African Energy Week (AEW) 2021 willbe held from 9-12 November 2021, highlighting the strong move towards the energy transition and the initiatives to revive a myriad of sectors in Africa
According to Research and Markets Event Management in the South Africa 2020 report, in 2019, 11.4% of foreign tourism was attributed to the events industry with an estimated one million delegates hosted annually. In addition to attracting tourists to South Africa, the events industry is responsible for job creation, business expansion, investment, and increasing revenue across multiple support service sectors such as the food, health and infrastructure industries.
According to the Tourism 2020 report released by Statistics South Africa, foreign arrivals dropped by 71% from over 15.8 million in 2019 to less than 5 million in 2020. Additionally, the business events sub-sector saw international delegate arrivals decline by 78%.
Despite these impacts, the easing of restrictions in South Africa, coupled with expected COVID-19 case declines in summer, AEW 2021 is expected to set a new standard for Africa-focused conferences. Ironically, at a time when the oil and gas industry has taken a strong move towards the energy transition, an oil and gas event has the potential to revive a myriad of sectors in Africa.
AEW 2021 will take place at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town – an economic and cultural hub comprising five districts – and will utilise conference centers, art galleries, museums, restaurants and even a golf course in its comprehensive event programme. This location enables AEW 2021 to not only attract both regional and international tourists to one of the continent’s most exciting socio-cultural hubs, but ensures that the event’s associated commercial benefits extend into multiple sectors. The event demonstrates how Africans, and the oil and gas sector, are rallying together to give the Waterfront, and South Africa’s tourism industry, its biggest commercial boost since the start of the pandemic. Unlike other Africa-focused yet internationally hosted energy events, AEW 2021 encapsulates comradery, job creation, local business participation and African tourism revival.
By focusing on African innovation, new technology, free market growth, local content and upstream and midstream oil and gas, AEW 2021 is officially the benchmark for African energy events. Accordingly, the African Energy Chamber is reaffirming its commitment to African people, African energy and African business by focusing on regional and multi-sectoral socioeconomic growth and recovery.
The event’s strategic design, comprising the utilisation of multiple venues over a four-day period, not only complies with COVID-19 social gathering limitations, but ensures that multiple venues and event companies benefit from this one event.
