Get the week’s MICE industry news highlights in a quick 2-minute video, brought to you by The Planner. This week we look at two new formally recognised Event Safety Officer designations; the launch of the R1.2 billion Tourism Equity Fund; and Qatar...
Africa Travel Week responds to the pandemic with new high-value offerings
Africa Travel Week (ATW) has unveiled its plans for 2021, which includes a new strategy to reignite tourism on the continent while continuing to prioritise the safety of its global community. This involves a blend of both live and virtual events...
R1.2 billion Tourism Equity Fund launched
The Department of Tourism in partnership with the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) today launched the Tourism Equity Fund. The fund will be used to provide debt finance and grants to black entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, and especially...
Ellen Oosthuizen takes over the reigns as Chairperson for SA Events Council
The SA Events Council (SAEC), a coalition of 14 event industry associations, came into existence six months ago to support and lobby for the events sector. It hasn’t been an easy task, but progress is being made, especially in terms of forging a...
Event Safety Officers’ competence now formally recognised
“During this State of National Disaster, we’ve seen a massive drop off in events, with attendance numbers severely curtailed. But, as vaccines and treatment plans start to become available, it is certain that the events industry will revive itself....
Third phase of relief funding yet to be announced – Dept Sport, Arts and Culture
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has issued a press statement revealing that the information currently circulating about its third phase of relief funding comes from confidential draft documents which were leaked. The third phase of relief...
New Courtyard Hotel Waterfall City prepares to open
The recently completed Courtyard Hotel Waterfall City will open in the next few weeks, making it the 63rd hotel in the City Lodge Hotel Group (CLHG) and 56th in South Africa. What sets it apart from other CLHG properties is its positioning “to...
Comments invited for the Draft Act for improving the safety of the tourism sector
On 21 January 2021, Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane today released a draft of the Tourism Act: National norms and standards for the safe operations of tourism sector in the context of COVID-19 and beyond. Members of the public are...
CEIR releases its first Global Virtual Event Trends report
The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has released the first report in their three-part Global Virtual Event Trends Series. CEIR Vice President of Research Nancy Drapeau, PRC, says, “COVID-19 has blindsided the B2B exhibition industry...
Hospitality sector prepares to fight new Bargaining Council extension
A hospitality sector alliance, spearheaded by FEDHASA (Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa), has launched an urgent interdict against the Department of Employment and Labour following the Collective Agreement for the Bargaining...
UFI Industry Partners Benchmark Survey highlights the value of service providers
Teamwork is dream work – this seems to be the consensus among exhibition organisers and venue operators in UFI’s first Industry Partners Benchmark Survey, whose responses show they believe that service providers have a relatively high impact on the...
Could this be the ticket to reopening events?
As the Covid-19 pandemic rages on, it is unclear how much time will be needed to roll out double-dose vaccines to 67% of our country’s population, nor how long immunity from the vaccine will last for. Which means the events industry cannot depend...