(Posted 18th February 2025)
South Africa’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector, valued at 6.6 billion US dollars in 2023, is set for a bumper year. Of course, the biggest event on everyone’s lips is the G20, with the first meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors taking place in Cape Town from 26 to 27 February, the Tourism Minister’s G20 meeting in Mpumalanga in September, and the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November.
But there are other significant events on the 2025 calendar. For RX Africa, Africa Travel Week (complete with WTM Africa, ILTM Africa, IBTM Africa, EQUAL Africa, the Sports & Events Tourism Exchange, Travel Tech and the African Tourism Investment Conference and the Responsible Tourism Conference), Comic Con Cape Town, the Africa Automation Technology Fair, and Decorex Cape all take place within the first half of the year.
It’s a dynamic sector to work in, especially because the real impact lies in five important multipliers:
1. Local Economies
MICE’s impact on local communities is huge. The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), for example, reported that 90,5% of their total procurement spend during the 2023 financial year was with locally based service providers.
And the impact of a big event goes beyond direct spend with hotels, vendors and suppliers. Investment in research, development and innovation (for example, SMEs upgrading their systems and service levels to meet G20 standards), training and skills transfer for new hires, networking, knowledge sharing and exposure all drive growth for local businesses.
2. Future Talent
The depth and breadth of South Africa’s talent is staggering, and events are a wonderful ‘spotting ground’ for young, up-and-coming professionals—and a place for ambitious, creative people to see and be seen. Decorex is just one example, with the event offering a unique opportunity for industry professionals and design enthusiasts to network and explore the latest trends and innovations in the world of interior design and decoration.
But with South Africa fast-establishing itself as a hub for fintech, healthcare, music and
entertainment, art and design, automotive manufacturing, digital technology and more, the potential to establish internationally recognised, annual (rather than once-off) events where the best of the best congregate is enormous. For example, FAME Week Africa has become a go-to event for African creatives, providing an annual platform to celebrate the continent’s film, television, animation, music, fashion and entertainment tech achievements.
3. International Relations
South Africa is welcoming thousands of influential people to our shores in 2025—and it’s an incredible opportunity to generate positive sentiment, enhance investor confidence, and celebrate South Africa on the world stage (especially in the current geopolitical climate). The important work done behind-the-scenes and on the event floor can never be underestimated.
4. Sustainability
Climate-responsible practices are becoming hard-wired into events, including local sourcing, waste management and waste reduction targets, the elimination of single-use plastics, and innovative strategies to reduce, reuse and recycle. Rather than a ‘nice to have’ or even a ‘box to tick’, sustainability is fast becoming part and parcel of every event. It’s fantastic to see responsible practices not only find a foothold but be embraced by the event industry — RX Africa, for example, is on a drive to achieve net zero by 2040.
5. Tech and Innovation
Tech in the MICE space has been moving at a rate of knots, and we’re seeing everything from ‘AI matchmaking’ at events to enhance networking opportunities to wearable tech, gamification, digital twins (where event organisers create a virtual replica of the event space so attendees can explore and plan their visit ahead of time) and augmented reality, which is particularly valuable at shows like the Africa Automation Technology Fair. New tech is impressive—and the opportunities endless. South Africa knows how to pull-off a successful event. And the more we host, the more we’ll attract. There’s no doubt that the MICE sector in South Africa is poised for significant growth, but we need
to capitalise on the momentum and ensure that we maximise—and amplify—every opportunity. This includes diversifying conference types (big, small and rural), exploring destinations (and experiences) outside of South Africa’s main centres (so local communities across the country benefit), entrenching sustainability, embracing technology and growing the reputation of South Africa as a premier business hub on the continent.
