The next decade is set to bring increasingly rapid growth for the meetings, incentives, congresses and exhibitions (MICE) industry in Africa as the continent achieves higher economic growth, according to Derek Hanekom, Minister of Tourism for South Africa.

“The potential of Africa for the MICE industry is exponential,” Hanekom told delegates at ibtm world in Barcelona.

“The tide has turned, we can see that our growth opportunities are now also within the African market. There are 770 registered African Associations on the ICCA database. 178 of these are based in South Africa and 592 on the rest of the continent and 218 regional conferences were registered on the continent in 2014 resulting in 610 events over the last five years. South Africa only hosted 63 of these events in the past 5 years,” said Minister Hanekom.

South Africa hosted 124 international association conferences in 2014, which attracted just below 70,000 industry professionals. Of these 124 conferences, 81% were international rotating events.

Since its inception three years ago, the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB) has successfully bid for 163 business events between 2016 and 2020, which are expected to bring over 150,000 delegates to South Africa and contribute approximately R3.1billion to the economy.

“South Africa offer the business events industry excellent value for money, deliver authentic, memorable and enriching experiences in one of the most captivating, safest and beautiful countries that I am proud to call my home,” said Hanekom.

It was also announced that the European Cities Marketing (ECM) programme has extended its reach to South Africa, hosting an ECM Academy in South Africa just before the 2016 edition of Meetings Africa.

“We are really thrilled to have our first ECM Academy organised in South Africa,” said ECM President Ignasi de Delàs at ibtm world.

“It’s a new landmark in ECM development to host the derived version of our successful ECM Summer School. The ECM Academy is a tailor-made course for partner organisations outside Europe. 

“We will do our maximum to guarantee the success of the ECM Academy in Johannesburg by maintaining the highest standard of course content, recruiting the best speakers, and giving the latest examples showcasing the most up-to-date trends in the Meetings Industry.”

The Global Entrepreneurship Network has awarded Johannesburg the hosting rights to its flagship event, the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), in 2017. 

This will be the first time Africa has hosted the event, which typically attracts business professionals from more than 150 countries. The 2015 edition brought 10,000 delegates to Milan in March, according to organisers.  The Colombian city of Medellin is hosting the 2016 edition. 

Johannesburg’s bid to host GEC 2017 was a project involving the City of Johannesburg, Barclays Africa, the South African government and Sustainable Entrepreneur Accelerator  (SEA) Africa. 

Minister of Small Business Development Lindiwe Zulu said "GEC will help sustain the momentum of an entrepreneurial revolution which President Jacob Zuma set in motion last year when he announced the establishment of our separate department that would focus on small businesses and cooperatives. 

“I am confident that GEC 2017 will further thrust entrepreneurship and small business development firmly on the national agenda and the collective consciousness of our nation.”

The event will be co-hosted by Johannesburg and SEA Africa. Kizito Okechukwu, executive head of SEA Africa, said “This Congress will assist businesses and promote entrepreneurship across the African continent.

“We are therefore calling on entrepreneurs to leverage from various support structures and programmes being introduced by various partners. We are expecting leading global entrepreneurs and innovators to grace this occasion."

Craig Bond, CEO of Retail and Business Banking at Barclays Africa, said, "The GEC is a platform that can open doors for our youth, ignite entrepreneurship and put our youth in the global arena. It contributes to the overall Pan-Africanism objective by strengthening common perspectives amongst nations, creating partnerships and collaborative efforts, and encouraging inter-regional trade."

Jonathan Ortmans, president of Global Entrepreneurship Network, which holds the rights to the event, said, "GEC 2017 is just one example of the Global Entrepreneurship Network commitment to helping the next generation of African entrepreneurs start and scale—rebranding the continent and permanently shifting perceptions around the world.

The South African Olympic Committee is said to be contemplating a country-wide bid for the 2024 Olympic Games, inspired by the IOC’s recent Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms. 

“The country now has taken a different view of it, taking more of a country approach than a provincial,” Ivor Hoff, head of sports at Gauteng Province told HOST CITY exclusively. 

“Because of the new IOC bidding and hosting criteria, the country will take this into consideration.”

Gauteng Province had been mentioned as a potential contender for an Olympic bid. Durban and Pretoria have also been mentioned as possible candidates. 

But now, the South African Olympic Committee is instead said to be reviewing its bid for the 2024 Olympic Games and putting forward a proposal that links a number of host destinations.

“When Sam Ramsamy came back from [the IOC Session in] Switzerland he reported he is going to make a presentation to the South African parliament.”

 As South Africa’s parliament is in recess this week, Hoff expects Ramsamy to make the presentation next week. 

“Sam will make the presentation and decisions will be taken from there.”

HOST CITY contacted SASCOC but Sam Ramsamy was unavailable for comment.

Agenda 2020 opened up the Olympic bidding process to allow for bids to be spread across more than one city. 

“One city was quite a problematic approach, because it could potentially bankrupt that city,” said Hoff.

“A developmental country like South Africa could look at it more comprehensively with several cities – this would be much better for a developmental country like South Africa.”

South Africa has recent experience of hosting a nationwide mega event. 

Ivor Hoff was a key figure in hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with a particular focus on legacy benefits for health, education and housing.

“Based on a really positive 2010 FIFA World Cup, we’ve got a good understanding of how the country can benefit from hosting major events.”

South Africa has until 15 September 2015 to define its applicant for the 2024 Olympic Games. 

So far, Rome and Boston have announced their intention to bid. The host city will be elected at the 130th IOC Session in Lima on 15 September 2017.

[Source: World Rugby] South Africa will host Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 after the World Rugby Council awarded the hosting rights for the premier tournament to South Africa at its Interim Meeting in Tokyo today.

In September 2022 the eighth edition of the showcase event will take place in Cape Town in what will be the first time that Rugby World Cup Sevens has been hosted on the African continent.

The world’s best 24 men’s and 16 women’s rugby sevens teams will take to the field at the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point where they will compete for world champion status over three days of exhilarating action.

The 55,000-capacity stadium is the same venue that has hosted the hugely successful HSBC Cape Town Sevens since 2015, and for the first time this year will host both men’s and women’s teams across three days of competition as part of the new-look HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

The 2022 tournament follows an exceptional Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 in San Francisco which attracted a record attendance for a rugby event in the USA of more than 100,000 fans as well as a huge domestic broadcast audience of more than nine million viewers.

The three-day event, hosted at AT&T Park, generated a US$90.5 million economic contribution to San Francisco (Nielsen Sport) and saw both New Zealand’s men’s and women’s teams retain the title.

The awarding of the tournament to South Africa comes after an initial record of 11 unions – Argentina, Cayman Islands, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Qatar, Scotland, South Africa and Tunisia – confirmed an expression of interest to the international federation.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Congratulations to South Africa on being elected Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 hosts. We were impressed with South Africa’s detailed and comprehensive bid and we look forward to working in partnership with them on another inspiring and record-breaking tournament.

“South Africa have a proven track record of delivering a sell-out event in the HSBC Cape Town Sevens, which is an esteemed tournament on the world series and will be of huge value to the planning and execution of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022.

“About to make its second appearance on the Olympic Games programme at Tokyo 2020, rugby sevens is an innovative and thriving format of the game that has enormous appeal, and we are excited about the positive impact that another successful Rugby World Cup Sevens will have on our sport.

“We would like to thank all of the unions who expressed an interest in hosting this growing event and hope to welcome them back to bid for future events as rugby sevens continues to go from strength to strength.”

SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux added: “We’re delighted that South Africa and Cape Town has been confirmed as hosts for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022.

“We have been eager to host global rugby tournaments for a number of years and to have the flagship event in the growing sport of sevens come to South Africa is exciting.

“We saw how the sport engaged the audience in San Francisco last year and we are certain that it will be just as big a success in Cape Town.

“The HSBC Cape Town Sevens has established itself as a rugby bucket-list tournament in the past few years and we’re sure that international visitors to the event will experience a great tournament at an ideal rugby venue in a fantastic city.”

The appointment of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 hosts falls at the beginning of an Olympic season for rugby sevens as the sport prepares to make its second Olympic Games appearance at Tokyo 2020.

Rugby sevens made its Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016 when the sevens format provided a captivating showcase for the game that saw its fan-base increase by almost 17 million in six key territories, with Tokyo 2020 expected to unearth an estimated 30 million new fans worldwide (Nielsen).

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 will be played during September of that year considering the international calendar, including the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and the Commonwealth Games that will take place in Birmingham, England, in July 2022. Competition dates will be confirmed in due course.