Getting delegates to convene in South Africa is never a hard sell, executive manager of the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB), Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo tells me. After a week spent cavorting between Johannesburg and Capetown sipping pinot noir in vineyards, floating in a hot air balloon above a game reserve and feasting on luscious cuts off a South African braai, I needed little convincing.
South Africa is an obvious choice as an incentive destination, but the convention bureau is keen to position itself as Africa’s premier location for meetings, and is bent on attracting more delegations from Europe, the United States and Asia.
The main challenge is perception, says Kotze-Nhlapo. “Safety is still a concern among planners. But the way we tackle this is by using testimonials and client referrals to address the problems that planners believe exist in South Africa.”
Despite this, business travel to South Africa remains strong with the World Travel and Tourism Council reporting US$5.7 billion worth of receipts in 2014, or 34 per cent of direct travel and tourism GDP, with a further 2.1 per cent growth last projected for 2015. As for the country’s attractiveness as an association destination, South Africa is gaining pace on the world stage, rising two spots in the 2014 ICCA rankings to 32nd place, ahead of Hong Kong, Morocco the UAE and New Zealand.
A number of new regulations are, however, causing setbacks to the rate of leisure arrivals to South Africa, including a condition that all children under 18 travelling to and from the country carry an unabridged birth certificate – a move to counter child trafficking.
Arrivals between February 2014 and 2015 fell 7.2 per cent, with Chinese visitor numbers dropping a whopping 32.4 per cent after a successful few years that saw Chinese tourist numbers triple between 2009 and 2013.
This isn’t such a problem for large-scale conventions though, whose delegates tend to leave the kids at home: an estimated 7,000 attendees are expected at the Africa Health exhibition in June, along with 20,000 at the International Aids Conference, taking place in July. Kotze-Nhlapo says that the bureau is making efforts to woo Chinese visitors back as well with targeted services.
“Local attractions and hotels are able to offer Chinese guides and translation services, where our hotels are trained to better understand the dietary habits of Chinese guests and provide the kinds of itineraries that cater for Chinese MICE visitors. At large shopping malls and airports in Cape Town, Johannesburg and other major cities, Union Pay is on offer too.”
Johannesburg is the country’s main business destination, and host to Africa’s largest meetings and incentives expo, Meetings Africa, since its inception in 2005. Giving planners insight to the plethora of MICE products on offer, this year’s expo revealed that a majority of incentives and venues are situated in and around South Africa’s convention capitals of Johannesburg and Cape Town. We’ve rounded up a list of some of the best group activities and venue options in these locales.
Lilliesleaf Farm
Located in Joburg’s Rivonia suburb, Lilliesleaf is the former stronghold of the anti-apartheid liberation movement. A place of refuge for the movement’s leaders, including Nelson Mandela, the farm was bought by the Communist Party in the 1960s for use as an HQ. On July 11, 1964, a police raid took place at Lilliesleaf, which led to the unearthing of liberation struggle documents and the subsequent incarceration of many of the movement’s key players. Today, Lilliesleaf is a world heritage site, and groups can tour the farm’s buildings, which contain interactive digital experiences and artifacts from the movement.
Soweto tour
Home to the FNB football stadium from the Fifa 2010 World Cup, Soweto is one of the country’s largest townships, housing close to 5 million inhabitants. Soweto is massive, but minivan tours are a great way of navigating the area, guided by locals who know the area inside out. Stop off at Nelson Mandela’s former home for a quick tour, get delegates bungee jumping from the grafittied Orlando Twin Towers, shop for local trinkets at street stalls and take a photo outside the current home of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Lunch at a local outdoor eatery is included in the tour.
Sun City and balloon-safari
South Africa’s answer to an integrated resort (in the vein of those in Macau and Las Vegas), Sun City incorporates four hotels, two championship golf courses, a man-made beach and waterpark, game viewing, gambling and hot air ballooning to name just a few attractions. The resort is extremely popular with Chinese tourists year round, says Nokuthula Nkosi, media relations officer at Sun City.
“Our biggest market comes from Asia – China predominantly. Our Chinese market is so huge that we’ve even incorporated Chinese New Year into our events calendar.
“Gambling is obviously a draw for the large groups that come,” she adds, “but we are happy to be able to offer game tours to see the ‘big five’ at Pilanesberg National Park, which is malaria-free so requires no vaccinations.”
The big five refers to the African lion, elephant, cape buffalo, leopard and white and black rhinoceros, which can be seen on game drives across Pilanesberg’s 1,500-acre reserve. The best way to see the animals is from the awesome vantage of a hot air balloon – rides that can be organised through Sun City. Pick up from the hotel entrance is at 4.30am for an early morning game drive before a 6am balloon flight.
One balloon can hold between 10 and 15 people, depending on the weight of passengers, and needs 9 tonnes of hot air to fill. Once airborne, the balloon bows gracefully to the whims of every gust and, helped along by fiery bursts from the burner, bobs across the horizon – sometimes low enough for passengers to spot herds of wildebeest, white rhino, poorly concealed behind shrubbery, and giraffes in full canter.
Back at Sun City, the four hotels offer 1,351 rooms, which can be booked out in their entirety. Boasting palatial stucco interiors and hand-painted murals, the resort is modelled on an “African palace”, offering enormous grounds navigable by private minibuses. Teambuilding activities can be organised for groups, but Sun City is a more appropriately a haven for groups that want to build bonds through leisure with golf, safari and time poolside.
Convene in Cape Town
Cape Town is often first choice for planners looking to host in South Africa, where close to 250 venues are on offer, with Cape Town ranked 41st on the 2014 ICCA cities list. Cape Town’s premier venue is the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which is currently in the throes of vigorous expansion. The new development will increase the centre’s existing exhibition space by 10,000 sqm, with hopes to contribute US$137.4m to national GDP by 2020. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2016, the expansion is part of wider development within the area, which will include 40,000 sqm committed to commercial and hotel development.
A brand new addition to Cape Town’s venue scene is Century City Conference Centre (CCCC) and the adjoining 125-room hotel, which previewed at Meetings Africa 2016 to strong international interest, says Glyn Taylor, co-CEO of the CCCC.
“We have had a lot of interest from Asian markets keen to book site inspections at Meetings Africa, as well as from domestic planners and those from around Africa,” Taylor says. “Century City’s new hotel and conference centre is the newest, state-of-the-art event facility in Cape Town – just 20 minutes drive from the V&A waterfront and Cape Town’s main attractions.”
The centre is part of a US$1.1 billion new development consisting of residential, commercial and outdoor leisure spaces that stretch alongside 8km of waterways and canals. Environmental concerns are given high priority here, with the centre and its surrounding precinct being awarded a four-star mixed-use rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa.
Chopper rides and wine tastings
Located on the V&A waterfront, Sports Helicopters offer rides around the city’s bays, Table Mountain, along the coastline to the best shark cage diving sites and the winelands surrounding Cape Town. A popular tour is one that charts a course from the waterfront to Cavalli Wine and Stud Farm, an equine-themed winery on the Stellenbosch Wine Route that offers 600 sqm of event space. There are few experiences more glamorous than being dropped off at a handsome winery by helicopter, while onlookers hope to work out who on earth you could be.
Sleek and modern in design, Cavalli is ideal for a corporate day retreat thanks to its range of open
and airy event spaces, all flooded with natural light and boasting dramatic views of the Helderberg mountain. Attached to its own equine facilities on 110 hectares of premium vineyards, the Cavalli winery hosts tastings in the basement cellar, where guests can sample a range of the estate’s flagship wines.
The scenery around the estate is breathtaking, a USP that the estate promotes successfully through its outdoor venues. Next to the winery’s restaurant, the terrace is enhanced by enormous fire pits that allow for casual, campfire-style sessions, while more formal events can benefit from a landscaped sunken garden which can seat 350, with clipped hedges for privacy. Doubling up as a landing field for the city-bound helicopters, a wide expanse of lawn next to a manmade pond serves well for cocktails and receptions.
Every incentive to enjoy the magic of Cape Town
The Cape Town Convention Bureau suggests a number of opportunities when it comes to incentive activities, from a tour of the city on the iconic Red Bus to Champagne and oysters on Table Mountain.
Going topless
Cape Town’s topless Red Bus tours are famous for their stunning views of the city and offer great incentive opportunities, with a number of options to choose from. The Purple Route, for example, takes in four wine estates on the South Peninsula. Delegates are able to hop on and off when they choose – a great way to explore the city.
Revel in a cause
There is the chance to both relax and support a great cause at the Mawngwanani African Spa on the Zewenvacht Wine Estate and at the V&A Waterfront. Offering a range of corporate packages and products, the spa focuses on the empowerment of rural women, and employs around 1,000 local people, 95 per cent of whom were previously described as “disadvantaged”.
Animal magic
Some of the planet’s most impressive wild beasts are within safe but exciting photographic distance with an organised drive through the Clara Anna Fontein private game reserve. Cape Town’s animal options don’t end there, though, with kayaking among the penguins from Simon’s Town and whale watching from a private boat in May and September also possibilities.
On the ball
Clay pigeon shooting, golf, kite boarding, mountain biking and horse riding are all on the action agenda, but if your goal is to experience the sporting heart of South Africa, you can sign up for a Cape Town Soccer Tour, which celebrates football in South Africa at all levels, from the townships to state-of-the-art stadiums – conditions may vary, but the dreams are all the same.
The high life
There is no shortage of adventure-based activities, with abseiling, paragliding, microlighting and parachuting on offer. A more relaxing way to enjoy the cape, though, is to enjoy the spectacular sight of Table Mountain over dinner on a private yacht, or, better still, over Champagne and oysters on the mountain itself.
