In a speech delivered in August, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille cited figures from Allied Market Research (AMR) showing that South Africa’s MICE industry was valued at R122 billion in 2023, up from an admittedly COVID-affected R72 billion in 2022.
That kind of continued growth is not, however, guaranteed. Trends in the MICE sector evolve continually as do the wants and needs of its stakeholders. In recent years, for example, there’s been an explosion in so-called bleisure (a portmanteau of business and leisure) travel.
A conference is so much more than an extra long meeting. Rather, it speaks to a particular kind of mindset and organisational approach, that values collaboration and understands how the location can have an impact on the creative and strategic outcome of the event.
With more companies than ever allowing staff to work remotely, people have embraced the idea that they don’t have to fly out to a location for a conference or series of meetings and fly straight back out again. Instead, they’ll extend their stay and work from that destination for a few days, or even use the opportunity to take leave. This trend has become pretty pervasive too, with one study finding that 70% of younger business travellers now prolong their corporate trips to include leisure activities.
As Miguel Farinha, Hotel Manager of Kruger Gate Hotel points out, the pervasiveness of this trend offers players within the space the opportunity to think innovatively when it comes to conferencing and events in particular. That includes moving beyond the typical city-based destinations for such functions.
Farinha is seeing more stakeholders opting for venues outside the city for the opportunity it presents to easily incorporate different activities into what would otherwise merely be a conference or a meeting.
What better way to start a day of strategic planning than with an early morning game drive with an experienced safari guide in one of the world’s top game reserves? Or could there be a better way to end a day of rigorous debate and discussion than winding down with a tipple on a pool deck that overlooks the iconic Sabie River?
Holding conferences and events in less urban settings has become increasingly simple too, particularly within South Africa. There are, for example, now direct flights from all of South Africa’s major cities to the airports servicing the Kruger National Park, with a low-cost route from Cape Town having opened up earlier this year. Even international visitors now have options, with flights from Frankfurt to the park (via Namibia) having been in place since 2022.
As Farinha points out, hotels in the area are increasingly geared to host conferences, meetings, and other events too. Kruger Gate Hotel in particular is a popular venue for off-site meetings, conferences and the likes, and regularly hosts delegates across multiple days.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure that we can meet a wide array of conferencing and event needs,” says Farinha. “We have five versatile meeting rooms, offering an indoor-outdoor arrangement that sets it apart from your typical urban venue.”
Additionally, Kruger Gate Hotel boasts over 540 square metres of event space and can comfortably accommodate corporate or social groups, small or large, for a wide range of functions. There’s the option to have whatever space you need entirely to yourself – essentially your own private venue – with the added value that delegates can conveniently retreat to their rooms, the bar or one of the restaurants without the need for additional transfers.
“There’s the option to host ‘strategic think tanks’ all over the property. It could be a breakaway session on the pool deck or a brainstorming session in the Nkanyi Suite. We really like to work with clients in thinking differently about how to use our space creatively,” Farinha shares.
The hotel’s other features, including a poolside deck that overlooks the bush, also mean that attendees are less likely to simply retreat to their rooms at the end of the day and spend time bonding. Those kinds of facilities can help hotels outside of urban centres capitalise on another emerging trend in the MICE space: corporate retreats.
While they’ve long existed in one form or another, retreats have become even more important as more and more businesses have distributed remote or hybrid teams. More than that, being out of one’s ‘ordinary’ environment is especially conducive to strategic and creative thinking.
“The organisers of these retreats should think about what’s more likely to get a team energised for a day of strategy,” says Farinha. “Is it breakfast at a big city hotel or a dawn game drive that offers encounters with some of Africa’s most incredible wildlife?”
Of course, stakeholders in the MICE space increasingly have to think about sustainability too. Led by EU member states, a growing number of countries require companies to operate under strict sustainability regulations. That means that South African venues will have to work harder than ever to bring international events to the country, given its status as a long-haul destination.
But conference and event attendees also increasingly demand sustainability. In fact, a Promoleaf study found that 85% of respondents prefer or strongly prefer attending conferences with sustainable practices
As Farinha notes, however, “Sustainability is about more than just carbon output.”
“It’s also about how a venue deals with things like food waste, where it sources its food from, and how it manages water use,” he says. “That’s to say nothing of one of the most important forms of sustainability for any venue: how it operates within and interacts with the communities surrounding it.”
“At Kruger Gate Hotel, we recognise the importance of being a force for good in our community,” he adds. “Providing jobs is just one positive impact we can have, but we’ve also partnered with organisations making a difference with skills development, educational, and water security initiatives.”
“Ultimately,” Farinha concludes, “the MICE space has seen massive evolutionary leaps over the past few years. That’s not going to change any time soon and venues, regardless of whether they’re in the heart of a big city or somewhere more exotic, must adapt accordingly.”