Last week’s IMEX Frankfurt has already promised great returns for South Africa, with exhibitors discussing potential opportunities for hosting MICE events in the country.
One of the meetings was with a UK-based organiser who will bring an international medical conference to the country in September.
The conference attracts 700 delegates with an estimated economic impact of close to R18 million (€855 630). Over and above the economic impact, the conference will include various legacy programmes focusing on key areas of need for the South African medical sector.
Among the other numerous leads, the South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB), a business unit of South African Tourism, generated a significant lead for another international medical conference. This conference typically draws 1 500 attendees and has an estimated economic value of R48 million (€2.3m).
As a result, and in a significant step, next year the conference’s Professional Conference Organiser will attend Meetings Africa to conduct site inspections for the event.
During the three-day trade fair, the SANCB team also held meetings with various clients planning already-secured business events that are now in the pipeline for South Africa over the next year or two.
“Attracting conferences like this to South Africa assists with creating a lasting impact in key areas of need and showcases our country’s world-class expertise in different sectors. The impact of the team SA’s effort at IMEX Frankfurt, therefore, goes beyond just securing business events and delegates. Their efforts positively impact various other economic sectors and the economic development of the country,” said Zinhle Nzama, Acting Chief Convention Bureau Officer at SANCB
On the show's first day, the SANCB team also hosted a targeted dinner engagement with 30 clients from various parts of the world, as part of increasing networking opportunities.
These clients were selected as they are important decision-makers for associations and corporate conferences, meetings, and incentives that take place globally. They were selected based on potential business opportunities for the destination over the next five years.
