The African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AAVEA) board recently welcomed Mpume Mabuza as its new President and Chairperson.

Mabuza, who previously served as AAVEA’s Secretary, takes over from Sabine Lehmann, who founded AAVEA in 2014.

As the current CEO of Downtown Music Hub, the former Marketing Executive for uShaka Marine World and former Chairperson of the Durban Chamber Tourism Forum, Mabuza brings a wealth of experience and insights to the AAVEA.

Her tertiary qualifications include a B Com, a post-graduate Diploma in Business Management and an MBA.

"I am honored to lead this association with a passionate team, aiming to create a more inclusive and sustainable future for member attractions. Our focus will be on broadening our membership base to include smaller attractions and to increase our footprint into the rest of the continent, highlighting their stories and experiences while learning from larger attractions. Together, we showcase African attractions' richness and diversity, providing transformative experiences for visitors,” said Mabuza.

She added that AAVEA was excited to collaborate with the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the global association for attractions, to increase membership and enhance industry competitiveness in Africa.

“By sharing knowledge, embracing innovation and sustainability, we can unlock the full potential of African visitor attractions.”

Lehmann, who has been appointed to serve on IAAPA’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa region advisory board as Chair of the Governance Committee, said: “Mabuza comes with a depth and breadth of experience and is well placed to lead AAVEA into the next chapter. I am excited to see where the association goes as the industry is changing and consumer needs change.”

AAVEA is a membership-driven association, governed by a board of industry professionals, which offers the only educational opportunities for visitor experience and attractions professionals in Africa.

While AAVEA began its journey in 2014 as an annual two-day conference for the attractions industry focused on education, training, benchmarking, and networking, it was officially launched as an association in November 2018.

Profitroom appoints new Customer Success Manager for Africa

Booking platform, Profitroom recently appointed Kevin Mandlokuwa as its Customer Success Manager.

Mandlokuwa has over 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked across various departments including front office management, reservations management and, for the past eight years, revenue management.

He has worked at establishments such as Tourvest aha Hotels, Harbour Bridge, The Adderley Hotel, Bantry Bay Suites, and Ocean View House in Cape Town.

He joins Profitroom from Cresta Hotels where he was the Group Revenue Manager.

Mandlokuwa said: “As a Customer Success Manager, I’m excited to show hoteliers across the continent how Profitroom’s innovative solutions can help them. My vision is to see Profitroom gain significant market share by partnering with leading hotel groups and outstanding independent hotels, to become the number-one direct booking tech solution in Africa. As the main contact for our hotel partners, my main goal is to help them grow their direct bookings and guide them through our systems.”

Laurence Wall, Director of International Customer Success at Profitroom said: “We consider our customer success team as one of our key selling points and we want to make sure that we are always available should our partners ever need us. We are pleased to welcome Mandlokuwa to Profitroom, and look forward to leveraging his expertise and leadership as we continue to disrupt the industry. This appointment reaffirms our commitment to helping hotels succeed in an increasingly dynamic and technology-driven market.”

Kloeck to boost sustainability and conservation in Madikwe

Morukuru Family, which owns three exclusive-use properties in the Madikwe Game Reserve, has recently appointed Shane Kloeck as its Conservation and Sustainability Manager.

Kloeck joined the Morukuru Family nine years ago when he completed his experiential training for his degree in nature conservation.

His background work with the company's ‘Safaris with a Purpose’ initiative and former Head of Anti-Poaching aligns with Morukuru Family’s mission to promote eco-conscious tourism in the Madikwe Game Reserve.

‘Safaris with a Purpose’ is a uniquely crafted safari venture that offers guests the opportunity to support the local community and take part in the conservation efforts of the Madikwe Game Reserve.

“It was an essential role for our business. Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do and this strategic addition to the team reflects Morukuru Family's unwavering commitment to strengthen our conservation initiatives and contribute even more effectively to the protection of the environment and the preservation of the region's unique biodiversity,” said Morukuru Family Marketing Manager, Rinse Wassenaar.

As the Conservation and Sustainability Manager, Kloeck will collaborate closely with internal departments using Weeva, the 360° sustainability management platform.

Weeva assists with data collection, analytics, reporting and tracks nett environment and social impact – both negative and positive – in real time, ensuring that Morukuru Family achieves its conservation and sustainability initiatives.

“My challenge is looking for ways to conserve and preserve biological and ecological resources. I am very focused on using our resources to benefit future generations. I’m excited to examine how Morukuru Family can further reduce its footprint and look for additional ways to enhance the Madikwe Game Reserve and the surrounding communities,” said Kloeck.