In the wake of a successful Meetings Africa expo, sights have been set high for further growth in the business tourism sector.

78% of conference venues in South Africa are optimistic about future expansion, echoed by 67% of meeting planners.
Principal at Grant Thornton, Gillian Saunders says Gauteng is the leading event destination in South Africa, holding proportionately more than its fair share of events at its venues than both Cape Town and Durban.

Saunders said at the official opening of the Meetings Africa Incentives, Conferences and Business Travel Expo in Johannesburg that between April and June this year, Johannesburg hosted 38 percent of events as compared to 26 percent in Cape Town and 17 percent in Durban.

“According to a recent conference industry research benchmark study done by Grant Thornton/Direct Access, business meetings are the most common type of event organised by planners and held by venues. Independent and corporate meeting planners organise twice as many events as association and government planners.

”September to November are the busiest months for conference venues and meeting planners, with low activity during May to July and December and January the least busy.”

Saunders says the study is aimed at assisting industry players in making informed decisions and to demonstrate the wide ranging impact of the conference industry in South Africa.

Kate Rivett-Carnac, Director, Tourism at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) says South Africa has a unique business tourism offering.

“We have acknowledged the importance of diversity and are beginning to understand the value of this in an economic sense. Some examples are the indigenous knowledge of medicinal treatments, craft, music and art. Contemporary solutions include the Mzansi bank account and Afrian tools of consensus building. These process orientated tools are perfect for application to business tourism as they build commonality and energy around mutual goals.”

The DTI is a partner in Meetings Africa with an international hosted buyer programme for some 70 delegates from Africa, Europe and the United States.

Carol Weaving, managing director of Thebe Exhibitions, organisers of Meetings Africa, says the G8 Glen Eagles meeting in Scotland this week and the announcement of the winning bid for the 2012 Olympic Games today in Singapore are prime examples of how business tourism can stimulate economies.

“South African business tourism should learn from these opportunities – after all the 2010 Soccer World Cup Tournament is around the corner with a possibility of the 2011 World Cup Rugby Tournament being hosted in South Africa as well. History has proven that host cities become extremely popular conference destinations after hosting major sporting events.

“It is estimated that business tourism is currently worth approximately R21 billion per year to the South African economy and sustains nearly 260 000 jobs. It provides more than R6 billion annually to salaries and contributes R4 billion to the central fiscal in the form of taxes,” says Weaving.

Members of the business tourism industry gather at the Sandton Convention Centre from today to Friday, 8 July at the largest industry showcase ever held on the African continent. It is a one-stop shop for meeting planners, event organisers and incentive travel professionals.

For the first time in the five-year history of Meetings Africa, exhibitors from other African countries – Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe – are showcasing their products and services, giving buyers a greater variety of options to choose from.

However, there is also a strong focus on the local corporate market, which still forms the backbone of the industry. There is an exciting product mix on offer, including venues, team events and incentive destinations, as well as services such as technical and catering support.

Meetings Africa is supported by all the relevant industry organisations, including the South African Tourism National Convention Bureau and the South African Meetings Industry Federation (SAMIF).