Are you ready for Meetings Africa 2023? With only a month until the show kicks off with its Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay), on 27 February, you had better register now if you haven’t already. There is much to look forward to, all of which was conveyed at a packed-out media launch held this morning at @Sandton Hotel.
Some of the highlights shared at the launch include the following:
- The show’s new look, a contemporary and clean logo, was revealed for the first time. (Displayed in the cover image above.) South African Tourism (SA Tourism) Acting Chief Executive Officer, Themba Khumalo, said, “Meetings Africa aims to contribute to helping African business events players restart and grow. We want to create opportunities for Africa’s business events sector so that we can all grow back more vital than ever before. Our new look represents this new injection of energy and is an emphasis on the importance that we place on connections.”
- After processing 450 applications, 275 buyers from 45 countries have (so far) been approved to attend Meetings Africa 2023.
- 305 exhibitors representing 15 African countries have registered for the show. In addition to the well-known products, visitors can expect to find a good representation of Small Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) at the show, housed in the development zone.
- South African Tourism in partnership with all nine provinces will host buyers and media on familiarization pre- and post-show tours to experience South Africa’s business events facilities and establishments.
- BONDay will host the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) Africa Summit. This Africa chapter of the AIPC Summit was born out of a partnership between the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB), a business unit of South African Tourism, and the AIPC. “This Summit will help African venues to benchmark themselves against the global standards, to brand and position themselves based on what people are looking for in an internationally recognized venue,” said Themba.
- This year’s event – the 17th edition – will also bring the full ‘flavours’ of Africa to its guests, through music, traditional crafts, and a culinary showcase from across the continent.
Tourist arrivals to South Africa are showing a steady increase, outpacing the figures from 2021, but are still not at 2019 levels. “We remain optimistic for the year ahead both from a business events and leisure tourism perspective and we will continue to use our strategic platforms such as Meetings Africa and Africa’s Travel Indaba in May to promote our country and in so doing contribute to business success and growth,” concluded Themba.
Meetings Africa, Africa’s leading tourism industry event, will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, from 27 February to 01 March 2023. To register, please visit www.meetingsafrica.co.za.
