Igniting international independence

people booked in advance as possible. We have also been invited to several engagements and believe that this is due to the industry perception of us as a stable and reliable organisation.”

For Shabalala, the fact that Meetings Africa has continued to invite them to the event is as much a stamp of approval as her increasingly full diary. The preparation put into the event for 2019 from both her side and that of Meetings Africa gives her confidence that it will allow the company to take its growth even further.

“We turned many of the meetings we had in 2018 into tangible business results,” says Shabalala. “So this year we have taken this to the next level. From potential clients to industry leaders to international tour operators, we are going to be developing our groundwork of contacts at the event. Our goal is to show other organisations how we can efficiently handle the groundwork of their tours in South Africa and to collaborate with them on creating new and exciting adventures for their customers.”

Meetings Africa gives the small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) a platform to become a part of the global business community. It gives companies that would previously have fallen between the cracks a connection to the international community and exposure to international markets and organisations that delivers real results and opportunities. This commitment to uplifting local talent is carried through in the Shared Economies 2019 theme for the event. It embodies the potential that was realised by innovative companies such as Airbnb and Uber. The idea is that any business can benefit from the concept of the shared economy and tha tno company is too small to participate in gaining these benefits.

“Meetings Africa is a great platform for the SMME,” says Shabalala. “I really cannot emphasise how much benefit we have had in our previous engagements and how confident we are that 2019 will prove to be just as beneficial. It not only adds the value of international connection and collaboration, but it gives our buyers confidence in what we do when they see our global presence. We have professional relationships with numerous international companies and are currently working closely with a Japanese client to create an extraordinary experience for an international nongovernmental organisation.”

The group that Incredible Tours and Travel are working with today happen to be the result of meetings that the company held at Meetings African 2018; relationships forged over the year are now delivering financial and reputational results. It has cemented their commitment to the event and given them plenty of impetus for 2019.

“They are not just helping us as an SMME to grow, but they are changing the benchmarks around who can participate at events and how they can play a role in changing our economy,” concludes Shabalala. “These are opportunities that few SMMES can ignore, especially in our industry, and they are opportunities that small business owners and entrepreneurs shouldn’t miss out on.”

Meetings Africa will be taking place from February 25-27 2019 and includes a business and opportunity networking day that will be held on February 25 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.