Players in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector, have underscored the potential the sector holds towards the development of Uganda.
These say if good investment and positioning is made, Uganda can earn close to $1 billion of the global MICE sector share.
Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Uganda Association of Conference Incentive Industry (UACII), Peter Mwanja, the association treasurer, and board member, said that the sector has the biggest potential to propel Uganda’s development if there’s enough government support.
“The sector needs intensive capital and you can get this from the government, but also infrastructure development, we are glad there’s Munyonyo Convention Centre, but also as a country we have to get enough space for events, professional people who can be relied on internationally to provide services, Out sector needs money to secure such big events if you have the three with public institutions government support,” said Mwanja.
He noted that if the above is implemented, a billion dollars can be earned annually, but also the employment of a number of people.
As per the current market research conducted by the CMI Team, the global MICE Market is expected to record a CAGR of 18.2% from 2023 to 2032.
In 2022, the market size was projected to reach a valuation of USD 645.7 billion. By 2032, the valuation is anticipated to reach USD 1620.7 billion.
Current trends in the MICE market include a growing demand for unique and immersive event experiences, the use of technology for better engagement, a focus on sustainability and eco-friendly practices, the rise of hybrid events blending in-person and virtual elements, and increased attention to health and safety measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the sidelines Peter Kaggwa, the chairman of UACII, noted that as an association and a country, they want to join the rest of Africa to be the first to host all sorts of events and conferences.
He revealed that for that to happen, there’s a need for an organized private sector, a key agenda at the AGM.
“Today we have brought in the hoteliers, the service providers, the tour agents, Incentive, Travel people so that we’re able to work together as a group to prepare ourselves for all the good things coming ahead for this country in the space of meetings, conferences, exhibitions and events,” he noted.
He explained that for the MICE industry to grow in Uganda, the government has to go a whole step in advertising, and attracting these conferences. He added that the government does not do events, nor do they have production companies, which calls for proper preparation and coordination from the Private Sector.
“We as the private sector have got to prepare ourselves with the right training, the right qualification certification, the right equipment, and the right mindset to be able to deliver world-class events to support government’s effort in attracting them,” he noted.
“So when you get a group of people that would like to bring say 1000 or 2000 people it was hard to have them meeting in one place fortunately, the government has invested in the Millennial Convention Center, where we can now host up to 4000 people, and that gives us a very big offering. You’ve got more than 10,000 associations that make rotations from different venues around the world. So we now stand a chance to get a certain bracket of that of that business.” He said.
At the AGM, board members were sworn in for a period of 2 years.