How important are mice to the tourism economy?

Abstract

Events are happenings that embody certain objectives. Business events, event-tourism, special interest tourism (SIT) sport events and festivals comprise the three general types of events that attract most attention. Design Indaba (DI) is one of the world’s leading design and business events; launched in 1995 as a conference but incorporating an Expo from 2004. The DI Expo triggered a need for a ‘buyer and exhibitor’ interaction and led to the launch of the DI Buyer’s Day, a programme aimed at bringing buyers and exhibitors together on a day set aside especially for buyers to view the products and services offered at the Expo before the general public attended the DI. The study sought to identify the economic contribution of the DI Buyer’s Day programme to the event, to buyers, exhibitors, and to Cape Town as a tourist destination. All registered buyers were interviewed postevent via electronic mail, while exhibitors were surveyed at the Cape Town International Convention Centre during the Expo of 2014. The study adopted a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research using a stratified sample of the participants. The findings showed that both buyers and exhibitors regarded the programme as a significant platform to build their brands and access future business opportunities. However, emerging creatives and entrepreneurs felt that they needed additional pre-event assistance/training to be able to maximise the opportunity to make connections with buyers who view their products and/or services.