Page 58 - TKZN Annual Report 2023/2024

PROGRAMME 5: CONVENTION BUREAU
Purpose
• To bid for business events nationally and internationally which have researched potential to contribute substantially to the KwaZulu- Natal economy, and to contribute towards the transformation of the province’s business tourism sector.
Strategic Objectives
• Increase the level of business tourism flow to KwaZulu-Natal by 2019.
• Contribute to the transformation of KwaZulu-Natal’s business tourism sector by 2019.
Key Performance Areas
• Number of bid proposals prepared; and
• Comprehensive data set and understanding of KwaZulu-Natal’s business event venues and services.
Performance Highlights
Introduction
In South Africa, the events industry is worth almost R100 billion and employs more than 200 000 people in a wide variety of skilled, semi- skilled and unskilled jobs, and injects benefits into every aspect of the economy.
Therefore, the work of the TKZN Convention Bureau forms a crucial component of the wider tourism mix. The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition (MICE) industry not only involves on-the-ground tourism products, but also greatly benefits downstream industries, inclusive of construction, transport, media, arts and culture, skills development, business services, technological services and retail.
Bid Proposals Prepared
During the review period, the Convention Bureau formulated and delivered professional business bids for the hosting of a number of prestigious events, inclusive of the International Brain Research Organisation World Congress 2027, the World Gastroenterology Organisation Conference 2028, the International Political Science Association World Congress 2027, the Commonwealth Law Conference 2025, the World Non-Communicable Diseases Congress 2025/26, the International Conference on Indoor Positioning 2025, the World Congress on Perinatal Medicine 2026, and the International Ergonomics Association Congress 2030.
Bids Secured
In addition to providing bids for the years ahead, the Convention Bureau was successful in securing the right to host three major conferences in Durban, being the World Water Congress 2025, the Ecocity World Summit 2025, and the IUCN World Leaders Forum 2024.
These large-scale events are expected to have significant economic impacts here by attracting thousands of delegates and promoting pre/post-event tourism activities.
Bids in Prospecting Stage
The Convention Bureau is constantly prospecting and negotiating with regard to upcoming world event.
To this end, the year under review saw the application of resources for prospecting towards the potential hosting of such high-status and esteemed international conferences as the International Road Federation Global Congress 2027, attracting some 3 000 delegates, the World Congress of Sport Psychology 2029, with 5 000 delegates, the International Transport Workers Federation Congress 2028, likely to attract 3 000 delegates, and the International Co-ordination Chemistry Conference 2032, which will see participation by some 1 500 delegates.
It is estimated that the successful hosting of these conferences would give effect to the much-needed injection of hundreds of millions of Rands into the local KwaZulu-Natal economy.
56 TOURISM KWAZULU-NATAL ANNUAL REPORT 2023/2024