EDITOR’S COMMENT

This year, I celebrate 18 years with Contact Publications. I started on 2 May and immediately, was immersed into the sector. The first introduction was a SAACI board meeting at the Durban ICC. Contact Publications was SAACI’s secretariat at the time, and as our MD, the late Godfrey King, was off to an international show, I had to sit in and do the minutes of the meeting. After the SAACI board meeting, I attended the Travel Indaba, now known as Africa’s Travel Indaba.

Wow, what a journey it has been. I have met some amazing people in the sector, and still continue to meet incredible individuals.

The business events industry is all about connections.

The many people I have met over the years, have become more than colleagues, they have become friends.

These relationships which I have created, have played a significant part of what forms most of my professional working life.

What is incredible is the work these people do, and the significance they play in the various industries they are in.

Our sector is more than tourism, its impact is ‘beyond’ tourism and this is something we sometimes forget. We aren’t tourism, but we contribute and make use of the tourism product. The business events sector touches on all industries and its impact is substantial, not just financially, but also leads to actual change in various industries.

SA Tourism’s introduction of the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB) has played a significant role in helping the industry to evolve and get onto a more equal playing field with global players.

This month we profile, Zinhle Nzama, acting chief convention bureau officer and she speaks on the importance of seeing change.

Due to the hard work by the SANCB team, South Africa is a strong business events destination.

The SANCB was formed in 2012 and is, in many ways, still in its infancy, but wow, its achievements need to be commended.

At the recent Meetings Africa that took place in Sandton, Fish Mahlalela, the South Africa deputy minister of tourism, also commended the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB) for securing 34 of the 79 bids for international meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions for the first three quarters of the year. The secured bids, he said, are estimated to be going to contribute R288-million to the South African economy between 2022 and 2025, a great return on investment on the 17.3-million the SANCB had invested in the bid support programme. This is a massive feat.

This wouldn’t be possible without the amazing people in the business events industry that make this happen.

Well done, Team South Africa!

Together, we are stronger.

Email: gomesi@iafrica.com