The gathering at the Sandton Convention Centre brought together industry leaders from across Africa and the world to explore how international meetings and conferences can drive development, investment and global visibility for African destinations.
Delivering the keynote address, Nozipo Tshabalala, Chief Executive of The Conversation Strategists, reflected on how meaningful dialogue at global gatherings can translate into tangible development outcomes. She highlighted examples where international engagements have led to investments in education, health and community resilience.
“Spaces have indeed had measurable outcomes. I have seen investments in education where countries built more schools, enrolled more children and improved quality. I have seen investments in health care that went beyond the construction of hospitals, saving lives and lifting communities,” she said.
However, Tshabalala cautioned that not all conversations generate impact. “I have also watched historic opportunities stall. Tough conversations slide down the agenda as more fashionable topics take over. Entire groups are marginalised because they lack influence in that moment,” she warned.
Industry experts at BONDay said global trends were reshaping the business‑events sector. Dr Senthil Gopinath, Chief Executive of the International Congress and Convention Association ( ICCA), pointed to the explosive rise of artificial intelligence (AI) as a dominant theme at global meetings.
“In the last 18 months, the ICCA database shows that 864 new meetings were created under the topic of AI. Many more include AI as a secondary theme. This shows the sheer scale of the meetings segment,” he said.
Speakers also stressed how strategically hosting meetings can accelerate economic priorities. Bruce Redor, partner for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at GainingEdge, said destinations that understand how to link meetings to sectoral growth gain the most.
“Destinations succeed when they use international events to push forward their economic agenda. If a country wants to grow its high‑tech sector, bringing in an international conference from that field helps connect local expertise and global networks,” he said.
Meetings Africa continues this week until Wednesday with exhibition showcases, sector dialogues and bilateral engagements aimed at positioning Africa as a competitive player in the global business‑events landscape.
–ChannelAfrica–
