CONFERENCING in the
countryside is the latest
‘in’ thing.
There is a lot of movement
towards places that are
“unplugged” from technology,
says Adriaan Liebetrau, ceo of
the South African Association
for the Conference Industry
(SAACI). “There are big
investments being made in
countryside venues to beef up
their conferencing and other
facilities, indicating that there
is a definite trend towards
using these venues,” he says.
More conferences are
focused on achieving a deeper
level of engagement, so the
trend of using venues out of
town makes sense, Adriaan
says. “The mere fact that
these venues are not in the
heart of the city ensures that
delegates are in a different
frame of mind and the
conference immediately starts
off on a different footing. The
move towards conferencing in
the countryside is therefore
not surprising at all.”
The Drakensberg and Cape
Winelands have, in particular
experienced a boom. “From a
pure investment perspective
there is significant activity.
Venues and facilities are
being developed and upgraded
at a rapid pace and it is
undoubtedly a reflection of
the interest, enquiries and
business they are getting,
especially for conferences and
events,” he says.
Anton Meiring, gm of
the African Pride Mount
Grace Country House and
Spa in Magaliesburg, says
countryside conferencing in
Gauteng has also grown over
the past few months.“We have
seen a good improvement
in the market place year-onyear.
There is definitely an
increase in demand – more
companies are contacting us
for availability,” he says.
The increase in demand
for conferences outside
the city is, in part, due to
more conferences actively
incorporating fun elements
into their events. “Companies
are making the extra time in
their meetings schedule to
incorporate elements such as
yoga sessions in the mornings
or outdoor teambuilding
activities, to encourage
bonding among their delegates
and to set the stage for a
relaxed environment. This
in turn stimulates better
participation from their
delegates,” says Anton.
However, the nature of
demand has changed
in respect to the size of
conferencing groups, says
Wayne Siepman, gm of the
African Pride Arabella Hotel
and Spa near Hermanus in the
Western Cape. “We have seen
a decrease in large events
that would traditionally book
out the entire hotel – 200
delegates and above. These
have been replaced by smaller
groups ranging in size from 30
to 60 delegates.”
He says the decrease in
demand for large groups
can be attributed to the fact
that transportation costs
have increased significantly.
“There is a perception that
countryside venues are
difficult to access. Traditionally
large groups comprise
corporates travelling in from
around the country. Airfares
are up, and the cost of hiring
a coach has increased.”
Keeping it close
There is the perception that
countryside venues are far out
and difficult to reach. “This is,
however, not the reality and
there are many venues that
fit the description of being ‘in
the countryside’ but which are
also very close to the big city
centres,” says Adriaan.
Countryside properties need
to focus on showing the value
of conferencing outside of
an urban environment, says
Wayne, which significantly
outweighs the travel time and
logistics of getting there.
However, conferencing
outside the city is not without
challenges, such as the
difficulty of making last-minute
adjustments to outdoor
activities scheduled during
an event. The weather can
be somewhat temperamental
and, on occasion, days need
to be exchanged to work
around this, or last-minute
options need to be put into
play to make the whole event
a success.
One also has to remain
cognisant of the supply
chain in outlying areas and
deliveries, which are made
less frequently, says Adriaan.
“This might require the
organiser to take special
items with them as they
won’t readily be found in the
countryside.”
On the upside, countryside
conferencing undoubtedly
offers a more focused event
with fewer distractions
and less chance of losing
delegates along the way, says
Wayne. “In a city you always
have a chance of losing
delegates to bars, restaurants
and shopping centres,
whereas in the country
there are none of these
temptations. You have
a better chance of achieving
the goals of the event.
Country conferencing also
offers you more privacy and
exclusivity, as there is less
foot traffic in and out of the
hotel due the isolated nature
of most venues.
How cost-effective is
countryside conferencing?
COUNTRYSIDE venues are
often perceived as a more
cost-effective option for
meeting planners because
of the dynamic that exists
between location and
demand. But after all
the pros and cons have
been weighed up, does
countryside conferencing
really offer a greater return
on investment?
In the current economy,
companies are looking for
value – a venue that offfers
not only business facilities
but a fun element or team
building experience too,
says Sean Granger, gm
of Granny Mouse Country
House & Spa. The best way
to learn is to throw some
fun and team spirit into the
mix, he says.
If you take this into
account then, yes, he says,
there is definitely a greater
return on the investment.
“Better results are gained
when there are a variety
of elements at play and
not just an expectation
that delegates sit in a
conference room and listen
to speakers.”
Adriaan Liebetrau,
ceo of the South African
Association for the
Conference Industry (SAACI)
agrees it is not necessarily
a rand and cents return on
investment. Being out of
the city has some very real
benefits. “Is one seeing a
greater return on investment
in the traditional sense of
the word by conferencing
in the countryside? Not
necessarily, but that does
not mean there is not a
return – and a big one at
that.”
Now, more than ever,
there is a real challenge
for meeting planners to
get more creative and
deliver a conference that
adds value and ensures
real return on investment,
Adriaan says. “The days
of tea and coffee in the
foyer of a hall somewhere
in the city that is close to
work are long gone. Now
it is about being creative,
thinking out of the box and
delivering something out of
the ordinary. Countryside
venues are often able to
facilitate this more easily
due to their location or
niche offering.”
Greater engagement
There has been a move
toward the countryside, says
professional conference
organiser, Carla Rossouw.
“When looking at business
placed during the previous
tax year, country conferencing
remains at just over 50%.
Taking into account that
most countryside venues
are limited in terms of
the number of rooms they
offer and the size of their
conference facilities, this
is quite impressive.” She
says many of her city clients
have always preferred the
countryside for conferencing.
There are many benefits,
says Sean Granger of Granny
Mouse Country House &
Spa. “The rush is taken
out of the task. City centre
hassles are gone and there
is nothing but fresh air,
rejuvenation and a sense
of freedom. It also allows
delegates to get out of their
comfort zones and push for
better results, with clearer
thinking and vision thanks to
the surrounds of wide-open
spaces.”
There is no doubt that the
level of engagement is far
greater in the countryside,
says Adriaan Liebtrau of
the SA Association for
the Conferencing Industry.
“It is about giving people
experiences, about their
walking away with a sense
of having engaged far more.
That is the real return on
investment and that is far
more easily achieved in
the countryside due to the
benefits of the location of
these venues.”
Pushing the boundaries
“Generally speaking, time
is money,” says Sean
Granger of the Granny
Mouse Country House &
Spa. “Companies push
for the best and fastest
results, not always
thinking of what creates
the ultimate outcome.
The time it may take to
travel to a countryside
destination might be
seen as a challenge but
the return on this is far
greater due to what is
achieved, thanks to a
change of scenery and
being out of the city.”
Adriaan Liebetrau,
ceo of the South African
Association for the
Conference Industry says
often decisions are made
based simply on what is
familiar. “We sometimes
choose the city because
that is all we know and
we don’t want to take a
chance. No one wants
to pull off a conference
where they lose it all, but
at the same time we have
to push the boundaries
now more than ever to
deliver products where
there is a return on
the investment – in
other words, delegates
walking away satisfied
and wanting to return for
more.”
