It is an exciting day in the local attractions management industry as we proudly launch the official name and look of our new African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AAVEA)!
At our fifth Attractions Africa conference held at Gold Reef City in June 2018, our Executive Director Sabine Lehmann announced our intention to launch an association focused on elevating the collaboration between attractions and raising awareness about the contribution that attractions and visitor experiences make to the broader tourism sector.
In November 2018, after five successful Attractions Africa conferences, AAVEA was formed.
What is AAVEA?
AAVEA, a membership-drive association, offers the only educational opportunities for attraction and visitor experience professionals in Africa, and it is the only African platform for attraction and visitor experience professionals to network, share, and seek solutions together.
The association’s mission is to represent the interests of visitor experiences and attractions, to raise awareness of the contribution they make to the broader tourism industry and to enhance discussion and co-ordination among visitor experience and attraction professionals.
Lehmann, founder of AAVEA and a thought leader in the attractions sector with 25 years of experience in the industry, heads the up the new AAVEA as its president.
The AAVEA Board, a representation of esteemed leaders in the attractions industry, includes Mpume, uShaka Marine World’s marketing manager as secretary; Craig Allenby, the National Zoological Gardens’ acting managing director as treasurer; and Malcom Bone, Gold Reef City’s operations manager, Fazielah Williams, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway’s content marketer, Sibusiso T. Dlamini, the City of Tshwane’s Resorts Operations manager and Alichia Nortje,the Two Oceans Aquarium’s Guest Experience Manager as officers.
The board will manage the association and oversee the organisation of the annual conference.
What does the AAVEA launch and name change mean for the conference?
The conference, formerly known as the Attractions Africa Conference, will now be held under the AAVEA banner.
It will remain a two-day conference especially designed for visitor experience and attraction professionals. This year, the Annual AAVEA Conference will be held in Cape Town on 21 and 22 August. Keep an eye on our social media platforms, our newsletter, and right here on the blog for exciting venue, programme, speaker, and sponsorship announcements coming soon.
Which membership benefits will AAVEA have?
Attractions, visitor experiences and industry professionals will enjoy a multitude of benefits including discounted conference fees, a subscription to the AAVEA’s exclusive quarterly communique, invitations to regional seminars and meet-ups and more.
More information about the AAVEA membership programme will be released soon.
What else is new with AAVEA?
Participants of the conference, attractions and visitor experience professional, media and more can get all of the latest news about AAVEA, interesting articles and more by visiting our all-new website www.aavea.org.za.
Talk to us about AAVEA:
We would love to hear from you – share your thoughts about our new AAVEA look and feel in the comments sections of our Facebook posts or tweet them to us at @Attractions_Afr
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