Saaci discontinues PCO accreditation

THE Southern African Association
for the Conference Industry
(Saaci) has amended its
accreditation of professional
conference organisers in its current
format, no longer awarding the
organisation itself but rather individuals
within the company.
With regard to travel management
companies, PCO accreditation
previously looked at whether the
TMC ran association conferences in
general. “It wasn’t a necessity, it was
just a stamp of approval recognised
by Saaci and Grant Thornton that
stated that TMCs that offered a service
specifically looking after conferencing
businesses had the resources and
experience to host a regional or
international association conference,”
says Saaci ceo, Adriaan Liebetrau.
Now, the accreditation will introduce
designations into the conferencing
sector. “So, within the TMC, there will
be a certified events co-ordinator or
professional events manager,” says
Adriaan.
“The decision is based on global
industry trends. Internationally
recognised certifications such as
Certified Meeting Professional (CMP),
Certificate in Meeting Management
(CMM) and Certificate in Exhibition
Management (CEM ) are widely
recognised by conference clients
and this allows us, as an industry
association, the chance to advance
uniform standards of practice.”
PCOs and TMCs that are currently
accredited as a Saaci Accredited
Conference Organiser (SACO level 1),
Saaci Accredited Professional
Conference Organiser (SAPCO level 2)
or a Saaci Accredited International
Professional Conference Organiser
(SAIPCO level 3) have the right to
maintain their status as such until their
accreditation expires.
“PCOs and TMCs that are currently
not accredited will have an opportunity
to join one of the new individual
certification programmes this coming
year,” Adriaan says.