champion Africa”

ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) – the global community and knowledge hub for the international association meetings industry – faces 2023 with great optimism. Last year showed a real desire for people to meet once more in-person. We’ve all been so resilient over the last few years, but we can now harness that resilience, and the technology of necessity used so brilliantly during the pandemic, to enhance the experiential nature of our in-person events. For meeting face to face is where real connections are made, and opportunities realised.

Yet some uncertainty remains. Complex issues around global unrest, financial challenges, professional skills and recruitment, accessibility for all… combine to present us with one simple truth: what we do must matter more. We have to be bold and show our members our value proposition as thought leaders, instigators, advocates and champions of what is a hugely important global industry. We have to listen to our members, and use their hopes and aspirations to create a dynamic new narrative.

What about Africa? ICCA is primed to play a bigger role across the whole continent. Africa is a wonderful, complicated, intriguing proposition… where challenges and opportunities coexist. But many individual African countries and communities have their own specific needs. With this is mind, ICCA must consider bringing our global connections, influences, knowledge and initiatives into play at an almost micro-level. We have been doing what we do for over 60 years. We have industry-leading experience. ICCA’s vast bank of data, knowledge and proven ability to deliver up-to-the-minute industry reports and business intelligence give our members a considerable commercial advantage in their particular regions and sectors. We are very strong at addressing key areas of sustainability, legacy, diversity, equity and inclusion… and what members need to do to understand and meet these global expectations. We share content to drive change – especially around legacy. And Africa needs legacy stories to inspire the world.

On Monday 27 February at the Sandton Convention Centre, Esmare Steinhofel, regional director: Africa, hosted the 3rd ICCA Meetings Africa Association Day, as part of the Meetings Africa BONDay. The day included an educational seminar and an informal network meet and greet with hosted association buyers – presenting a great opportunity.

With a new year upon us, with a commitment to more innovation, more bold thinking, more visibility and a stronger value proposition, ICCA will continue to grow. We will also see our ICCASkills global education certification for industry professionals go from strength to strength. ICCASkills is a real game changer – something we believe will help talented young professionals thrive in our industry, giving them a career they can passionately commit to.

ICCA will bring more opportunities, more knowledge, more training and more business to our friends – old and new – in Africa.