For the team from the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau
the Asia-Pacific Incentive and Meetings Expo (AIME), held in Melbourne, Australia, earlier this month yielded a rich harvest of new business.
Led by Calvyn Gilfellan, CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU), the small team completed no less than 40 business meetings with some of the region’s top hosted buyers in order to acquire business leads.
The team has all but convinced these conference organisers, associations and incentive buyers that Cape Town and the Western Cape is the destination to be before, during but particularly after the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
“The huge interest in our destination leaves one with feelings of pride and humility. It is now up to all of us to ensure that we not only capitalise on this sentiment in the short term, but deliver an experience that will turn business tourists into leisure ones and vice versa. In that way we will build a truly sustainable tourism industry,” says Gilfellan after this hectic but very satisfying international marketing drive.
The Convention Bureau’s attendance at AIME produced the following strong business leads:
- World Chinese Acupuncture and Medicine Conference planned for 2015 with an estimated delegate number of 800
- The ICOGRADA World Design Indaba Conference planned for 2013 with an estimated delegate count of 5000
- World Volunteer Firefighter Association Games scheduled to take place in 2012 and potentially attracting 5000 delegates
- At least 3 confirmed incentive groups (900 persons in total) for the World Cup and an additional 4 incentive groups for 2011
- Numerous requests to host smaller meetings and conferences in our beautiful destination.
Gilfellan also observed the following trends at the expo:
- The global meetings and incentive industry is picking up after one of the worst economic recessions in this half of the century. A year ago the word “incentive” was only whispered in the corridors, at this year’s AIME it is firmly back on the tourism agenda
- There is huge interest in Africa, South Africa and Cape Town as a new or alternative business tourism destination for people from China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Although the safety and security issue is raised, it is much more subtle and instead transport logistics, airfares and accommodation prices are dominating the enquiry lists
- Companies from India and China are keener to work with government agencies for two reasons: trustworthiness and the possibility of financial and logistical support to set up business tourism infrastructure in South Africa.
This year’s AIME, from 3 to 4 March 2010, was attended by 6000 delegates and was held at the modern, state of the art Melbourne Convention Centre.
Melbourne, Cape Town, San Juan, Copenhagen, Dubai, Vancouver, Edinburgh and Singapore are the only members of the esteemed Best Cities Global Alliance, a networking and quality assurance institution for Convention Bureaus.
For more information, visit Cape Town Routes Unlimited
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