THE STATE OF THE AFRICA’S MICE INDUSTRY

Now that Covid-19 restrictions have been eased across the world, Africa’s MICE businesses are set pick up pace, driven by stronger relationships, meaningful dialogues, agility and innovation. It is, therefore, not business as usual.

It is anticipated that the sector will enjoy significant opportunities, not least due to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The agreement provides access to an integrated market opportunity of over 1.3 billion people, which will in turn boost and broaden MICE economic activities. In fact, the AfCFTA can be leveraged to revolutionise the African MICE industry, if prioritised by stakeholders as a catalyst for growth through initiatives such as the annual Intra-Africa Trade Fair.

Having realised that the MICE segment can be a game changer for tourism growth, several African countries have adopted aggressive policies to promote this segment. This is evident in South Africa, Morocco and Rwanda, who are the market leaders. These countries prioritise all four pillars of MICE – meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions – and continue to professionalise the industry through innovative development programmes with their convention bureaus as lead agents. Up-and-coming African MICE destinations include Botswana, Kenya and Ghana. Botswana and Kenya are focused on targeting MICE opportunities that are aligned with their key economic sectors, while Ghana has positioned itself as a destination for social events – anchored on the successes it achieved through initiatives such as the 2019 ‘Year-of-Return’ and ‘December in Ghana’.

Kwakye Donkor is the CEO of Africa Tourism Partners (ATP), which is a UNWTO affiliate member and UNWTO award-winning firm. He is a renowned strategist and expert in tourism development, marketing, brand management and MICE.

Visit theplannerguru.co.za’s events listings to view ATP’s upcoming events in 2023.

All these countries have been extremely successful in growing the contribution of their MICE segment to their local economies by repurposing their destination marketing resources to robustly pursue local, regional, continental and global MICE sector opportunities.

In spite of the above progressive approaches and outlook, the MICE sector in Africa still faces the challenge of limited integrated world-class MICE facilities, high cost of travel and intra-Africa mobility, and lack of MICE capacity-building programmes. These have been major hurdles for the growth of this segment.

Resolving these means that countries have to provide strong MICE leadership that balances pragmatism with agility, innovation and bold ideas. With regard to capacity building, the countries must consistently train and develop skills as a way of setting a foundation to deliver quality standards on par with the rest of the world.

The millennial workforce is reaching critical mass. This is driving a paradigm shift in what the minimum standards and requirements for the industry should be, which must now include state-of-the-art technology, interactivity, engaging content, and issues of environmental and social sustainability. Another critical trend to watch is an increasing demand for unique outdoor and curated experiences. This is mainly due to a rising demand for post-pandemic sustainable travel. This means rethinking ‘green space design’ and investing resources in uniquely curated experiences for ecoconscious business and bleisure travellers. These can be a strong attraction to potential MICE corporate buyers and travel trade.

Finally, it must be noted that, while virtual events proliferated the market during the pandemic, hybrid and live events still have strong mid- to long-term potential in Africa and must not be ignored.

MICE and business events stakeholders and destinations need to start reimagining delegate experiences and operate like startups. This means being ready to prototype, iterate and continue to improve. This is vital to generating initiatives, solutions and programmes for growth in a constantly changing environment.

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This is a fully inclusive service offering and has additional activities to choose from which is guaranteed to further enrich your Namibian experience. Two activities per day are included in your room rate, assuring you double excursions daily. Prepare to be immersed in the magnificent adventure that can only be ensured through the Chobe experience.

• Game Drive Safaris

• Chobe River Safari Cruises

• Cultural Tours

• Victoria Falls visit

• Tastefully infused African and European Cuisines.

• Flight of the Angels

• Fishing Charter

• 16-seat Board Room ideal for intimate and exclusive Meetings