Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) made up more than a third of exhibitors at Meetings Africa, representing a shift towards a more inclusive supply chain in the business events sector.
Of the approximately 325 exhibitors at this year’s show, 131 were SMEs, according to Acting SA Tourism CEO Shamilla Chettiar.
“What’s really exciting for us is that 52 of those bought their own spaces and are exhibiting as solo exhibitors,” she added. Chettiar attributes this in part to SA Tourism’s Hidden Gems programme, run in partnership with the Department of Tourism, which focuses on providing market access support, training and mentorship to emerging tourism enterprises.
Opening the show, Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille stated: “The MICE sector is a high value driver of economic impact. It stimulates demand across accommodation, transport, catering, creative industries and small enterprise. It brings decision makers, investors and innovators into our cities. It drives geographic spread and supports job creation across our provinces.”
De Lille presented some numbers illustrating the impact of last year’s show. She said its total direct contribution was R690 million (US$43 million) to the South African economy. Deals concluded during Meetings Africa reached R182 million (US$11 million).
However, she raised concerns about declining African participation at this year’s event. Only 21 of the continent’s 55 countries exhibited at Meetings Africa 2026, which is fewer than in 2025.
“There needs to be a concerted effort to make sure that we get into organisations like SADC, the AU and the tourism and business events authorities within those countries to connect and incentivise their participation by showing them the value of being here,” added De Lille.
She said African destinations need a more focused and deliberate approach to global promotion. “What African countries must also understand is the world owes us nothing. We have to go out there and sell ourselves aggressively. If we wait for things to fall into our laps, it isn’t going to happen.”
