AMANDA KOTZE-NHLAPO SCOOPS GLOBAL AWARDS
Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, the Chief Convention Bureau Officer of the South Africa National Convention Bureau, has been recognised as a ‘trailblazer’ by the international business events industry.
South Africa has over the last few years made huge efforts to promote the country as a premier business events destination – and in mid-July, Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, the SANCB’s Chief Convention Officer, received yet another nod of approval from the international industry.
She has been recognised as a ‘trailblazer’ and was named amongst the 25 most influential people in the meetings industry for 2016 by global business events magazine, Successful Meetings. According to the publication, all the people chosen have either “contributed to the business of meetings, made it easier for meeting professionals to do their job, helped raise awareness of the industry, or, through their actions, have had a significant impact on meeting professionals.”
This is one of the many awards Ms Kotze-Nhlapo has received, including the IMEX Academy Award for Africa and the Middle East in April this year. According to IMEX Group Chairman Ray Bloom and Managing Director Paul Flackett, she was presented with the award for her role in developing the status of South Africa as a world class destination within the meetings industry.
“These awards are confirmation that Amanda’s extensive experience and solid grasp of the business events industry have not gone unacknowledged,” says Sthembiso Dlamini Acting Chief Executive Officer at South African Tourism. “This industry is a great driver of economic development and South Africa’s business events strategy is focused on building its knowledge economy and accelerating its macro-economic benefits. We are therefore truly proud of her and her team’s efforts in ensuring that our work of marketing South Africa as a premier business events industry is paying off.”
“I am thrilled at the recognition that we are receiving from the global business events industry. This is all thanks to the SANCB team effort,” says Kotze-Nhlapo. “Such accolades and awards certainly assist in drawing attention to our continent.”
Amanda has long championed not just South Africa, but also the wider continent and she aims in as many ways as possible to help “realise the potential and opportunities that the meetings industry presents to our objectives in development, the knowledge economy, growth and education.” This Pan-African view has brought Kotze-Nhlapo to play a leading role in the creation of the African Society of Association Executives (AfSAE), launched last year at Meetings Africa in February. “The launch of AfSAE is one of the many ground-breaking and innovative developments,” she says, adding that in order to encourage meetings to be held and rotate around the continent, we need to have “collaborative partnerships that serve to benefit our African economy.”
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