What is new with Meetings Africa this year?

Ndlovu:  There is a lot happening this year that we haven’t seen before. I believe these new initiatives will definitely enhance visitors’ experience at this year’s show. Our big six initiatives are:

1. Revised show days - running from Monday to Wednesday, allowing three full days for interactions between buyers and exhibitors;
2. Corporate brunch -  an opportunity to increase the number of local corporates at Meetings Africa and engage them about what role they can play to contribute to the growth in business tourism;
3. An easy-to-navigate exhibition floor - we have segmented the show floor to assist visitors easily navigate the show and maximize their time at the show;
4. Exhibition greening in line with international standards - for the first time this year, Meetings Africa will be audited by an independent consultancy, Icologie, to make sure that upcoming events match or exceed globally accepted standards;
5. Matchmaking diary  - this sophisticated and enhanced matchmaking technology via an advanced online diary system ensures that buyers and other delegates meet the person that better matches their profile;
6. The  first ever Golf Day, taking place on Thursday 24 February 2011 at Dainfern Country Club, offering exhibitors and visitors that additional last-minute networking opportunity.

Over and above all this, we have looked at how visitors and buyers can further make valuable connections that will last beyond this year’s event. We have introduced the Poken, an interactive networking device. The Poken serves as an electronic business card, connecting you across professional and social media sites – and this means no need for people to carry those hundreds of business cards!

Ndlovu: For the second year in a row, we have partnered with SAACI to offer industry educational seminars alongside Meetings Africa. This year we will cover currently hot topics within the business tourism community like The Consumer Protection Act and and Event Greening.

The Association Day workshop, which is primarily aimed at the national associations, promises to be very enriching for delegates this year. This not-to-be-missed one-day master class will be led by Susan Sarfati and Liz Jackson from High Performance Strategies and Jackson Consulting from the USA and will be facilitated by Enrico Zuffi from Geneva.

Marcel Visser, editor-in-chief for one of the leading global associations publications, Headquarters Magazine, will also be attending Meetings Africa and the Association Day workshop and will provide global trends in these markets and give insight into the European perspective. Association Day delegates can look to a surprise gift at the end of the programmed!

For corporate meeting planners, there is an array of speakers who will be at the Gearhouse presentation area sponsored by Unique Speaker Bureau.  

Ndlovu: Due to its increased capability, we see more meetings being hosted in South Africa. To date, South Africa has secured bids for international meetings that will see the destination host over 300 000 delegates over the next five years and this is a conservative view. Here are some of the events South Africa has secured:

• The International Olympic Committee’s 123rd Congress (2011)
• The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17) (2011)
• The 23rd Colloquium of African Geology (2011)
• The International Small Business Congress (2012)
• The Fourth World Conference on Doping in Sport  (2013)
• The Paediatric and Cardiac Surgery (2013)
• The World Transplant Games (2013)
• The International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2014)
• Baptist World Congress  (2015)
• The 14th  World Forestry Congress (2015)
• The 23rd International World Congress of Nephrology (2015)

I would like to wish all the delegates a successful a Meetings Africa and  encourage all of them to make sure that at the end of Meetings Africa, they visit the rest of South Africa and get to experience our beautiful country.

Nomasonto Ndlovu, global manager: Business Tourism at South African Tourism