SA takes ‘irresistible' business tourism offering to IMEX

South African Tourism will profile Meetings Africa as South Africa's premier business tourism marketing platform, designed to grow the country's market share of the global meetings industry.

The show has become especially important to South Africa, as the country is gaining higher status as a meetings, incentives and conference destination following South African Tourism's acquisition of Meeting Africa.

IMEX attracts over 3400 exhibitors along with tens of thousands of visitor delegates, business tourism buyers and journalists. The show is the ideal international platform to market both Meetings Africa and South Africa as a business tourism destination.

Angeline Lue, global manager, Business Tourism at South African Tourism says, “The South African meetings and conferences market has grown exponentially and we have since attracted global business tourism events which include: the 19th International Diabetes Conference (Cape Town 2006.), the World Association of Newspapers, 2007, International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 2007, World Public Relations Conference 2007, and the World Congress of Anesthesiologists in March 2008.

Furthermore, South Africa has secured the 118th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly which takes place in April 2008 as well as the 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis Treatment and Prevention, which will host over 10 000 people in July 2009.

International Lekgotla

South Africa's exhibition space at IMEX has grown from 220 sqm to 375 sqm due to a growth in demand from South African trade. The stand now includes a Lekgotla area, where group presentations are being hosted.

The ‘Lekgotla' will be a major draw card as it communicates the Business Unusual proposition effectively. South Africa's meetings management traditions such as the lekgotla, imbizo and bosberaad (each a distinct way of coming together, brain storming sharing opinions and reaching consensus) contributes to the inclusiveness of team building and the effectiveness of business outcomes.

Lue continues, “Our presence at IMEX will help us find and target international trade that we can equip to sell South Africa. We will use Meetings Africa as an important platform to gain further knowledge and exposure to the unique proposition available to meeting and event planners seeking different experiences for the conference delegates and incentive participants.”

The business tourism sector in South Africa will be represented by a diversity of products and service providers including; conference and meetings venues, hotels and resorts, convention bureaux and destination management companies.