Summit to convene African festivals

Africa’s vibrant festival industry will convene for the first time at the inaugural Festival Africa Summit and Awards slated to take place alongside the 21st edition of the Joy of Jazz Festival in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa on 27-29 September 2018.

Festival organisers, tourism ministers, government entities, sponsors and industry service providers will debate the future sustainability of the industry; it’s contribution to event tourism and impact on local economies.

The main tagline of the Summit is, “Rethink & Reinvent Festival Partnerships” and it will focus on how to optimise the value proposition for both parties, through the developmental contribution made to local destinations.

According to Gerrit Davids, Executive Producer of the Summit, “festivals around the world operate in a disruptive economic environment and are challenged to sustain its value proposition as well as implementing strategies to attract the digitally-connected consumer to attend”.

Davids says, “Custodians of festivals and destinations will gather to debate, and exchange ideas on best practices trending internationally, find ways to make their partnerships work since the modern day festival is perfectly designed to attract out-of-town visitors, which benefits both the event itself, as well as the local destination at large”.

Panellists will share their thought leadership on what is required to implement successful festival visitor-attraction-strategies, the economic impact of festivals in terms of how it contributes to the local economy, the amount of jobs it create and how it supports the tourism and hospitality sectors, respectively.

The best performing festivals will also be recognised in the first ever edition of the African Festival Awards (AFAs), which will bestow awards in more than 30 categories ranging from the Leading African Festival to the Leading Festival Personality of the Year.

The African Festival Alliance (AFA) will also be launched at the Summit to serve as a knowledge exchange platform for the industry on the continent, with the main objective to share strategies on how to make it sustainable for all its stakeholders.

The Summit’s programme is designed in a very flexible manner to allow delegates ample time for networking and also to attend the Joy of Jazz Festival at the Sandton Convention Centre.

For more details, contact: Gerrit Davids: (Executive Producer)

Cell. 082 496 1657

E-mail: info@gerommedia.com

Website: www.thefestivalsummit.com