The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) in collaboration with Uganda Convention Bureau (UCB) on Monday launched a training for players in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) sector aimed at producing certified and internationally recognized Professional Conference and Event Organisers (PCOs and PEOs) respectively.
The training, which was tailor-made for Uganda, aims to equip trainees with knowledge and skills in among other aspects; statistics, budget drafting, use of new social media tools for digital meetings, graphic designing and how to tap into international apps and tools to digitalize conference management.
At the end of the 12-week training conducted by sector experts from Event Academy Africa based in cape town, South Africa which will be both physical attendance and online, participants will be assessed and duly certified as professional conference and event organisers, destination marketing companies and equipment suppliers.
This training, according to UTB CEO Lilly Ajarova, is one of the initiatives of the Board to give Uganda a competitive advantage in the MICE sector as the country strives to minimize dependency on leisure tourism revenue.
“This training is important because for destination Uganda to have a competitive advantage in MICE tourism, we need to have certified sector players. The challenge we have had until now is that at Uganda Convention Bureau, we are bidding for conferences and international meetings to come to Uganda but there is an element in the bid documents that sometimes requires to know how many certified professional conference organisers are in the country. We don’t have that list until now,” Ajarova said.
Uganda has companies that are doing a good job in the sector, Ajarova adds, but internationally, they are not recognized.
“We do believe that after we get the 50 who are attending the training certified, it will put us in a better position to win more bids for conferences and other events.”
Statistics show that whereas leisure tourists spend approximately USD300 per day, the figure doubles with business/MICE visitors to USD640 per person per day.
This, Pearl Houreu Kakooza, the new Chairperson of the Uganda Tourism Board of Directors, says is the next big revenue earner in the tourism industry.
“We have identified MICE as one of the sectors within the tourism industry where Uganda can earn more money over leisure tourism. Statistically, business tourists may stay shorter, but the impact of their expenditure is far-reaching. MICE as a sector, globally, is growing and has the potential to earn Uganda over 200 million dollars in one year. We need to grow these numbers,” Kakooza said at the training launch.
She noted that the Board is pushing both leisure and MICE tourism because the two feed into each other.
Uganda came 7 in Africa as per the 2023 ranking of top MICE destinations. According to Kakooza, the boar is pushing to position Uganda as a MICE destination and aiming to be among the first 5 on the continent.
She noted that the Board has engaged various associations such as the Uganda Law Society to enlighten the stakeholders on the importance of lobbying to host their sector events and conferences here in Uganda.
Asked how the Board intends to fund these initiatives considering the budget allocations that sometimes don’t cover much of what’s needed to bear results, Kakooza noted that they are exploring more revenue avenues to supplement government funds.
“The Board has decided to raise Non-Tax Revenues (NTRs) to be able to support initiatives of the Uganda Convention Bureau. We cannot as a Board say we don’t have enough money, we start with what we have, build impact and capitalize on that to lobby for more fund allocation,” she said.
The training being offered, under normal university schedule, would take up to 3 years. It has been tailor made to meet the needs of business people who can’t sacrifice the three years but can acquire the knowledge and skill necessary to uphold professional standards of the sector.
More efforts towards marketing Uganda as a MICE destination
According to Ajarova, the Board is employing other strategies to bolster visibility for Uganda and subsequently showcase her potential in the MICE sphere.
“For example, we are pushing all tourism stakeholders such as tour operators, accommodation facilities, travel companies to make sure they get licensed, meaning they will be meeting the minimum operation standards which elevates service delivery in the industry and thus drums up credibility for Uganda as premium destination,” she said.
The CEO emphasized that the Board is doubling efforts in marketing Uganda’s MICE potential on numerous global platforms.
“A team from UCB often attends international MICE expos where they get to position Uganda through presentations on the bigger stages to bolster the country’s visibility. This also gives the marketing teams exposure to how other countries are creating markets for their respective MICE targets.”
