CEO dressed to the T for tourism
07 March 2013
The Gala Dinner – hosted by the SA National Convention Bureau on 18 February – was titled ‘Dress to Impress Africa’, with a Fire-and-Water theme. The dinner formed part of a networking function attended by various guests
“It was a surprise and honour to be named the best dressed at the gala. Of course, it is only part of a much more important event, at which we were proud to represent Nelson Mandela Bay. Exhibitions like these are crucial to cultivating business relationships that further our strategies as the tourism body for the city - this is always our focus,” said Skefile.
About 3 000 delegates attended the exhibition, among them international, regional and local buyers of which 78% attended the event for the first time. NMBT was privileged to host a pre-Meetings Africa Tour that included one buyers from Canada and four from Indian.
“They went on an orientation tour of the city and township and also experienced the game drive at a local game reserve. Groups who visit on educationals are either searching for conference venues or activities for the incentive market,” said Skefile.
“When NMBT attends events like Meetings Africa, it creates a platform for us to showcase what the city has to offer in terms of not only leisure, but also in staging and hosting successful business events. Contact is also made with key media partners who can assist us in profiling our destination, creating the opportunity to establish Nelson Mandela Bay as the full package,” said Skefile.
In addition to attending Meetings Africa, the CEO recently attended a workshop on tourism and climate change hosted by the National Department of Tourism (NDT) and the Provincial Tourism Forum in East London followed by Local Government Tourism Conference in Johannesburg.
Promoting Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) as a business tourism destination is high on NMBT’s agenda and strategy, which is why attending trade shows and exhibitions are vital when marketing the destination.
“It creates the opportunity for tourism businesses and destination marketing agencies to interact and do business. It is a place of learning, engaging, sharing and showcasing. It’s the place to pursue new markets and showcase our city’s unique selling points.”
An example of the positive returns from attending the likes of trade shows, conferences and exhibitions was when the city was selected nationally to host the inaugural meeting of the South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB) Co-Ordinating Council last August, “This came as a result of the good relationship between NMBT and South African Tourism (SAT) and our continuous marketing and building on relationships at other events. Being recognized by the SANCB as a worthy convention destination was a big win for us,” she added.
NMBT assists professional conference and event organize host events, where and when possible. The organisation also ensures that local service providers like accommodation facilities, restaurants, car hire and other transport, petrol stations, banks and attractions benefit directly or indirectly from the event being hosted in the city.
“Hosting these events contributes to the economy of the city by our assistance the likes of accommodation establishments with occupancy in these trying times. We continue to urge conference delegates to explore areas of interest before or after the conference and see them return to the destination as holiday-makers with their family and friends.”
The city has hosted some big conventions like the Automotive Week, the 54th Annual Conference of SASA and more recently the Coke-Cola conference and The 2013 Congress for the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists.
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