By Rick Taylor
The business events tourism sector is seen as a major instrument to achieving the goals of economic growth, development and poverty alleviation.
Throughout Africa progress has been made in developing and promoting destinations via the diversification of tourism into the business events sector.
The significant potential of this sector is however not yet fully realized and much still needs to be done to achieve a long-term vision for the continent … that business events tourism should play a leading role in spearheading economic growth in Africa.
The meetings industry has firmly placed itself at the center of tourism and is globally understood to be an important generator of income, employment and inward investment. Meetings and events increase international trade, boost knowledge, foster scientific advancement and reduce the ebb and flow of seasonality. The industry in Africa must galvanize to communicate this to governments and align the sector with government priorities.
In the past the lack of purpose built meeting facilities explains much of Africa’s poor showing in the business events sector (accounting for approximately only 3% of global association meetings according to ICCA 2013 statistics).
This has however changed significantly with venues, accommodation and other facilities and amenities now being developed throughout the continent at a rapid rate; tailored to modern technological innovation standards. There is also growing interest in establishing Convention Bureaus’ throughout Africa. The continent is poised to establish itself as an innovative and highly competitive offering for organizers worldwide.
The theme for the 10th Meetings Africa in February 2015 was ‘Advancing Africa Together’. Fifteen African destinations exhibited their products showcasing Convention Centres, hotels, DMCs and PCO members to qualified international hosted meeting buyers, journalists from around the world as well as corporate and association buyers who visited independently.
In addition to South Africa, Tanzania and Zanzibar, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia promoted their business events sectors. Nigeria launched the Calabar International Convention Centre due to open in June 2015 whilst Malawi announced the imminent launch (May 2015) of its first five-star hotel and conference centre at Umodzi Park in Lilongwe.
Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland and Botswana were represented whilst Mozambique is rapidly developing the sector with Maputo playing a more prominent role as a conference city with many properties being renovated and a number of construction projects underway.
Rwanda as a Business Events Destination
Outstanding biodiversity, a rich cultural heritage, a robust business environment, excellent safety and security, an expanding airlift and the improving quality of meeting venues and accommodation are some of the key assets on which Rwanda is building its sustainable business events tourism sector.
Rwanda Development Board identified the business events tourism sector as providing a clear and long-term opportunity to diversify and grow Rwanda’s export strategy. The Business Tourism Company was appointed in 2014 to implement Rwanda’s National MICE Strategy and establish the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB). The key objective was to grow the sector thus contributing to the achievement of Rwanda’s ambitious Economic Development Poverty Reduction Strategy II objectives.
RCB serves as the focal point for the coordination of all business events tourism industry activities; it is responsible for building the country’s business and events brand and aims to position Rwanda in the top 10 African meeting destinations by 2019-20 (based on ICCA Africa rankings). Under the strapline ‘Meet in Remarkable Rwanda’, the RCB was launched in March 2014 to stakeholders nationally with a formal international launch at IMEX Frankfurt in May 2014. RCB’s broad objectives are to market Rwanda as a preferred business events destination, work with key institutions (e.g. RwandAir, tour operators, industry stakeholders) to position the country as a regional business events hub, bid for new business and build capacities in the private sector (Professional Conference and Event Organizers).
Rwanda’s capital city is preparing to unveil the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC), due to open in mid-2016. Positioned on a hilltop in the heart of Kigali near Parliament the development is set to become one of the most recognized and iconic modern structures in Africa. With a maximum capacity of 2,600 the KCC will help position Rwanda as a leading business events destination in East Africa. In tandem with the KCC, a number of international 5-star hotel brands are currently under development (Radisson Blu, Marriott, Park Inn, Kempinski) with over 600 high-end bedrooms coming on to the market. Just ten minutes from the City Centre, the Kigali International Airport has recently been upgraded and is now able to handle 1,500,000 passengers annually, triple its previous capacity.
Coupled with the sector’s basic infrastructure and telecommunication requirements there is a growing desire to find new meeting and event destinations, especially in the incentive segment, as long as they are considered safe. There is an abundance of rich cultural and natural heritage on the continent to share.
Africa is not yet the promised continent … but is a continent full of promise!
