Hosting international events boosts economy– BITC
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday November 6, 2023 06:00
Of recent, hardly a month passes without an international conference being held in Botswana, part of what government has been pushing for through the Meeting,Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions (MICE) strategy. As a result, President Mokgweetsi Masisi believes these conferences are significant sources of revenue for Botswana. He said the influx of international delegates can translate into increased spending on accommodation, transportation, buying local products and dining thus boosting the local economy. The President says MICE, which is a highly profitable component of the global travel and tourism industry, plays an important role in the tourism industry and economic development as well as international exchange. As the conferences come to Botswana, they also lift the country’s flag thus contributing to the economy as they attract potential investors, generate business leads, and support the local industry. They further give investors an opportunity to experience Botswana at first hand.
Other opportunities in hosting includes developing value chains and creating a pool of opportunities which include interpretation, protocol, and event management services which the youth can tap into. These conferences also provide immense opportunities to grow the tourism sector especially accommodation, (VIP accommodation) and leisure which are central to being a premier host. The current administration credits itself for making it possible to host coveted international events like the Forbes 30Under30 Summit, US-Africa business Summit, International Association of Gaming Regulators Conference, EU-Botswana Business Forum, FACETS to mention a few. These are in addition to annual events like the recently hosted Global Expo Botswana, which is the country's premier International multi-sectoral business to business exhibition that is managed by Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC).
One of Botswana’s recent key MICE events was the US-Africa Business Summit. The summit attracted well over 1,000 delegates to Gaborone providing a unique platform for Botswana to position herself for trade and investment. According to BITC executive director - brand Management, Kutlo Moagi, the increased frequency of hosting major international events is doing wonders for Botswana’s brand. She also said it affords different players in Botswana to communicate the country’s value proposition for investment, trade and tourism.
Moagi says just during the US - Africa Business Summit a significant number of investment leads were generated totalling 17 companies in diverse sectors, and four are already on the ground on missions to learn more about the opportunities availed during the summit and seeking facilitation to establish partnerships in the health, manufacturing and ICT sectors. All this translates to job creation and revenue for the country. The summit also accorded 40 SMMEs an opportunity to showcase locally produced goods and services under the #PushaBW.
As a deliberate effort to position Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) to benefit from the summit, a total of P586, 000 worth of sales was said to have been recorded during the four days and some even received orders from international markets. Several industries have benefitted immensely from these conferences mostly the hospitality, catering, events management, transport and logistics, aviation, creative’s and SMMEs sectors.