The Sunday Mail
ZIMBABWE has upped the ante in its bid to claim a share of the US$20 billion generated annually from conferences and congresses around the world.
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), which is a global meetings industry bloc representing major specialists in organising, transporting, and accommodating meetings and events, estimates that on average an international congress generates more than US$1,5 million.
About 9 000 big international conferences happen every year.
ICCA was founded in 1963 when the meetings industry was beginning to expand rapidly, and it now has over 900 member companies and organisations in 87 countries.
It is believed that in 2010, US$17,3 billion was generated from congresses and conferences, with 22 percent of expenditure going to registration alone.
In the first half of 2014, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s TenOnCall (Malaysia) recorded its highest number of events since launching in November 2008.
The biggest beneficiaries of congresses such as the United States, Japan, France and Singapore have adequately resourced their national convention bureaus.
Europe was the most popular destination for meetings in 2010 with 54 percent of the business; while the US is losing out to Japan and South Korea as businesses move to the East’s huge markets.
South Africa has been the best performing African country, largely driven by its world class facilities. In 2012, the country hosted a climate change convention in Durban and the Tourism Indaba, while other big events were held in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Zimbabwe has a shortage of world class conference and convention facilities to host mega events, with the most notable being the Harare International Conference Centre.
A conference centre is defined as a specialised facility usually in a less busy but easily accessible area built exclusively to host conferences, exhibitions, large meetings and training sessions and often to provide office facilities.
On the other hand, a convention centre is a very large building where people gather for a common interest, and offers sufficient floor area to accommodate thousands of people. Typically, a convention centre has at least one auditorium, concert halls, lecture halls, and conference and lecture rooms.
Analysts say the HICC no longer competes with top quality regional conference centres.
United Kingdom-based meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) expert Mr Martin Lewis last week said hosting meetings was big business and Zimbabwe should invest in it.
He said the country lost on the lucrative market in the past “over all kinds of reasons, some to do with political arguments and perceptions of instability and safety”, but is now “in a good position to be winning back that market”.
Zimbabwe was “very strong in that sector in the 1990s”.
Mr Lewis said, “Your (air) connectivity is not right; you have lost too many airlines but there is the expansion of the Victoria Falls Airport so you might start attracting big jets. Delegates do not want to overfly.”
The country has lost about 36 international airlines since 1999 and 14 are presently operating.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive Mr Karikoga Kaseke contends that Government has to construct top-class convention centres.
Last year, Victoria Falls co-hosted the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly in a US$1,2 million semi-permanent marquee said to have a 30-year lifespan and holding capacity of 1 500 delegates but that has since been dismantled.
“We have been submitting bids towards hosting international events and conferences in places like Harare and Victoria Falls, but our success is hinged on Government construction of convention centres.
“In Harare we have a conference centre (the HICC) which is not a convention centre. Our focus is not only in Harare, we want to make sure that we have similar facilities in places like Mutare and other places around the country,” said Mr Kaseke.
Government established a 14-member National Convention Bureau in February 2013 with the express mandate to scout for opportunities to host major international gatherings, but its operations remain constrained by lack of funding.
Sources say the NCB requires about US$2 million to start operating meaningfully.
NCB executive director Mrs Tesa Chikaponya said Zimbabwe required state-of-the-art facilities to attract international meetings.
“We can never attract international exhibitors into our country because of the facilities we have. We cannot have visitors displaying their exhibits in the grass or outdoors; we need appropriate facilities that are bigger and better for us to be able to attract big meetings,” said Mrs Chikaponya.
She said at the moment, conventions could be staged at Sango, Pandhari Lodge and other centres, but the facilities do not meet international standards.
Sango Conference Centre is part of Cresta Hotels’ US$6 million dollar refurbishment of Cresta Lodge in Harare. It is a multi-purpose conference centre with capacity for 400 delegates seated, and 600 in cinema-style or a dinner dance for 400 and cocktail party for 800.
It will also have state-of-the-art, high-tech audio visual equipment and capacity for video-conferencing.
However, Mrs Chikaponya believes the country can still attract some meetings at even without the top facilities.
“It does not mean we are unable to attract other meetings because it is not only the conference centres that will be used, but it depends on the type of business you want to conduct. Right now if you look at churches, they have been making use of the (National Sports Stadium in Harare) but there are some (events) that would require to be held in doors.
“The HICC is tired, we need to refurbish it and bring it to international standards. There are other countries with better infrastructure than we do, so we actually need to compete in terms of coming up with appropriate infrastructure.
“Most people need modern facilities for conferences so we need a bigger convention centre because there are other conferences that attract 8 000 to 10 000 delegates and they have to be indoors,” said Mrs Chikaponya, adding: “We have done well in a short space of time if you look at the Jehovah’s Witnesses convention and many other conferences, including the Insurance Congress for Developing Countries Conference which is going to attract about 700 people.
“We have been working closely with those people and we have been lobbying so that the ICDC gets good facilities.”
Zimbabwe will host the ICDC from September 27 to October 2 at Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls.
Africa Moyo and Enacy Mapakame – Business Reporters
