Building its legacy of showing strong in-person support for emerging incentive travel destinations, the 2023 SITE Executive Summit took place June 20-24 in Zimbabwe.
SITE’s International Board of Directors, as well as some members of SITE Foundation’s International Board of Trustees along with global team members, gathered in Victoria Falls for a blend of board meetings, education sessions, site inspections, and destination discovery.
This year’s Summit was supported by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), with Exclusive Touch Africa and Wild Horizons Tours providing DMC and logistical support. The SITE Africa chapter, led by Tes Proos, also contributed to a successful Summit.
“We were delighted to be in Zimbabwe, and to see how the entire community and the ZTA came together to create this immersive experience for us,” said Annette Gregg, CEO of SITE and SITE Foundation. “It’s really given us insight into the assets Zimbabwe has, that make the destination so beautifully unique. We’re proud to be new ambassadors for Zimbabwe to the global incentive community.”
Over 60 hospitality professionals from Zimbabwe also joined the group for the Executive Summit’s Education Day. SITE Board Member David Sand joined local anti-poaching activist Charles Brightman to lead the day’s content, with other sessions touching on the African incentive landscape, sustainability in events, digital marketing, new ways to be a DMC, research trends, and updated views on what corporations are looking for.
“It was a true privilege to provide one of the keynote addresses at this event. As a native South African I know first-hand what this continent has to offer both as an exciting portfolio of incredible destination experiences and also as a series of rapidly emerging source markets. SITE’s commitment to Africa may be seen in and through this wonderful in-person event that involved so many of its global leadership as well as in the recruitment and nurturing of many new SITE members that have joined our global organisation” said David Sand, CEO, UWINIWIN.
Outside of the boardroom, the group also enjoyed a wide range of activities designed to help them better discover the riches of the destination. Activities included a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls, a sunset dinner cruise along the Zambezi river, a special elephant interaction at a local sanctuary, and dinner & drum evening at BOMA restaurant.
Board members and other Summit participants also had a chance to give back and do good, with the group collecting medicine and baby cloth donations to support a local community organization that serves low-income mothers.
Destinations interested in partnering with SITE for a future Executive Summit should contact Head of Business Development Samantha Nicastro (snicastro@siteglobal.com) for more information and a copy of our RFP.
