The Kenyatta International Convention Centre CEO James Mwaura has been elected the chairperson of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) –African Chapter.
Mwaura has been elected to serve in the role for a two-year term following a competitive process.
This is the first time Kenya has won the position.
ICCA is an international body which represents the world’s leading suppliers in handling, transporting and accommodating international meetings and events.
It comprises 1,100 member companies and organizations across the world.
It specialises in the international association’s meetings sector in 100 countries.
The African chapter has about 50 members and plays a pivotal role in developing and growing the local meetings and events industry and enhancing the global competitiveness of the continent.
As the new chair, Mwaura will work with his colleagues in the ICCA Africa chapter to position Africa as a prime business conferencing destination and showcase the potential of the continent to host big events.
His efforts will be dedicated to helping Chapter members exploit the potential to increase the number of meetings that Africa hosts.
Kenya will gain greatly from this position through the strategic influence Mwaura will have in hosting of rotational conferences.
Mwaura expressed his gratitude to the Africa Chapter members for believing and voting for him.
He said he will use the influential post to further position Kenya as an attractive destination for conference tourism also known as Meetings, Incentives, Travel, Conferences and Exhibition (MICE) Tourism.
“The key will be to showcase Kenya and the continent’s capabilities to host large conferences and events. Africa is ready to do business with the world. With the right in-country partnerships, member countries can host major events and as ICCA Africa Chapter, we will work to ensure we raise this profile," Mwaura said.
The KICC boss committed to delivering on his promises to grow the Chapter.
"I will push for strategic Chapter involvement that provides valuable business and learning opportunities for Africa, develop initiatives that foster greater participation and networking among Africa Chapter members as well as mobilize new members to the chapter," he added.
The post will enable Kenya to gain access to valuable industry data, research, and insights that can inform the country’s MICE strategic decisions.
It will also give the country increased global visibility and recognition through strategic business speaking opportunities in international ICCA forums.
Mwaura said he will leverage the position to influence the growth and development of Kenya’s meetings and conventions industry on a global scale.
"Kenya will possess the potential to successfully secure leads for conventions to be held within the country," he said.
The position will give Kenya an upper hand in collaborating with teams of experienced professionals and support from ICCA’s resources and infrastructure.
Some of the objectives of the African Chapter as the voice of Africa in the global meetings world include increasing Africa’s market share in the global meetings industry and extracting more business between countries on the continent.
Others are growing and nurturing people within the industry and creating a positive image of Africa as a unique and inspiring destination for international meetings and events.