Uganda’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) sector has received a major boost with the graduation of 45 professionals who undertook a bespoke training on MICE.
The training, conducted by Event Academy Africa, was an initiative of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) in collaboration with the Uganda Convention Bureau (UCB) and funded by the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda (PSFU) and the Competitiveness and Enterprise Development Project (CEDP).
The 12-week training program aimed to equip trainees with knowledge and skills in various aspects of MICE, including statistics, budget drafting, use of new social media tools, graphic designing, and digital conference management.
The program modules included introduction to MICE tourism and bidding, financial management, registration and project management, functional event design, event logistics and planning, event marketing and communication, accommodation and housing management, sponsorship management, program management, and legacy audiovisual and technical management.
According to Henry Bukenya, in-charge Business Development at Uganda Convention Bureau, the training is a significant step towards enhancing Uganda’s competitiveness in the MICE sector.
“Things are looking up for the MICE industry because right now we have 45 more members who are certified and internationally recognized as professionals who can carry the weight of conference and event hosting seamlessly,” Bukenya said.
Bradford Ocheng, Deputy CEO at UTB, noted that the growth of the MICE sector is crucial for the tourism industry, as it helps to reduce the effects of seasonality.
“As we monitor the ranking of Uganda on the continent as regards MICE, we are also tracking the kind of investment that eventually will come as a result of it. We are hopeful that you (PEOs and PCOs) will help us get there by making sure that your business environment is up to standard,” Ocheng said.
Sarah Kagingo, Vice chairperson of PSFU, congratulated the graduates and expressed her excitement about the impact they will have on the MICE sector.
“I’m extremely proud that now we can brag and say we have 45 experts at executing seamless conferences, professionally. We really must cash in on this sector big time, and we now have no excuses,” Kagingo said.
She called on government to entrust the cohort with the organization of some of the upcoming events like the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo 2025.
“I hope that this team can be part of the team that executes the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo. Because without this team, where else would you would you go? Everybody is upbeat. They’re expecting to see what difference we are going to make,” she said.
Titus Kakembo a beneficiary of the training, noted that the intensive training program for Uganda Professional Conference Organizers, will go a long way to improve Uganda’s MICE, having gained crucial knowledge on various aspects, like event organization, advocating for Uganda as a host destination and identifying emerging opportunities.
“We were also introduced to AI tools for designing, writing proposals and how to promote the destination, participants who initially started as competitors ended up as allies and collaborators in a multifaceted industry that requires diverse range of professionals,” he said.
The training program is part of a broader strategy to develop Uganda’s MICE sector, which is expected to attract $250 million into the economy by 2030.
According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the global MICE industry was valued at $1.14 trillion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% from 2020 to 2027.
In Uganda, the MICE sector has been growing steadily, with the country hosting several high-profile international conferences in 2024, including the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), and the G77+ China Summit.
