operate at permitted capacity seamlessly .

“ The most significant change we experienced was adapting to the ever-changing regulations ,” the management team tells CMW . “ The challenges meant growing the focus on attracting more conferences and association meetings from the African continent .”

In 2020 , the team implemented health and safety initiatives such as C19Care protocol and a Covid-19 screening App , and they also put in place a proprietary Venue Capacity Management Tool .

In 2021 , small in-person events returned along with domestic and regional business opportunities . The venue hosted exam marking and graduation ceremonies and became a multi-purpose space for the local business community .

The forward book would appear to be strong , with CTICC securing an additional 15 international events

over the next five years , starting in 2022 . “ We might see a 30 % drop in conference delegate numbers , compared to pre-pandemic levels , as many businesses are still limiting long-haul travel and organisers and delegates alike are opting for hybrid models for events ,” the team believes .

Rwanda to host WD2023 Looking ahead elsewhere on the continent , and Rwanda aims to deliver the world ’ s largest conference on gender equality and the health , rights , and wellbeing of girls and women in the 21st century . WD2023 , the next edition of the Women Deliver conference , is set to take place in-person in Kigali , Rwanda and virtually , 17 – 20 July 2023 . “ For the first time , the Women Deliver Conference will be held on the African continent . It is an honour for Rwanda to be the next host of this convening as it affirms that the ongoing efforts in-country around

“ The most significant challenge we experienced was adapting to the everchanging regulations ”

gender equality by the Government of Rwanda are gaining the desired traction ,” says Rwanda ’ s minister of gender and family promotion , Jeannette Bayisenge , who is also chair of the WD2023 Host Country Committee .

Joshua Tabah , director general , global health and nutrition , Global Affairs Canada , symbolically passed the baton – the Women Deliver arrow – to Bayisenge and said : “ With more than 8,000 advocates from over 165 countries on-site and more than 200,000 people joining around the world through satellite events and the virtual programme , the Women Deliver 2019 Conference ( WD2019 ) was one of the most impactful and influential convenings for gender equality in the world . The last Women Deliver Conference fuelled over USD $ 1 billion in investments , and shone a global spotlight on the importance of gender equality . The Women Deliver 2023 Conference will once again promote a robust civic space for feminist action , organising , and mobilisation . The work that started in 2019 must continue and we are honoured to pass the arrow to Rwanda .”

In the coming months , the Advisory Group will come together to begin designing the details of WD2023 . New conference programme elements will be previewed to the public in spring 2022 and registration will open during the official WD2023 one-year-out launch event , to be hosted in Kigali in July 2022 .

Rwanda is , of course , a small country , but prior to the pandemic it had been growing its economy fast , marketing itself hard as a destination and catching investors ’ eyes .

Outside South Africa , venue size remains an issue limiting growth across much of the African continent but Rwanda is aiming to at least tilt that balance back a little .