Tough times ahead for high-end venues
WITH government putting a
cap on meeting spend and
corporate clients finding
themselves with smaller budgets,
many meeting managers are shying
away from lavish venues in favour of
more modest options.
Pieter Swart, md of Conference
Consultancy South Africa, says
the economy continues to play an
important role in expense decision
making and so is the increasing
awareness of responsible corporate
governance and the value of ethics.
“Executives remain sensitive to the
perceptions of their stakeholders and
clients,” says Pieter, “therefore, I am
not seeing a shift towards high-end
venues when more modest options
will do.”
Robert Walker, director of CE
Projects, echoed Pieter’s sentiments.
“The trend is towards more focused
conferences and increasing the
quality of the delegates attending.
Whether it be a high-end venue or
a more modest one should be of
no consequence to a professional
organiser,” he says. “In the end it
is about creating a platform in a
defined space for a specific group
of people. The organiser’s job is
to determine the best use of the
venue’s capabilities and supplement
where necessary.”
In fact, convenience is trumping
luxury in terms of client demands.
Bridget von Holdt, executive director
of Glasshouse Communication
Management, says parking and
facilities are key. “It is not about
the five-star cost but rather the
seven-star service. They want
air-conditioning, comfort, space,
convenience, privacy and quiet,” she
says.
Adele Engelbrecht, head of Event
Production for Mann Made Media,
agrees that clients can still have
a high-end experience on a more
modest budget. “If a brief comes in,
we will make the budget work to give
them a whole new experience away
from their comfort zone,” she says.
This is achieved through creative
venue options, food and décor.
Tshwane Events thinks out of the box
TSHWANE Events Centre has
definitely picked up on the trend to
offer ‘out of the box’ conferencing
solutions. Ricky Da Costa,
marketing and facilities manager,
explains: “PCOs and event planners
are always seeking value-add
options and new concepts to keep
their product offerings fresh and
interesting. Although we find that
the traditional conference will still
be used as a primary vehicle,
unusual add-ons are definitely on
the increase and becoming the
norm.”
Ricky says the Tshwane Events
Centre has long embraced out-ofthe-box
thinking. “We love to tell our
clients that our venue is a blank
artist’s canvas, ready to fill with
excitement, vibrancy and originality
from the organiser.”
Creative use of space is at the
heart of the Tshwane Events
Centre, which is the second-largest
exhibition facility in South Africa
with several halls, open areas and
sporting amenities that can be
used in conjunction with meeting
rooms. This allows the incorporation
of activities that range from horse
riding to paintball and everything in
between.
Says Ricky: “Clients are able to
mix and match various venues for
all types of events, such as an
international conference with several
breakaway plenaries to team-building
exercises where conference rooms
and one of the sporting facilities are
used in tandem.”
The fact that the Dinokeng Game
Reserve is a mere 40 minutes’
drive from the centre, adds to the
possibilities. Ricky says: “What
better way to end a conference than
with a game drive followed by a real
African meal in the bush at one of
several world-class facilities?”
The Tshwane Events Centre
conference centre can
accommodate over 500 delegates
in various configurations. All rooms
have WiFi and modern equipment
such as data projectors are included
in the rental or daily conference
package rates. Tshwane Events
offers full event/conference-planning
services and a full turnkey solution
to clients.
Beyond the bland boardroom
MEETING managers are requesting
‘out of the box’ boutique solutions
in a bid to boost creativity. In fact,
in the US, the industry has seen
demand soaring for boutique ‘anticonferences’.
In an article in BizBash.com, an
event-planning news and resource
website, style-driven boutique
seminars are the latest trend. What
sets these events apart from their
competitors is creative use of space,
with venues tending to be open,
airy and quirky. But are SA event
planners seeing a similar trend
locally?
Most definitely, says Robert
Walker. “The market is maturing
rapidly and people expect that
engagements on any level need to
be more meaningful. In this way,
the old boardroom space doesn’t
work, as attendees want to be
inspired and motivated. With so
much information now available
instantly, it is up to the organisers
to take people into a space where
their attention is held and they are
captivated.”
Robert recently organised a
multi-day meeting in the Limpopo
bushveld. “It required enormous
infrastructure to be brought in to
convert a non-conference venue into
a fully functional one. The event also
had smaller breakaway meetings and
exhibitions, as well as a dinner and
other social functions.”
Adele Engelbrecht has seen
a major increase in demand for
creative venues outside the bland
boardroom. “Recently we did
an event where 200 employees
were taken for a four-hour tour
of the Maboneng District. They
were outside and discovering
Johannesburg, an area that they
may never have ordinarily explored,
while becoming informed about
arts, culture and amazing food
experiences.”
Bridget von Holdt believes there is
greater demand for clients to engage
with their customers more closely,
which results in more meetings
being arranged. “A lot more of
these are taking place off-site and
being held at venues. This is for
various reasons, including creativity,
independence, service, facilities and
convenience.”
In addition, she says off-site
meetings are usually more
controlled, with delegates unable
to disappear into their offices
continually to deal with issues.
Bridget adds that hotels and
purpose-built meeting facilities are
usually the best options for off-site
meetings.
But off-site meetings may present
many challenges in terms of
infrastructure and equipment. The
cost of taking meetings off-site
can also hinder demand, says
Pieter Swart. “The cost of holding
meetings remains the number-one
driver in the selection of facilities.”
Harare’s new conference centre fills a gap
CRESTA’S Sango Conference Centre
in Harare has been a huge success
since it opened in November 2012.
The conference centre filled a gap in
Harare’s MICE industry for the mediumsized
local and international event
market.
According to Cresta Hotels ceo, Glenn
Stutchbury, Harare has always had a
wide range of smaller venues, as well
as a 4 000-plus conference centre.
However, options have been very
limited for people wanting a venue for
between 400 and 800 guests. Sango
fills this gap.
Glenn says: “Sango has had a
successful first year, adding to the
choice in Harare and bringing state-ofthe-art
facilities to people booking it.
Feedback from those holding events
since we opened in November 2012
has been favourable and we look
forward to consolidating this with a
busy schedule through the remainder
of 2014.”
He adds that the conference centre
has brought a significant boost in
events for the local business sector
and community. He has also seen a
steadily increasing number of regional
and international organisations taking
a greater interest in Zimbabwe and
looking at venues such as Sango for
inclusion in their programmes.
“We understand that next year
will see an increase in the kind of
corporate and NGO business that
Sango was created to service, as
well as increased interest from the
general community, which continuously
looks for new venues for social events
as varied as weddings and awards
ceremonies.”
Sango’s main conference hall is in
a stand-alone building adjacent to a
block containing a series of smaller
meeting rooms. The attractive and
modern conference centre contains a
large rectangular main room that can
be subdivided, as well as a service
room and a unique platform suitable for
social activities before, during or after
events in the main room. The centre
features a public address system,
LCD projectors and screens, catering
support services, good parking, a
pleasant garden around the venue and
a strong conference support team.
Island conferencing – mix business with leisure
HIDEAWAY of Nungwi Resort and
Spa and Dream of Zanzibar are
offering conferencing facilities for
those clients looking for “something
a little different and a little less
commercial”.
Porsche Dumagude, sales &
marketing manager for the Emerald
Collection in South Africa, says:
“With a great balance between
business and leisure, hosting
conferences at these island gems is
simply something that needs to be
ticked off your bucket list.”
According to Porsche, the resort
has noticed that more and more
guests are slowly moving toward
‘anti-conferencing’. “Hideaway is
more than equipped and geared to
accommodate guests requesting
something a little different.
Groups looking to get out of the
confinements of four walls
have the option of holding their
meetings in various venues around
the 10-hectare property, ranging
from 60-300 delegates.”
Porsche says Zanzibar remains
a firm favourite with South African
delegates as it’s only a four-hour
direct flight with Mango and visas
are not required. The resort is
just 55 minutes from the airport
and the capital, Stone Town. It
features two executive boardrooms
for intimate business meetings,
training sessions or small private
gatherings. These rooms can
accommodate 10-16 people. The
resort also features the Main
Ballroom, which can accommodate
up to 150 people.
Tailor-made conference packages
are available. For groups of 25 and
more, the resort offers discounts
on group rates and provides free
accommodation to every 25th guest
in a group.
Legend Lodges offers ‘anti-conference’ options
The anti-conference
theme is being adopted by
Legend Lodges through its
exceptional locations.
At Legend Golf & Safari
Resort in Limpopo,
delegates have the option of
standard conference venues
with exceptional outdoor
venues for evening functions,
for example, a dinner under
the African Skies at the Fig
Tree. Groups that don’t need
a projector and screen can
hold meetings the White Lion
Boma.
At Zebra Country Lodge,
delegates can meet in the
huts of the onsite Ndebele
village for breakaway
sessions or make use of
the cave-like setting of The
Hide, overlooking the flowing
streams of Mountain Lodge.
Entabeni Safari
Conservancy is a Big Five
malaria-free reserve with
conference facilities at
each of its lodges. The Big
Five roam freely within the
various camps, making for
exhilarating sightings midconference.
Various outdoor
venues are available,
from the Astro Boma to
Boekenhout, overlooking the
rivers and rock pools of the
Waterberg.
Book it
Legend Lodges is offering a 24-hour conferencing
special for the Zebra Country Lodge outside Pretoria.
The special rate of R690 per person sharing, includes
accommodation, three meals, use of conference facilities
and equipment and two tea breaks. The special is
restricted to South African residents and is valid until
August 31. Singles pay R1 035 per person.
CSIR ICC menus benefit from greening project
PROVIDING healthy food for
conference delegates is the
goal of the CSIR International
Convention Centre (ICC) in
Pretoria, which caters for over
600 diverse events annually.
To this end, the centre grows
its own herbs, a greening
initiative that also minimises
its environmental impact.
Recently it moved its
extensive herb garden to its
front entrance, to expand on
the benefits of the garden
for conference delegates and
other visitors. The garden is
visually appealing, releases
aromatic scents, and signage
invites delegates to take a
pinch of herbs home with
them. It also contains lemon
and lime trees, spinach,
artichokes and rhubarb,
enhancing the take-home
selection.
According to food &
beverage manager, Dieter
Botha: “The opportunity
provided by having so many
different herbs readily
available really allows us
to be flexible with creating
different dishes and flavour
combinations to enhance our
cuisine offering daily. Being
able to grow one’s own fresh
herbs right on your doorstep
adds tremendous value to
the passion our chefs have
for cooking.”
Additional meeting rooms at Entabeni
Legend Golf & Safari
Resort at Entabeni in the
Waterberg has expanded
its conference offering
following demand from
corporates. Mariki Theron,
international sales &
marketing manager for
Legend Lodges, Hotels
and Resorts, explains:
“The request for additional
conferencing space was
attended to with the
construction of the Queen
of Sheba Conference
Centre. We are now adding
to it with another four new
conference rooms currently
under construction. Each
room is named after four
of the main rivers in the
Monomotapa history –
Limpopo, Sashe, Vaal
amd Zambezi – and can
seat up to 100 delegates
cinema style. These
conference rooms allow
for smaller groups to
enjoy facilities to suit their
needs.”
A spiritual retreat
THE beautiful surroundings
of the Premier Hotel Knysna
– The Moorings makes this
venue the ideal location
for an anti-conference
experience. The hotel recently
hosted spiritual seekers
from across the country with
American monks from the
Self-realization Fellowship
in Los Angeles for a five-day
retreat.
Kelly Edwards from the
Knysna Meditation Circle,
said the venue was perfect
and their visitors were more
than pleased with it. “The
monks were so impressed
with the friendly people,
the beautiful surroundings
and the facilities they found
on their first trip to Africa.
The staff from the Premier
Hotel Knysna were wonderful
and we will definitely host
another event at this hotel,
as it really is conducive to a
retreat experience.”
Situated on the banks
of the Knysna Lagoon on
the way to The Heads,
and surrounded by wellmaintained
gardens, the
Premier Hotel Knysna hosts
a variety of meetings, events,
team building or spiritual
retreats. “Guests can relax
in our gardens, take a walk
along the Knysna Lagoon or
be treated to excellent meals
prepared by chef, Martyn Hill,
and his team, in between
meetings or group sessions
at our hotel,” said Brandon
Schafli, gm of the hotel.
Out-of-the-box events
WHEN it comes to
hosting out-of-the-box
events, the Crowne Plaza
Johannesburg – The
Rosebank, does so twice
a year with SA Fashion
Week.
Michael Hogeweg, food
and beverage manager,
says the event involves
a take-over of the entire
property. Five marquees
are shipped in and the
car park is converted
from tarmac functionality
to runway glam.
This event is proof
of the hotel’s ability to
provide venues and the
logistics. Says Michael:
“The hotel plays host to
a number
of side events such as
meet and greets, cocktail
parties, quiet locations
for media interviews and,
of course, after-parties
at the Circle Bar endure
until the early hours.”
Crowne Plaza
Johannesburg – The
Rosebank is treating all
conference bookers to
a breakfast for two at
the hotel. The booked
conference must be
held in April, May or
June 2014. The voucher
for the breakfast will
be e-mailed once final
payment has been
received.
Did you know?
The Forum, a conference and banqueting centre at the V&A Waterfront, caters for events of 14-120
people. Managed by Newmark Hotels, Reserves and Lodges, it currently offers a half-day conference
package priced at R320 per delegate per day and a full-day package at R350 per person per day.
Royal Caribbean returns to the Gulf
THE GULF is back on Royal
Caribbean International
programmes in winter 2015-
16. The fifth seasonal sailings
will comprise 16 roundtrips
from December 2015 through
March 2016, visiting some
of the Arabian coast’s most
intriguing destinations on a
seven-night itinerary.
Splendour of the Seas is
scheduled to dock in its
homeport of Dubai, making
calls at Muscat and Khasab in
Oman as well as in Abu Dhabi.
For business travellers,
this vessel offers numerous
conference and meeting
facilities.
State-of-the-art, fully
equipped meeting rooms
with WiFi connections
accommodate big groups and
charters, while theatres and
lounges are also available
for corporate events of up to
800 people.
Meanwhile Royal Caribbean
International has invested in
a new satellite network, giving
guests aboard Oasis of the
Seas and Allure of the Seas
more wireless capacity than
every other cruise ship in the
world combined, says Tracey
Krog, commercial manager,
Cruises International. The
speed of the WiFi will also
exceed what guests can
achieve on land.
By pairing a new generation
of medium-earth-orbit
satellites (originally designed
to bring the Internet to
emerging markets like
sub-Saharan Africa) with
sophisticated antenna arrays
aboard its newest ships, the
cruise line is delivering the
kind of technology passengers
expect in a connected world.
‘To mix business with pleasure, just add water’
ROYAL Caribbean International
coined the phrase ‘To mix
business with pleasure, just
add water’. “This is pretty
much our mantra at Cruises
International,” says Tracey
Krog.
She says a cruise group/
incentive versus a land-based
group/incentive offers great
value for money. “When it
comes to delivering a unique
experience with a strong value
proposition, nothing comes
close to a cruise, as it has
the power to inspire and
motivate everyone. Sailing on
any one of our magnificent
ships will be instantly
recognised as a high-quality,
prestigious reward. Top
achievers will race to meet
their goals and return to work
relaxed, recharged and ready
to tackle their next project
with renewed enthusiasm.”
Shangri-La promotes social responsibility
Experience It’ is the
international Shangri-La
group’s events philosophy
that adds inspiration and
engagement to events and
meetings. It is based on
three categories of social
responsibility that showcase
the best of every hotel’s
CSR initiatives around the
world.
The first category is
People and Planet, where
delegates enjoy experiences
from wildlife to indigenous
handicrafts. The second,
Green Bolts, encompasses
activities such as tea
breaks in hotel herb
gardens and transport in
hybrid cars. The third, Be
Well, can involve physical
activities, healthy menus
and spa treatments.
