South Africa has dropped one place to 37th in the 2011 International Congress and Convention Association rankings, from 36th in 2010. Losing eight places, Cape Town’s new ranking is 54th from 46th, while Durban gained six places, from 178th to 172nd. Johannesburg dropped 38 places from 196th to 234th.

ICCA rankings take into account the number of association meetings hosted in a destination. These must be held regularly, rotate between at least three countries and attract at least 50 participants. The top-scoring countries for 2011 are the US, Germany and Spain, while Vienna, Paris and Barcelona topped the city rankings.

Amanda Kotzé-Nhlapo, Executive Manager, National Convention Bureau, is satisfied with SA’s ranking as the country, with 84 meetings, is still Africa and the Middle East’s number-one destination, one of the top 15 long-haul business event destinations, and already fully booked for 2012. “Most high-ranking destinations are in Europe and North America, located close to the major global associations’ headquarters. In our own competitor set, we’re not performing badly at all.” The UAE is ranked 49th and Kenya 56th.

Cheryl Mulder-Verbruggen, Manager, Cape Town Convention Bureau, says although Cape Town’s performance (38 meetings, 2011) has been stable over the last two years, the market is growing, becoming more competitive and offering more value-added services to attract business.

Rashid Toefy, CEO, Cape Town International Convention Centre, adds: “Cape Town continues to host most of SA’s meetings, which bears testament to its desirability as a premier meetings and event destination.” He says it’s important to note that the rankings don’t allow for international corporate and government conferences.

James Seymour, CEO, Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau, attributes Durban’s success (12 meetings, 2011) to the establishment of its independent convention bureau, forming critical partnerships required to garnish bid support and convincing partners to register meetings with ICCA.

Reporting meetings regularly and accurately, including those held by universities or research institutions, is one way SA can up its ICCA ranking, says Nina Freysen-Pretorius, National Chairperson, Southern African Association for the Conference Industry.

Other ways include subvention, adding value for associations, working towards more competitive airline packages and waiving visas for international delegates.

Riana Geldenhuys