Focus moves beyond Sandton
Lagos carrier plans Joburg route
LAGOS-based Air Peace launched routes to Banjul, Dakar,
and Freetown in mid-February and is planning to add flights
to Dubai, London, Sharjah, Guangzhou, Mumbai, Houston,
and Johannesburg soon. The airline has also taken delivery
of the first of two Boeing 777-200s as well as two Embraer
145 aircraft and has created a feeder subsidiary called Air
Peace Hopper.
El Al to fly to JNB five times weekly
El Al will increase its current thrice weekly Tel Aviv-Johannesburg
service to five times weekly, from October 29. On Mondays
and Sundays, flight LY054 will depart Johannesburg at
11h00, arriving in Tel Aviv at 20h20. On Wednesdays and
Thursdays, flight LY053 will depart Tel Aviv at 09h00, arriving
in Johannesburg at 18h05. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays, flight LY052 will depart Johannesburg at 21h30,
arriving in Tel Aviv at 06h50 the next day. The return flight LY051
will operate on Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays, departing Tel
Aviv at 22h20, arriving in Johannesburg at 07h25 the next day.
Qatar launches flights to Cardiff
From May 1, Qatar Airways will offer daily flights to Cardiff. The
carrier has also extended its codeshare agreement with Iberia.
Qatar’s QR code will be applied to Iberia flights from Madrid
to Panama City, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Medellin, Montevideo
and Santo Domingo. Iberia will offer 14 new destinations:
Addis Ababa, Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Malé, Hong Kong,
among others. Qatar has also launched the Oryx Kids’ Club,
with new in-flight children’s meal boxes; and the Oryx Kids’
Loyalty Programme.
What’s hot and what’s not
ACCORDING to US research,
big changes are under way in
the conference industry. Here,
industry insiders round up the
latest trends that apply to the
local market.
Day-long not multi-day
Vanessa Frankal of Vtravel,
says an increasing number
of clients are opting for daylong
conferences instead of
multi-day events. “People
travel in for the day, stay for
dinner and then that’s that.
Clients do not really want to
overnight at the hotel or do
two- or three-day conferences
any more,” she says. Jashika
Komal, owner of A2Z Travel,
has noticed the same trend,
even among her big corporate
clients.
On-site technology
Celeste Schroder, national
sales manager of aha Hotels
& Lodges, says on-site
technology and Internet
connection have become top
priorities for clients.
“On-site technologies
are a necessity, because
sometimes a speaker
cannot be heard clearly
or needs to present via
video conferencing. Visual
technology, such as
holograms, is also a popular
form of interaction,” she says.
James Seymour, chief
convention bureau officer of
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, says
some clients prefer to have
technical tours and practical
workshops as part of the
conference. “There is also a
greater demand for Internet
streaming of the conference
footage,” he adds.
Cinema-style set-ups
Jashika says the conventional
classroom set-up with
‘death by PowerPoint’ is
shifting to cinema-style setups.
After the opening and
keynote speakers finish their
speeches, everybody moves
into booths for round robin
sessions. “This trend has
been incredibly well received.
Delegates have found it very
refreshing and are enjoying
the close-up interaction,” she
says.
James says, in the case
of smaller conferences,
some clients are seeking out
alternatives such as game
reserve settings.
Fun food and drinks
Celeste says traditional tea
and coffee break sandwiches
and cookies have been
replaced with treats like
popcorn and ice cream. “In
terms of alcoholic beverages,
gin and craft beer stations
have become very popular,”
she says.
She adds that clients have
also become more health
conscious and are therefore
requesting healthier food at
conferences, such as glutenfree
and Banting fare.
Did youu know?
For a unique conference
venue, MSC Cruises offers
all-inclusive packages that
include accommodation,
all meals, entertainment
and the conference venue.
New destinations and cruise
offerings allow the MICE
market to tailor-make a
conference experience on
board. The most popular
cruise in this market is the
three-night weekend cruise
to Portuguese Island, which
can host groups of 20 to
2 000 people. Facilities
include a theatre for large
corporate events, meeting
rooms and complete
technical infrastructures
and varied modern sports
and leisure facilities for
team-building opportunities.
For more information,
agents should contact MSC
Cruises’ specialist Groups
department.
Conferences feel environmental pressures
PURSUING the principles of
environmental awareness,
including resource
conservation and low-carbon
development, has become a
top priority for delegates. As a
result, conference organisers
have observed changes in
behaviour when it comes to
conference bookings.
Lois Graham, head of
meetings and events at
BCD Travel, says the ‘green
call’ is becoming more and
more considered within local
conference spaces, albeit
this socially responsible
concept has been begging to
be taken seriously for more
than a decade. In turn, she
says corporate behaviour has
altered visibly over the past
seven months.
“Meetings in the Western
Cape have forcibly been
restricted to ‘businessessential
only’ due to the
severe water stresses and,
as a result, the question
of whether a physical
meeting is necessary at
all is being asked,” she
says. Lois confirms that
meetings are not necessarily
being cancelled, but rather
reconsidered and addressed
in other ways. “This pattern
of thinking may not have been
contemplated in corporate
environments before.”
“In our experience, it is
slowly becoming a way of life.
Delegates who used to fly
to Cape Town or Durban for
local meetings are no longer
travelling. The trend appears
to have been picked up in
other centres too, showing
a definite shift in habit of
attendance.”
Lois says, without a doubt,
the water situation in the
Western Cape has heightened
awareness and brought
real fragility of resources to
the fore in the conference
industry. “It is not just
about leisure and hospitality
providers needing to take
responsibility for their overall
offering, but also about each
and every one of us improving
our own behaviours.”
As a result, she has seen
clients making requests such
as not using plastic straws
during their conferences,
for example. “Some clients
also insist on the use of
eco-friendly pen and paper
products in conference
rooms.”
Carol-Ann Williams Brown
of Club Travel, reiterates that
conferences in the Western
Cape are not necessarily
being cancelled. “In fact,
I have booked double the
amount of day conferences
compared with the same time
last year. The water crisis has
only affected one international
conference of mine, in which
case Cape Town was the
client’s only option,” she says.
Carol-Ann adds that some
conferences planned for
Cape Town have merely
moved to other cities, such
as Port Elizabeth, Durban
Johannesburg, Pretoria or
locations in Mpumalanga.
Vanessa Frankal of Vtravel,
agrees: “My Cape Townbased
events are definitely
moving in the direction of
Johannebsurg.”
XL Nexus Travel’s Sailesh
Parbhu says it is not
uncommon for clients
to rebook at a different
conference venue due to
environmental concerns.
According to Lois, Hotel Verde
in Cape Town is renowned
as possibly the most allencompassing
green hotel in
South Africa, from the design
and build of the premises, to
its energy and water-saving
efficiencies and waste and
recycling initiatives.
“Similarly, Thaba Eco Hotel
in Gauteng is well loved and
respected by many of our
conference and event clients
for its commitment to the
environment,” she adds.
Carol-Ann lists other
environmentally conscious
conference venues as
the Birchwood Hotel in
Johannesburg, the convention
centres in Cape Town,
Durban, Sandton, the CSIR in
Pretoria, and all Protea Hotels
by Marriott and Tsogo Sun
properties.
Bush conferences gain popularity
AS COMPANIES look to
entice delegates to attend
their conferences, there
are few ways that are as
appealing as a break in the
South African bush. While
privately owned facilities
are often out of financial
reach, national parks
will accommodate most
budgets.
The diversity of parks and
facilities is a major drawcard
to any conference organiser,
and Mbali Mngomezulu,
senior manager: marketing
at South African National
Parks (SANParks) says, in
the 2016/2017 financial
year there was a noticeable
increase in conferencerelated
bookings.
SANParks has numerous
conference venues, with
varying capacities. These
include Augrabies National
Park, multiple venues within
the Kruger National Park,
the Karoo National Park, five
venues in the Golden Gate
National Park, and small
venues in Table Mountain
National Park and on the
Garden Route. There are a
multitude of private game
lodges that also offer
smaller conference venues.
“Getting away from city
centres and distractions is
a big reason people choose
bush conferences,” says
Mbali. Accessibility has also
become easier, as many are
close to airports or have the
facilities to accommodate
charters or private aircraft.
The sheer size of game
reserves and lodges means
that there is ample space
for leisurely networking, or
for delegates to find a quiet,
relaxing spot. The smaller
bush venues are ideal
for accommodating teambuilding
activities such as
game viewing and drives.
Did you know?
BON Hotels has just added Destiny Lodge in Nelspruit,
now known as Destiny Lodge by BON Hotels, to its
portfolio. Refurbishment plans will see a doubling of
capacity with 35 new rooms. Plans are also in place
for an international convention centre, construction of
which will start in the middle of this year. The centre
will have capacity for 1 500 delegates, the first of its
size in the region. The property is five minutes from
Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, close to
the Kruger National Park’s Numbi Gate, and on the
outskirts of Nelspruit.
Book it!
The Capital group has full- and half-day packages on offer
at The Capital Moloko (R485-R595) and The Capital Empire
(R495-R600) in Johannesburg. Rates at The Capital Menlyn Maine
in Pretoria range from R395-R495. Packages are inclusive of tea
and coffee breaks as stated, lunch where stipulated, venue hire,
parking, standard conference equipment, uncapped WiFi, stationery
and bottled water. See Travelinfo for more details.
The benefits of Bedfordview
BEDFORDVIEW may not be
one of the first locations
that come to mind when
seeking out a conference
venue in Johannesburg
– but it warrants serious
consideration. Robert
Ngcobo, group sales
manager of Mercure Hotels,
shares the most compelling
benefits of conferencing in
Bedfordview.
Beat the traffic:
Bedfordview is close to
highway links to OR Tambo
International Airport. Just
15km from the airport,
delegates flying in from
other provinces can get to
and from the conference
venue quickly and easily.
Close to shopping: Eastgate
Mall is a stone’s throw from
central Bedfordview, which
is convenient for delegates
who need to do some
shopping between or after
conference sessions.
Peace and quiet: While
Bedfordview is close to
the hustle and bustle of
Johannesburg, the suburb
itself is serene. Corporates
will enjoy the peace.
Value for money: Compared
with popular conference
hubs in Johannesburg,
such as Sandton CBD,
Bedfordview is superaffordable
and offers great
value for money.
Mercure Johannesburg
Bedfordview Hotel offers
conference facilities
suitable for meetings,
product launches and
seminars. The conference
centre includes three
modern conference suites,
namely the Main Reef
Suite, South Reef Suite
and Bird Reef Suite. Each
is complete with stateof-the-art
equipment,
such as a white electric
projection screen, data
projector, flipcharts
and laser pointers. The
largest conference suite
can accommodate up
to 80 people, while
the boardroom can
accommodate up to
12 people.
What the delegates say
TNW’s sister publication,
Travel and Meetings Buyer,
recently surveyed a number of
regular conference goers from
three sectors to determine
what delegates really want
from conferences and venues.
Academics
In the academic sector,
many conferences require
international travel. “Going
to a conference is usually
a disruptive experience, so
comfort is important. If I am
staying over at the venue, it’s
important to me to have good
WiFi to stay in touch with
family,” said the respondent,
a doctor of philosophy at a
South African University. “As
a delegate I expect an easyto-read
programme, and wellmarked
venues, especially if
there are parallel sessions.
In terms of food, a light lunch
with vegetarian options is
important, as well as snacks
and coffee for afternoon tea.
There needs to be ample plug
points and good WiFi.”
Doctors, medical reps
A medical professional
ranked the ability to network
and glean information
from other delegates, as
well as sufficient time for
questions and answer
sessions, as important. He
also appreciated good time
management as delegates
were out of office, so didn’t
want to waste time. “I expect
the facilities to be convenient,
and to me this includes good
catering with light meals
so that people can still pay
attention after lunch,” he
said.
The finance sector
A frequent delegate from the
banking sector felt that having
comfortable seating was a
top priority. “Sitting, listening
to presentations for hours on
end tends to take its toll on
your body. Seating, as well
as having sufficient space
around you, is imperative.
Further I like to have bottled
water, and decent coffee
on offer. Facilities such as
clean bathrooms, a relaxing
environment for breaks,
aircon, and parking are also
important.”
The respondent also noted
that natural light made a
conference much more
enjoyable. “Sitting in
boardrooms day in and day
out gets monotonous. Going
to a conference with exactly
same ‘view’ tends to be
uninspiring.
Coach transfers are the time to engage
ONE of the most
commonly overlooked
opportunities to
engage with a ‘captive’
audience and set the
tone for a conference
is during the coach
transfer to the venue.
Evelyn Patrick,
operations manager at
Snappy Coach Hire, says
most of today’s luxury
coaches come equipped
with AV technology
and, with a busload of
delegates looking to
while away the time,
conference organisers
can get a start on
the meeting from the
moment their guests
step on board.
She points out that
often companies have
promotional videos on
which they have spent
a great deal of money
to produce. Instead of
showing these upon
arrival at the conference
where delegates may
be easily distracted,
organisers can instead
play the video during
the shuttle ride to the
conference.
Book it!
Cape Town’s Manhattan Suites & Conferencing has reduced its
daily rate from R470 to R430 per delegate. It includes room
hire, tea/coffee on arrival, mid-morning tea/coffee and snacks,
three-course buffet lunch, a flipchart/Proxima, screen and
sound, sweets, two bottles of water per delegate and stationery.
Valid until July 31. See Travelinfo.
