely play a part in the future of meetings. “I think we’d all love to see the day where in any sort of building environment, we can say, ‘Well, that’s it, we’re done providing Wi-Fi because everything is 5G, and our devices are just talking right outside to a tower.’ What it is going to do is continuously drive up guest expectations for the types, range, and quality of content that they can get anywhere. We need to be able to deliver on that… 5G is going to totally change so many aspects of not just mobility, but also how we use our connected devices.”

role of electronic sourcing will continue to evolve and grow in its importance,” explains Issa Jouaneh, Senior VP and GM at AMEX Meetings and Events. “Cost per attendee will continue to rise as clients demand a meaningful, quality attendee experience. Survey respondents [to the 2018 Global Meetings and Events Forecast by AMEX] point to the increasing complexity of meeting planning, such as sourcing a non-traditional venue or incorporating a technological innovation to enhance the meeting experience. New demands require meeting planners to think strategically and outside of the box.”

One example of this is Quiana Tyson, Director of Special Events at Duke University Pratt School of Engineering, who reinvented their annual holiday lunch to a cocktail party with heavy appetisers and a signature drink in order to reduce expenses.

“We need to a get to a place where we’re not so reliant on emailing,” adds Steve Enselein, Senior VP of Events at Hyatt Hotels. “We’re working on how to consolidate the entire journey into one place where a planner could see a proposal, and it could stay there, along with pickup reports. Then that would transition so when the group is onsite, the planner could request services, pull the group’s reports, and have access to all of their history. We’re building a new digital meeting planner portal to free up time for everyone to communicate better and make the event as great as it can be.”

Human and Economic ROI Event technology is a business development and marketing platform that optimises every element of the event life cycle. According to Frost and Sullivan, event tech can assist in increasing attendees by up to 20%, increase productivity by 27%, increase RFP response time by 22% and decrease overall costs by between 20 and 30%.

Many planners find event management platforms critical for doing their jobs, and as such, hotel owners should be proactive in embracing cloud-based marketing solutions. Patricia Ahaesy, President and Partner of P&V Enterprises, says, “We use Cvent for online registration and it helps us in overall management.

The company’s apps, OnArrival and CrowdCompass, make check-in efficient and help us plan from year to year.”

The most sophisticated digital marketing platforms today help hoteliers prioritise their group sales leads faster.

They can also compare one property’s sales performance against all of the hotels in their competitive set. Both of those deliverables are extremely valuable to hoteliers, says Skift.

“Being able to access intelligence about how our comp set is performing, especially with metrics like what we’re all converting, is really valuable,” says Ernest Stovall, VP of Sales, MGM Grand Las Vegas.

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“If we were able to get more information about where groups have met in the past and what sort of budget they have, it would assist us in giving them the best possible date and budget options,” adds Gail Seawright, Director of National Accounts at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Arizona.

Housing software is an integral part of meeting and event planning. Room-booking functionalities on websites with customdesigned, cloud-based hotel marketing platforms provide booking dashboards with real-time pickup rates. This means hotels do not have to wait for updated rooming lists from planners. “Rooming technology has really streamlined the relationship between the hotel and the planner,” explains

Richard Taylor, Director of Sales and Marketing at Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver Harbourfront. “It allows us to have a lot more communication without having to pick up the phone or send an email, because the data flows back and forth between the two parties.” he adds that special requests can be brutal when hotels try to handle them manually. “Plus, the dashboards provide a lot more insight and they’re easy to show in stakeholder meetings. Overall, there’s less stress for hotel executives and staff, less work for the planners, and the historical data helps with future planning, especially with customisation performance data.”

The digital revolution has also meant that event planners organising smaller

© Jannoon028 / Freepik

Four Takeaways 1. The Rising Cost of Group Acquisition: Every year it gets more expensive for hotels to grow their meetings and events business, especially due to the increasing volume of intermediaries required to market successfully to group planners today. This is only going to continue to scale for everyone in the industry. Therefore, it is critical for hoteliers to explore new digital marketing solutions to target and engage group planners more strategically and effectively.

2. The Demand for Greater Efficiencies: Digital technologies today are designed to optimise processes that

once required manual effort, which are prone to human error.

With online hotel marketing solutions, all of the details and agreements involved, from venue sourcing to execution, are easily accessible and trackable in one place. That makes it easier for hoteliers and planners to collaborate and optimise each stage of the buyer-supplier relationship.

3. Foster More Direct Relationships: With third-party meeting and event planners, it’s often challenging for hoteliers to really get to know and understand their customers on an individualised basis. With digital marketing solutions, hoteliers and planners are connected directly based on

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meetings under 100 attendees and 50 rooms – those who traditionally haven’t used cloud-based platforms – are now moving to the digital space. This, says Skift, is because more hotels are providing live meeting space inventory with fixed pricing for specific dates up to a pre-determined size.

Another reason for growing interest in direct booking is because there’s been a surge in demand for non-traditional event spaces.

Selling the Experience with Digital Content “We sell Brooklyn first to meetings planners and attendees, and then our hotel...

With everything happening here, people still don’t know about all of the creative energy in Brooklyn unless you feed it to them,” says Sam Ibrahim, GM, New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brian Berry, Senior VP for Sales and Data Analytics at Cvent, says hoteliers are also producing more relevant video content to engage planners and attendees. “Venues are beginning to develop videos that speak to meeting and event customers. I think we’ll continue to see more group-oriented content presented on the site, including customer testimonial video content, too.”

To read the full report: How Technology is Disrupting the Multibillion Dollar Meetings Industry, visit www.skift.com.

a highly customised list of criteria for any given event. This gives hoteliers a much greater opportunity to deliver on their customers’ unique demands.

4. Attendee Experience Shifts: Technology today supplements how people navigate their daily lives, and it’s easy to see how this is increasing among all age groups. Therefore, it’s dangerous to assume that event attendees and group planners aren’t also expecting seamless and intuitive event tech as well.

Most everyone is, or will be, impacted by next-generation technologies from phones with AR capability to brands with AI-powered chatbots. Hoteliers need to see the future and act now to remain relevant.

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THE RISE OF

THE MIDSIZE CITY The future of meetings and events is going to be driven by midsize cities, and we’re already seeing this happening in South Africa.

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ccording to a recent report by Skift and IMEX Group, there are two primary factors driving a shift in cities hosting meetings.

Firstly, many global cities are becoming too expensive for decision-makers, and secondly, cities in smaller markets have invested heavily in developing their infrastructure and industry networks in order to compete with larger cities.

Price will be a major disruptor in the industry in the next decade, and this is already evident in costs for amenities like accommodations. According to American Express (AMEX) Meetings and Events, hotel rates are expected to increase 2.8% on average globally in 2018. The highest increases are predicted in Central and South America (2.6%) and North America (3.5%), with smaller upticks in Europe (1.3%) and Asia Pacific (1.4%).

Meeting planners and owners are increasingly “emphasising value and asking, ‘What am I getting for that rate?’” says Milton Rivera, VP, Global Business Development and Strategy at AMEX. “This influences location choice, bringing to light midsize cities. And then this will likely drive up rates in those locations as well.”

But, argues James Jessie, Senior VP of Convention Sales at Travel Portland, “The difference is worth the distance.” This is not to say that large cities won’t grow their business-events capabilities; however there is increasingly higher interest and value propositions for hosting meetings in the likes of Stellenbosch, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, and East London, for instance.

“I like learning what second and third-tier cities are doing to promote themselves, and make themselves more exciting,” says Brianne Lamm, Marketing and Events Manager for the International

A lake near Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina © David Siglin Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society. “It makes my job selling a secondtier city to our stakeholders and members a little bit easier. Especially as our budgets are increasingly pushing us out of major cities, we have to consider these secondand third-tier cities for our major events.”

It’s About the Experience For many event attendees, they’ve been to the same tier-one cities over and over again.

Midsize cities offer a unique experience that can enthral visitors anew, says Neil Mulligan, Senior Future Host Manager for UBM EMEA, based in Manchester, who sources cities for the Routes Events series of aviation conferences. “There’s a general desirability for something new because we’ve all been going to the same places for years — we’ve been there, seen that — and it’s not exciting anymore,” he explains. “Second-tier cities are also more aspirational. They’re trying to become tier-one cities, so they have a point to prove. The challenge is capacity,

depending on the scale of the group, and you have to plan further out. But then again, tier-one cities have tier-one costs, which are only going to continue to rise.”

According to Steve Faulstick, Chief Sales Officer at Travel Portland, travel is ultimately about experience, whether it’s for leisure or conventions. “It used to be you’d be inside the building the whole time.

Now there are less dinners and things like that, so attendees can experience the city… And, as a planner, you’re not having to create everything in the agenda.”

Intellectual Capital in Tier-Two Cities The rise of startups and creative industries in midsize cities across the world means that smaller destinations are of higher value than they were a decade ago. There’s a growing sense among midsize cities that they can compete with larger metropolises to attract a new strata of meetings, by using their increased access to industry and academic

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We’re always looking for people on the science side who are related to our industry when considering a host location.

based at Oregon State University. She organised the annual IIFET Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland in 2016. “We want people who are excited for the opportunity to gather people from around the world to discuss the important economic issues impacting fisheries, and show us what they’re doing to forward our industry.”

Another example of this is Belfast in Northern Ireland, an emerging leader in growth sectors like cybersecurity and food, knowledge in which the city has strong clusters of industry and academic expertise.

Local examples of this phenomenon are places like Tshwane that regularly attract high profile academic and scientific conferences, while Stellenbosch has attracted expos and conferences

visitor appeal, improved infrastructure and environment, and a collaborative cross-sector mind set, according to Skift. “As a group they are ‘hitting above their weight’ to increase their global exposure among the next generation of meeting planners.”

There are definite benefits of planning an event in a midsize city, says Erin Scholes, President of SD Meetings and Events. “For all of my groups where people pay to attend, it’s crucial to find city leaders who will engage our audience. It’s paramount because if there’s support and they’re validating our event, our attendance goes up.” Although she cites pricing as a major decision influencer, room

around wine tourism. This, in turn, has empowered midsize convention bureaus to connect planners with their regions’ innovation economy to properly leverage their knowledge base.

rates also stand out significantly when looking at different tier cities, and across the board one spends less.

“You can get the backing of the mayor and access to more stakeholders, whereas big cities won’t get involved to that degree. Attendees also feel like they own the city, and you can brand a midsize city more easily. So, smaller cities need to shout out the attributes of being small,” adds Mulligan of UBM. Lisa Yarosz, Senior Meeting Manager at Bayer HealthCare says midsize cities should promote their rankings and accolades as much as possible.

“Greenville, South Carolina, for example, was just named a top 10 small city to live in (Conde Nast Traveler 2017).

That helps make a city more legitimate in our attendees’ eyes. They should also play up any past big business — Indianapolis and San Antonio are good at that — and also any really interesting venues. We love Louisville.”

But What Exactly Is a Midsize City?

experts in tech-dependent growth sectors, ranging from digital media to life sciences to advanced manufacturing, says Skift’s report.

“We’re always looking for people on the science side who are related to our industry when considering a host location,” says Ann Shriver, Executive Director of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET),

Local Excellence Global Appeal

Traditionally, population has delineated first, the tiers of cities in the meetings sector – however this is becoming more difficult to see year on year. Second and third-tier cities were based on their populations cities of under one million, now they can be classified based on air access, or hotel and convention centre access.

Examples of this phenomenon are Manchester, Rotterdam and Hamburg, which are secondary markets in their respective countries, but would be considered global capitals in other countries. In practice, the events industry is also transcending labels, and most follow a similar strategy capitalising on unique sector strengths, business and leisure

So much more than merely a multi-purpose conference and exhibition destination, the iconic Cape Town International Convention Centre combines flexible venues, impeccable service, cutting-edge technology and the finest global cuisine to transform your event into an extraordinary experience. So, whether your attendees are from around the world, or around the corner, give them the world-class experience they deserve with the uniquely African flair they desire, at the CTICC. For more information, or to book your event, exhibition or convention at CTICC, call +27 21 410 5000, email sales@cticc.co.za or visit www.cticc.co.za.

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A large rainbow flag down Congress Street during the annual Pride parade in Portland © Mercedes Mehling

Nurturing Uniqueness and Individuality Nashville and Portland in the US stand out as midsize cities that have exploded in popularity in the last five years – both in terms of leisure and meetings, says Skift. One of the major reasons for their success is the way in which city leaders have supported independent local entrepreneurs and influencers to help develop their destinations’ brand identities.

Nashville, for instance, is one of the fastest growing cities in the States, with one of the lowest unemployment rates.

It has been completely transformed in the last ten years and there are currently over 50 hotels under construction or in the pipeline in the city centre. “We tell our story through the stories of our songwriters,” says Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of Visit Music City.

“They’re key to everything we do, and it’s authentic to who we are.”

Portland’s meetings industry has grown dramatically thanks to city planners’ efforts to cultivate connections with the local DIY culture. The city’s unofficial slogan ‘Keep Portland Weird’ emphasises the value the city places on maintaining a spirit of individualism – and this is extended to both people and brands. “The catalyst of that is the rise of ‘maker culture,’ consisting of individual entrepreneurs and creative talents who are intent on

creating local products and experiences, and co-designing and differentiating their particular neighbourhoods in their own vision,” Skift explains.

“The Portland story isn’t just about downtown; the real story is about getting out into the neighbourhoods for that community feel,” says Faulstick.

“Meeting attendees are always asking, ‘Where do the locals go?’ So when we do sites, that’s where we take them.

Attendees, in my mind, are driving every conference decision these days.”

Leveraging Sector Expertise Urban areas with clusters of academic, scientific and industry innovation located in close proximity are called ‘centres of excellence’, ‘innovation precincts’, or even ‘tech districts’. Small and medium-size start-up companies in the advanced and creative sectors are playing a major role in driving the growth of these clusters, not to mention generating the highest volume of job creation.

The rise of start-ups in smaller markets is a demonstration of how midsize cities can and should promote themselves to planners. “Instead of focusing exclusively on their infrastructure, more convention bureaus are now promoting access to their ambassadors and thought leaders in academia and industry,” Skift says.

“Convention organisers are often surprised to learn that we are home to the largest medical sciences and sustainability

cluster in the northeast,” says Paul Szomoru, Head of Business Events for NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau. “And we have one of the highest percentages of STEM students in England at our universities… We don’t just talk about access and venues and hotels when we engage our audiences anymore. That’s what destinations used to do. I know certainly we used to do that… now we’re talking very much about how relevant we are in the world in terms of innovation. That’s important for cities to demonstrate, and I feel it’s really important for us as a provincial city.”

An example of how cities are leveraging their expertise to attract meeting planners is the German Convention Bureau, whose ‘Germany.

Expertise.’ initiative, launched in 2011, is now bringing planners to cities like Stuttgart and Hamburg. Other examples are Albuquerque, New Mexico – their Innovate ABQ complex is designed to connect visiting companies with the local tech, medical and academic clusters – as well as Monterey, California, a haven for tech leaders like Google and Apple to escape Silicon Valley; and Bristol, England, a city developing its priority sectors by creating its own tech conferences.

Holland wants meeting and conference planners to think of the whole country as an integrated city, and their strategy is referred to internally

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Downtown Rotterdam, Netherlands © Kees Streefkerk

as HollandCity. The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions wants organisers to expand their perspective beyond Amsterdam in an effort to drive more convention business to other cities and alleviate some of the crush of

visitors in central Amsterdam. This they do by promoting the close proximity and ease of access between urban centres and identifying key sector clusters in each midsize city in order to provide a clear value proposition for organisers.

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“This is important for a second-tier city because they have to show their added value,” says Antonia Koedijk, North American Director of the NBTC. “Their sector strengths add a lot of value to the proposition, and that’s why this whole strategy is becoming more prominent. We take representatives in those sectors along in our marketing visits, and the associations that we talk to are responding positively.”

The next step will be for the international industry to bring more buyers and suppliers into this conversation in order to better connect visiting organisations with local industry and academic thought leaders.

“Associations are integrating their meetings with strategy, and designing these meetings as a marketing and business development tool,” she adds.

Don’t miss the next issue of the Event, where we explore South Africa’s first, second and third-tier cities in detail to find out what sectors they can and are leveraging to attract forward-thinking meeting planners.

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SPOTLIGHT

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AFRICA’S HOTEL SECTOR AT A GLANCE

We take stock of the hospitality and tourism industries to find out where we’re at on the African continent.

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he latest data is in, and hotels in the Middle East and Africa have posted growth across three key performance metrics in August, according to STR. In the Middle East, occupancy has increased by 2% to 63.4% this year with their average daily rate (ADR) also increasing 12.2% to US$169.63. On the continent, occupancy is up by 2.2% to 63.1%, with a 10.8% increase in ADR to US$115.36. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) has also risen by 13.2% to US$72.77. According to The World Travel and Tourism Council, the number of international visitors to Kenya is expected to reach a total of 1.4 million for 2018.

The African Hotel Valuation Index (HVI) is an ever-growing marker showing the reach of the hospitality industry on the continent. “The number of markets included in the study continues to grow each year, exemplifying the ever-increasing interest in the African hotel market. In the first edition, we had 14 cities. That grew to 18 in the second edition, the third edition

featured 21 cities, and we are now delighted to include 23 cities, with the addition of Abidjan, Dakar, Kampala, and Maputo in the fourth edition,” says Tim Smith, Managing Partner at HVS South Africa.

According to the latest PwC Hotels Outlook, Mauritius and Nigeria had the fastest growing markets in terms of hotel room revenue, with increases of 12.7% and 11.7% for 2017. “Growth in South Africa moderated from a 12.2% increase in 2016 to 4.6% in 2017. This was caused by a smaller increase in international tourist arrivals and slower growth in the average room rate, in part the result of a strengthening rand that made South Africa effectively more expensive to foreign visitors. The increase in tourism was offset by the increased cost,” the report says. It cites Kenya, Tanzania and Mauritius as the next fastest growing markets, with Kenya set to benefit from a rebound in tourism, new hotels and infrastructure upgrades – in addition to the expectation of political stability.

Hotel values are booming in Cape Town in Rand, but the return looks far less exciting when converted into US dollars, Smith adds. And, while some markets are ahead of the game – Maputo and the Indian Islands for instance, others like Sharm el Sheikh, Harare and Marrakech, are coping with political instability or threats of terror. Overall, despite slow economic expansion on the continent due to oil prices and SA’s downgrades, the region remains resilient. In 2015, 10 markets out of 21 cities were growing; in 2016, 14 markets were on the rise, according to the HVI. In terms of tourism, the findings of the Domestic Tourism Survey 2017 reflect a general pattern of increase over the past year. One of the biggest shifts was that of day trips, which increased from 39.4 million in 2016 to 48 million in 2017. Overnight trips also increased from 43 million to 44.4 million, however total expenditure decreased by 1 billion to R86 billion in 2017.

“The decrease was driven mostly by a

Radisson RED Cape Town’s rooftop is home to a craft beer and food truck.

Radisson RED in Cape Town’s Silo District seeks to redefine the way guests interact within its walls.

Zimbali Coastal Resort, Dolphin Coast, SA © Jason Briscoe

SPOTLIGHT

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Hotel Market Value Change Market

2017

2018

2019

2020

Botswana: Gaborone

Moderate value decline

Significant value increase

Significant value decline

Significant value increase

Egypt: Cairo

Moderate value decline

Significant value increase

Significant value increase

Significant value increase

Ethiopia: Addis Ababa

Moderate value decline

Significant value increase

Moderate value increase

Moderate value decline

Kenya: Nairobi

Significant value decline

Moderate value decline

Stable values

Significant value increase

Mauritius

Significant value increase

Significant value increase

Moderate value increase

Moderate value increase

Morocco: Marrakech

Significant value increase

Significant value increase

Moderate value increase

Moderate value increase

Morocco: Casablanca

Significant value increase

Moderate value increase

Significant value decline

Moderate value increase

Nigeria: Lagos

Significant value decline

Significant value increase

Moderate value increase

Moderate value increase

South Africa: Cape Town

Significant value increase

Moderate value decline

Moderate value increase

Moderate value increase

South Africa: Durban

Stable values

Moderate value increase

Stable values

Moderate value increase

South Africa: Johannesburg

Significant value increase

Moderate value increase

Moderate value increase

Moderate value increase

Tanzania: Dar es Salaam

Significant value decline

Moderate value decline

Stable values

Stable values

decrease in spending on accommodation, food and beverages, recreation and culture, and shopping,” the report explains.

“In the Western Cape and KwaZuluNatal, a relatively higher proportion of money was spent on accommodation when compared to other provinces.”

Opportunities to Explore According to a recent PwC report, tourist arrivals from BRIC nations increased by 6.1% in 2017, with a total of 275 521 visitors entering the country.

They accounted for 2.7% of all arrivals – up from 2.6% in the previous year.

Although these numbers seem slight, one should remember that BRIC visitors spend an average of R3 billion a year. The easing of visa requirements have added to this bump in arrivals, and Minister Hanekom’s dedication to continuing to ease the process is promising. Contrary to popular belief, BRIC travellers do

not travel on budgets, but rather seek out luxury tourism experiences such as cruises, private tours, jewellery, and high-class culinary experiences.

A combination of business and leisure travel – also known as bleisure – is key in introducing more people from BRIC nations and other countries to the many world-renowned offerings SA has to offer. International travellers spend the largest amount of their cash on transport (at 26.5%) and accommodation (15%), but sectors like restaurant and retail can easily enjoy the direct economic benefit that tourism brings.

Rising Above the Challenges Despite challenges for regions like the Western Cape, which experienced drought during the 2017/18 summer season, Cape Town remains a top-tier destination on the continent. The Cape Town International Airport also experienced a 10% increase

There was a decrease in domestic tourist spend for recreation, culture, and shopping © David Beatz

in international traveller numbers from January to March this year, according to Tim Smith. “Cape Town’s recovery in the coming years is expected because of a stronger economy, the recent announcement that there would be no ‘Day Zero’ for 2019 if water restrictions are adhered to, and an anticipated faster growth in foreign and domestic tourism,” he told IOL in September.

Last year saw a surge in hotels in the Cape including the Radisson RED and The Silo in the trendy Silo District, as well as the 504-bedroom Southern Sun and StayEasy Cape Town City Bowl. Marriott International is also planning on opening 539 rooms in the Foreshore in the next five years with AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront in November, Residence Inn Cape Town Foreshore and Marriott Cape Town Foreshore, in February and March 2023.

Johannesburg looks particularly well despite challenges facing SA in the last twelve months. According to the HVI report, “Johannesburg’s international airport O.R. Tambo remains Africa’s largest and busiest airport with a total of over 21 million passengers in the financial year of 2017/2018, which represents a slight decline to the financial year before. In contrast, occupancy has shown a continuous growth and is the highest it has been since 2009 in Sandton and the surrounding hotels…

Room nights sold increased by 7% during the high season of 2017/2018 and RevPAR is expected to climb in 2018 and then stagnate in 2019 and 2020 due to a slight increase in new hotel supply.

Rosebank is a fast-emerging area in Johannesburg, with vibrant commercial, residential and retail developments.”

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The Boyz Salon at The Grand Palm © The Grand Palm

The Grand Palm’s glass marquee © The Grand Palm

BOTSWANA A country with spectacular wildlife attracting a multitude of tourists, Botswana is also a contender in Southern Africa’s business events realm.

K

nown as an incredible safari incentive destination, Botswana is a growing conference hub in the southern African region.

Its vast, sweeping landscape is home to the Kalahari Desert, the lush Okavango Delta, and a host of other national parks like the Chobe, Moremi, Makgadigadi, Central Kalahari, and Nxai Pan. An array of breath-taking wildlife are found in these regions, from cheetahs and hyenas to wild dogs, buffalo, elephant, giraffe and rhino, with destination management companies offering a wide range of incentive travel packages for the region.

In terms of its business-events prowess, Botswana continues to grow its offerings and capabilities as a host country. Some of the recent shows to take place – mainly in its capital of Gaborone – include the Diamonds Still Sparkling Conference, the 11th International Kimberlite Conference, the

14th World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium, and the 9th International Conference of the African Materials Research Society. Upcoming events in Botswana include the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers Conference and the Symposium on Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, both of which take place in October along with annual trade shows like Global Expo Botswana, International Data Week, Electra Mining Botswana, and the Mining Investment Conference and Exhibition.

Key Venues The Grand Palm Hotel Casino and Convention Resort The Grand Palm is an exquisite, opulent venue and home to the Gaborone International Convention Centre. The award-winning facility offers a variety of venues, high-speed WiFi and a business

centre for essential services. It can host up to 1 800 delegates and has extensive technical resources, with state of the art audio visual, lighting and multi-media capabilities. In addition to GICC, the Peermont Walmont Hotels adjacent house two venues for between 100 and 250 people. www.grandpalm.bw Botswana Conference and Exhibition Centre Botswana Conference and Exhibition Centre, also known as Fairground Holdings, has 50 hectares of versatile space ideal for exhibitions. The Ditshupo Chamber (10 000-seater) and Boipuso Chamber (2 000-seater) are ideal for conferences, expos and gala dinners. Three multi-purpose conference rooms hold between 250 and 500 guests, while 13 breakaway rooms are often used as boardrooms or meeting spaces for delegates. www.fairgroundholdings.com

The Grand Palm Hotel Casino and Convention Resort Venue

Area m2

Cinema

Classroom

Banquet

Cocktail

Boardroom

Tsodilo Suite

1 550m2

1807

1 002

1 040

1 550

1 500

Hall A

595m2

588

360

350

590

390

Hall B

595m2

588

360

350

590

390

Hall C

368m2

396

192

200

370

192

Okavango Suite

306m2

250

220

200

150

-

Serondela Rooms (1-4)

180m2

120

108

120

150

45

BUSINESS EVENTS MADE EASY

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Aerial shot of the Okavango River © Wynand Uys via Unsplash

Climate Botswana has a semi-arid climate that is hot and dry for much of the year. The rainy season runs through the summer months, with erratic, unpredictable, extremely regional rainfall.

Access

Croc spotted in northern Botswana © Ross Huggett

Botswana offers a myriad options thanks to its abundance of natural wonders and wildlife to explore.

Incentive Travel Products

packages available through DMCs like Dragonfly Africa, Grosvenor Tours, Zar Travel, and Wedgewood. For those in search of something more, Savute is an ancient inland lake with curious water movement. There are also unique waterbased safaris, or horseback safaris, as well as Mokoro rides, and scenic flights across this picturesque, open landscape.

As a well-established incentive travel destination, Botswana offers a myriad options thanks to its abundance of natural wonders and wildlife to explore.

Places like Chobe, Makgadigadi, Mroremi and Okavango are particularly popular with visitors, and there are many luxury safari and game-viewing

Botswana has four main airports; Sir Seretse Khama International is the main access point. Carriers include: • South African Airways • Ethiopian Airlines • Air Botswana

Currency and Exchange Rate Batswana Pula (BWP)

South African Rands (ZAR)

US Dollar (USD)

Euro (EUR)

Chinese Yuan (CNY)

50.00

68.10

4.65

3.99

31.88

Information correct at the time of going to print.

Botswana Conference and Exhibition Centre Venue

Cinema

Classroom

Banquet

Cocktail

U-Shape

Ditshupo Chamber

10 000

5 000

2 500

15 000

2 000

Boipuso Chamber

2 000

950

800

1 500

600

Annex Conference Room

360

300

360

350

300

Pavilion Conference Room

400

200

280

300

120

Banquet Conference Room

350

100

120

250

100

Room 4

50

25

40

30

25

Contacts Botswana Tourism Organisation Tel: +267 391 3111 / +267 310 5601 Email: board@botswanatourism.co.bw Web: www.botswanatourism.co.bw

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BUSINESS EVENTS MADE EASY

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MAURITIUS The island of Mauritius – off the coast of East Africa, in the heart of the cerulean Indian Ocean – is the ideal destination for your next meeting, conference or incentive trip.

M

auritius is significantly more developed with regards to conferencing facilities than its neighbouring island nations. It has played host to major international conferences such as the Africa Energy Forum, the UN Small Island Developing States Conference and the upcoming International Business Conference. Mauritius has excellent infrastructure (both in terms of travel and telecommunications), fantastically flexible venues (both around the capital city of Port Louis and at its beach resorts) and plenty to do on incentive trips.

Key Venues Swami Vivekananda Conference Centre First opened in 2005, this doublestoried, state-of-the-art convention centre guarantees Mauritius’s place as the Indian Ocean region’s MICE leader, with 17 000m2 of flexible space.

Its main hall can accommodate up to 3 500 delegates seated theatre-style and up to 5 000 in a reception. There are a number of smaller venues that can be used for breakaways or smaller

Le Méridien Ile Maurice © Marriott

functions. All catering and AV needs can be handled in-house. The venue’s proximity to Port Louis ensures convenience and shortened travel times. www.svicc.mu

breakaway board rooms, all of which can be customised to suit your event’s particular needs. The hotel strives for a modern look, and feels bright and airy. In-house professionals handle catering and other requirements. www.lemeridien-mauritius.com

Le Méridien Ile Maurice Perched on the edge of a beautiful beach in the bay of Pointe Aux Piments, Le Méridien Ile Maurice offers an unforgettable location for an event.

There are six meeting rooms and two

Trianon Convention Centre Merely a 15-minute drive away from Port Louis and 25 minutes from the

Le Méridien Ile Maurice Venue

Cinema

U-Shape

Cocktail

Classroom

Chamarel Ballroom

550

60

400

300

Chamarel 1

350

48

-

200

Chamarel 2

96

-

-

100

Bel Air

60

24

-

30

Swami Vivekananda Conference Centre Venue

Area (m2)

Cinema

Banquet

Reception

Classroom

Boardroom

Atrium

2 000

-

1 200

2 500

-

-

Main Hall

3 500

3 500

2 000

5 000

2 500

1 200

Swan A+B

136

100

-

-

70

40

Pelican A+B

136

100

-

-

70

35

Amphitheatre

450

425

-

-

-

-

Pink Pigeon

700

600

350

900

400

200

Kestrel

250

200

-

300

140

70

Parakeet, Cardinal, Cateau Vert

60

40

-

-

30

15

BUSINESS EVENTS MADE EASY

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Trianon Convention Centre Venue

Area (m2)

Cinema

U-Shape

Banquet

Classroom

Main Auditorium

3 000

60

-

910

850

The Workshop

150

120

24

80

45

The Meeting Rooms x4

42 – 95

12 – 45

16

30

15

The Patio

1 000

400

-

-

-

The VIP Room

30

10

-

-

-

airport, Trianon Convention Centre can host up to 3 000 delegates, and has space for 450 parked vehicles.

Smaller meetings – including ones between 2 people – can also be accommodated. It offers world-class AV facilities and amenities, delicious catering, as well as additional inhouse services. www.tcc.mu

Incentive Travel Products Although Mauritius is small (it is only 2 925km2, the same size as Gamawa in Nigeria), there is plenty on offer for incentive travellers. The National Botanical Garden of Mauritius is a must-see for all tourists, as it is home to over 650 types of plants, many of which are indigenous, including the

The National Botanical Garden of Mauritius is a must-see for all tourists, as it is home to over 650 types of plants, many of which are indigenous.

world-famous Giant Water Lilies and Baobabs. Nature lovers will also enjoy the stunning, untouched natural areas scattered all over the island. Highlights include the Black River Gorges National Park, Seven Coloured Earths in Riviere Noire and the Frederica Nature Reserve.

Those seeking out cultural or historical experiences will find interest in attractions such as the Château de Labourdonnais, Kalaisson Temple and the Mahebourg Museum. All these sites chronicle the complex colonial history of the island, while several former sugar cane plantations such as Rhumerie de Chamarel offer local rum and gin tastings. And, of course, it’s possible to simply relax on the pristine beaches of Île aux Cerfs or Grand Baie, sip on a cocktail and catch a tan. For the more adventurous, most resorts offer water-sports and fabulous golf courses to explore.

Climate

Access Mauritius’s main airport is Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International, which is situated outside of Port Louis.

This airport is home to Air Mauritius.

Other airlines flying here include:

Salon De La Com took place at Swami Vivekananda ICC © Odysseus

Black River, Mauritius © Xavier Coiffic via Unsplash

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Air Austral Air France Air Madagascar Air Seychelles Alitalia Austrian Airlines British Airways Condor Corsair International Edelweiss Air Emirates Eurowings Evelop Airlines KLM Kenya Airways Lufthansa Saudia South African Airways TUI Turkish Airlines

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Mauritius’ climate is fairly consistent throughout the year, with only a 4.3°C difference between the two major seasons.

Currency and Exchange Rate Mauritian Rupee (MUR)

South African Rands (ZAR)

US Dollar (USD)

Euro (EUR)

Chinese Yuan (CNY)

50

20.90

1.46

1.24

10.01

This information was correct at the time of going to print.

Contacts Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority Head Office: 4-5th Floor, Victoria House, St Louis Street, Port Louis, Mauritius Telephone: +230 2031900 Email: mauritius@meropa.co.za Website: www.tourism-mauritius.mu

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EVENTS TO DIARISE

OCTOBER FUTURE ENERGY AFRICA 1–3 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA AFRICAN PORTS EVOLUTION 2–3 DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA AFRICAN RAIL EVOLUTION 2–3 DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA AFRICA HOTEL INVESTMENT FORUM 2–4 NAIROBI, KENYA FINANCE INDABA AFRICA 3–4 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA JEWELLEX AFRICA 6–8 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA EDUTECH AFRICA 9 – 10 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA INFRASTRUCTURE AFRICA 9 – 10 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

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ELITE SPORT SUMMIT 10 – 12 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA SWAHILI INTERNATIONAL TOURISM EXPO 12 – 14 DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA ACTE GLOBAL SUMMIT 14 – 16 PARIS, FRANCE WASTECON 15 – 19 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA IMEX AMERICA 16 – 18 LAS VEGAS, USA SUB SAHARAN AFRICA POWER SUMMIT 17 – 19 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW 19 – 21 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE 22 – 24 PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA RMB WINEX 24 – 26 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA FIBO BUSINESS SUMMIT SA 25 – 27 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA MAMAMAGIC THE BABY EXPO 26 – 28 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA WHISKY LIVE 31 – 2 NOVEMBER JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA UFI CONGRESS 31 – 3 NOVEMBER ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

EVENTS TO DIARISE

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SAPHEX 1–2 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA AFRICA OIL WEEK 5–9 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

DISCOP AFRICA 14 – 16 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA AFRICA RUBBER EXPO AND SUMMIT 20 – 21 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

WINDABA 7–8 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

AFRICAN AGRI INVESTMENT AND TRADE INDABA 27 – 28 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

ICCA CONGRESS 11 – 14 DUBAI, UAE

IBTM WORLD 27 – 29 BARCELONA, SPAIN

AFRICACOM 13 – 15 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

CHENGDU INTERNATIONAL TOURISM EXPO 29 – 1 DECEMBER CHENGDU, CHINA

MISSION CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES AFRICA 13 – 15 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

DECEMBER TANZANIA TRADE SHOW 1–3 DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA WORLD SME EXPO 1–3 HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ENDOCRINOLOGY 1–4 CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA POWER GEN INTERNATIONAL 4–6 ORLANDO, USA AL ANSAAR SOUK AND TRADE FAIR 21 – 1 JANUARY DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Narok County, Kenya. Photo by Sutirta Budimanon Unsplash

NOVEMBER

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ASSOCIATIONS NEWS

TBCSA: SA TOURISM BUSINESS PERFORMANCE DIPS South Africa’s tourism business performance shows a significant dip in the first six months of 2018, according to the Tourism Business Council of South Africa is interim CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa. This follows the release of the Tourism Business Index (TBI) report in late August. According to the report, business performance in the sector has declined significantly in the first half of 2018. Overall, the sector recorded substantially lower than normal business performance, with an index of 57.9 (against an index of 100). This index score is much lower than the 72.4 forecast for the first two quarters of 2018. Furthermore, it is notably lower than the 71.4 experienced in the last half of 2017.

Says Tshivhengwa: “This is of great concern to us as it is not the direction we should be heading”.

Among the factors potentially contributing negatively to performance, are insufficient overseas leisure demand, insufficient domestic leisure demand and insufficient domestic business demand. Other specific factors mentioned in the ‘other tourism business’ segment include the water crisis in Cape Town, transport licensing issues, fuel increases, political uncertainty and volatility, crime and service delivery protests.

For more information visit www.tbcsa.travel.

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Rudi Van Der Vyver Chief Executive Officer at SAACI

AFRICA IS RIPE FOR MICE PICKINGS Africa and the countries within the continent are seeing a massive focus and spotlight being placed on the Business Events or MICE industry currently. This is very encouraging and there is also a movement for African countries to work closer together and create a destination Africa message to the world.

With such collaboration we can lift each other up rather than compete against each other. From a destination marketing perspective, we can now start to focus on getting business into Africa first and then guide them to the appropriate destinations within Africa. Again, through collaboration we can achieve so much more and start opening more and more market access inter Africa for industry players.

Another area where collaboration is a focus point across Africa is on learning education and capacity building. We all have the knowledge we require on the continent already and many of

us operate internationally and thus have access and are exposed to best practice trends on a daily basis. This now allows us the opportunity to “take care” of ourselves and facilitate our own growth. We no longer need hand outs from the world but can rather have our sites firmly set on business development for Africa by Africa.

The term co-opetition is truly taking hold and the sooner we all realise that we are much stronger as a continent and individual companies when we work together (within a competitive framework) rather than only competing against each other with no residual benefits and growth. This is the time to truly put Africa on the map and keep us there to compete with the established markets and countries.

ASSOCIATIONS NEWS

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The International Association of Professional Conference Organisers has launched their Not Just a Drop in the Ocean CSR Campaign as part of their 50th Anniversary legacy. By 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish, and by this time, IAPCO aims to rid the meetings industry of single-use plastic.

IAPCO will be encouraging member companies to engage their suppliers, clients and local stakeholders to also join the campaign and sign the Plastics Pledge. The target is to have 50 pledges signed and 50 real measurable changes within IAPCO’s 50th anniversary year. For more information, visit www.iapco.org.

Leatitia van Straten Chairperson of AAXO

Marketing expert Leatitia van Straten has been elected as the new Chairperson of the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO).

Van Straten, who has served as Marketing Director at Terrapinn and is now Marketing Director of Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery, was instrumental in founding AAXO and sat on its Board of Directors since its inception. She has been listed on the International Who’s Who multiple times as an expert in her field, and has been recognised as one of the Top 40 Women in the MICE industry.

She notes that AAXO is growing well and delivering on its original goals of conducting thorough industry research, growing its pan-African representation, and serving both as a voice of the exhibition industry and a barometer of its standards.

UFI ANNOUNCES OPERATIONS AND SERVICES AWARD UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has named Stockholmsmässan as winner of the UFI Operations and Services Award 2018, for their ‘Roboplotter’ project – a robotised floor-marker system, transforming physically demanding labour into an easy task, managed by an operator.

This year’s award focused on smart and innovative technologies that deliver benefits and facilitate the work of venues, exhibitors and event managers. The shortlist included IFEMA (Spain), Corferias (Colombia), Milton Exhibits (China), EACA (Oregon) and Stockholmsmässan (Sweden).

“All the entries shared experiences and best practices that bring innovation and efficiency to our industry. However, Roboplotter demonstrated a real increase in measurable productivity for exhibition operations,” said Giacomo Lucchini, Chair of the UFI Operations and Services Committee.

UFI will share the chosen projects at the 85th UFI Global Congress in Saint Petersburg from 31 October to 3 November 2018.

Ghandi Square, Johannesburg © Paul Saad

IAPCO: LET’S RID INDUSTRY OF SINGLE-USE PLASTIC

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+27 11 549 8300

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CONTACTS Cover Image: Black River, Mauritius © Xavier Coiffi c Publisher: Lance Gibbons lance@filmeventmedia.co.za Editor in Chief: Katie Reynolds-Da Silva katie@filmeventmedia.co.za Assistant Editor: Kim Crowie

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+27 11 950 6000

E. info@cticc.co.za

E. sales@rali.co.za

W. www.cticc.co.za

W. www.mistyhills.co.za

Exhibition Freighting

SAACI

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T.

T.

+27 21 552 7248

+27 11 880 5883

E. jacquinel@ef-gsm.co.za

E. info@saaci.org

W. www.ef-gsm.co.za

W. www.saaci.org

kim@fi lmeventmedia.co.za Writer: Natasha Skoryk tash.skoryk@gmail.com Head of Design: Sheree Steenkamp sheree@filmeventmedia.co.za Special Projects Designer / Illustrator: Lauren Smith lauren@filmeventmedia.co.za Junior Designer: Caitlin Perrett caitlin@filmeventmedia.co.za Business Manager: Gary Randall gary@filmeventmedia.co.za Production Manager: Katlego Molele katlego@filmeventmedia.co.za

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+27 11 494 1920

+27 21 809 1100

E. info@expocentre.co.za

E. info@spier.co.za

W. www.expocentre.co.za

W. www.spier.co.za

Digital Manager: Cheri Morris digital@filmeventmedia.co.za Digital Account Manager: Zama Mlhamanzana zama@filmeventmedia.co.za 2 Dingle Avenue, Kenilworth, 7708 Tel: +27 21 674 0646

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Kenya © Robin Stuart via Unsplash

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