The Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) will be giving tourism students from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) the opportunity to work at the upcoming SAACI Congress  held from July 26 to 28.

According to a press briefing given at Meetings Africa 2020, the students will be part of the organisational process, will be trained for the event and receive a certificate on completion of training.

SAACI had had a long-standing relationship with UJ’s School of Tourism and Hospitality, said Marketing Manager of the school, Kagiso Mosue. “Our students were part of the IMEX sessions at Meetings Africa and some worked at the show,” she said.

At UJ, the students were required to take part in work-integrated learning, which provides them with the chance to develop their skill set, gain valuable practical experience, and contribute to their workplace readiness, said Work Integrated Learning Coordinator, Tracy Daniels, adding that the organisation of the Congress was considered part of this.

At Meetings Africa 2020 the Chairperson of the Congress Organising Committee, John Arvanitakis, said increasing youth attendance was of high importance to the Congress and added that members had the opportunity to sponsor a youth to attend the conference at special student rates.

“Conferences like this provide young people with the opportunity to interact and network with industry members and their peers. This provides them with deeper insights into the workings of the industry and a better understanding of potential career paths in events management,” said Daniels.