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25/02/2015: 10th Meetings Africa opens in Johannesburg 

Meetings Africa, Africa’s premier business events trade show, was opened yesterday at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg with a walk-about by the Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom.

More than 650 qualified hosted buyers, including African associations and international as well as local corporate planners, now have the opportunity to meet with the most influential buyers in the world and be part of Africa’s growth.
The theme of the 2015 event, which is the tenth anniversary of Meetings Africa, is “Advancing Africa Together”. Meetings Africa is organized by the Joburg Convention Bureau with guidance from the SA National Convention Bureau and the Gauteng Convention Bureau. The exhibition part of Meetings Africa takes place today and tomorrow.

“Johannesburg is a world-class events destination and hosting Meetings Africa cements this proposition because we believe the city is well-placed to facilitate a sustained drive to unlock the economic potential of the entire continent,” Councillor Ruby Mathang, member of the Johannesburg mayoral committee for economic development, said at the opening.

He emphasized that, in addition to the significant role played by tourism in strategically creating and strengthening international relations and contributing significant economic benefits, hosting business events contributes to the knowledge economy of host cities, countries and communities.

During the past year Johannesburg also hosted other important global events that included the C40 Summit on Climate Change and the World Orchid Conference and Exhibition. Later in 2015, the city will host the Africities Summit, the CIDESCO World Congress, IPRA World Congress and the Summit on Healthy Ageing.

“This goes to show that Johannesburg is a significant global host city that continues to go from strength to strength as a result of collaboration between many industry players from both the public and the private sector. Our efforts are really paying off, not only with vastly improved ICCA rankings, but with an ever-growing list of global events that we look forward to welcoming to our City,” Mathang said.

Buyers from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA are attending Meetings Africa.