SAT at the EIBTM press conference in Barcelona – SAT CEO Thulani Nzima second from left

South Africa Tourism (SAT) has urged the world to consider business meetings in Africa as the continent is no longer on the side-lines, but has “taken centre stage”.

Speaking at the EIBTM press conference in Barcelona, Spain, Chief Executive Officer, of SAT, Thulani Nzima said Africa is capable of hosting conferences.

“We invite you to seriously consider Africa as a destination for meetings, events, incentives and exhibitions because South Africa is capable, and South Africa delivers on expectations with excellence,” Nzima said.

EIBTM is the leading global event for the meetings, incentives, conferences, events and business travel industry, taking place in the award winning business and tourism destination of Barcelona. The event gathers over 15,000 MICE industry professionals for three days of focused access to a dynamic business environment with over 3,100 exhibitors, thought provoking professional education and business networking to drive your business into the future.

“We’re organised and we have the skill and track record that speaks of success and offers the assurance of excellent, professional, awesome delivery for any event.”

However, South Africa leads its African peers as it is still ranked the number one association conference destination on the African continent and the country boasts of five international convention centres, hundreds of four and five-star hotels – these are star-graded properties with guaranteed quality, excellent airport infrastructure, world-class technology and people with the skills and the experience to deliver the world’s most sophisticated business events.

According to ICCA, South Africa hosted 1038 international association conferences that meet their criteria since 1994 and the 97 international association meetings that South Africa hosted last year amounted to a third of all the meetings hosted on the entire continent.

“South African National Convention Bureau has been in operation for nearly two years and, we are working hard to ensure that Africa as a continent works together in partnership, to significantly grow Africa’s share of global business events,” added Nzima.

According to the International Monetary Fund growth forecast that was issued at the end of last month, Africa will grow by 6% on average in 2014. Nzima revealed that the Meetings Africa, which is the world-class business events trade show that we host in Johannesburg every year, is now committed to an irrevocable path of being a truly pan-African exhibition.

He said they have invited the rest of the African continent to come and exhibit at Meetings Africa 2014, and already we have nine African destinations confirmed to join us on the exhibitor floor.

“Over above this we have already received 155 hosted buyer applications and 55 have those are already qualified and approved while 57 of those did not meet the criteria for qualification. We already have 600 local corporates that have signed up for next year’s Meetings Africa.”

“This year, we welcomed more than 300 international buyers to Meetings Africa. 115 of them were at Meetings Africa for the very first time, giving more evidence that Africa has come of age as a business events destination.”

The next Meetings Africa will be held from the 24th to the 26th February 2014.

“We invite the global market to do more than consider Africa as an option for business events. Today we invite the world to bring its business to South Africa. We issue this invitation because we are completely confident of the products and services we offer.”