The nominees for the fourth annual Business Traveller Africa Conference & Awards have been announced, with the winners in each category due to be revealed at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg on 1 September 2015.
Times Media Events and Business Traveller Africa magazine – in association with headline sponsor Absa and corporate partners ABTA (African Business Travel Association), Air France-KLM, ASATA (Association of Southern African Travel Agents), British Airways, ExecuJet Africa, Kerzner International, Thebe Reed Exhibitions, and Travelport – will be hosting the event.
Launched in 2012 in association with Business Traveller Africa magazine, the awards ceremony is an event for the South African business travel trade, covering all aspects of business travel, including hotels, airlines, car rental and travel management, along with related categories such as travel credit card provider, foreign exchange, visas, private aviation and conferencing.
As in previous years, South African Airways has picked up nominations in the ‘Best African Regional Short-Haul Airline’ and ‘Best African Long-Haul Airline’ categories, yet unlike in 2013 and 2014, it has not made the nominees list in the ‘Best Business Class’ and ‘Best Airport Business Lounge’ categories.
Air Mauritius, Mango, Comair, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, Michelangelo Hotel, and Fairway Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort are all double nominees, whilst the Emirates lounge in the international departures section of O.R. Tambo International Airport is a nominee in the ‘Best Airport Lounge’ category, making it a hattrick of nominations for the Middle Eastern airline.
In the main hotel category, the ‘Best South African Hotel Group’ prize will be contested by City Lodge, Legacy Hotels & Resorts, Sun International, and Tsogo Sun.
The ‘Best Travel Management Company’ category sees American Express Travel Services, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, HRG Rennies Travel, and Travel with Flair up against each other.
Of the other main categories, the ‘Best Car Rental Company’ category has Avis, Bidvest Car Rental, Europcar, First, Hertz and Thrifty contesting the prize, whilst the award for ‘Best Large Conference Venue’ will go to one of Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, Cape Town International Convention Centre, Emperors Palace, International Convention Centre Durban, and Sandton Convention Centre.
This year sees one new category being contested – ‘Best African Low-Cost Airline – and the nominees in this category are Fastjet, FlyAfrica, FlySafair, Kulula and Mango.
“What is encouraging is the number of responses we’ve received to the voting survey this year,” said Dylan Rogers, editor of Business Traveller Africa magazine. “The survey went out to 1,700 ASATA-registered travel agents and 500 ABTA-registered corporate travel buyers, with the latter group also being tasked with coming up with the nominees and winner in the ‘Best Travel Management Company’ category.”
Business Traveller Africa magazine will also hand out the ‘Travel Personality of the Year’ award, which in previous years has gone to outgoing Avis CEO and OUTA Chairman Wayne Duvenage (2012), Comair CEO Erik Venter (2013), and ASATA CEO Otto de Vries (2014).
Sun International’s The Maslow Hotel will host the Business Traveller Africa Conference & Awards ceremony for the third time. Along with the handing out of the awards, the morning’s line-up will include topical interviews, speeches and panel discussions, with the much talked-about changes to South Africa’s visa regulations headlining the subject matter, together with the event’s first ever ‘corporate travel buyer roundtable’.
The full list of nominees is as follows (in alphabetical order):
African Long-Haul Airline
Air Mauritius
Air Namibia
Ethiopian Airlines
Kenya Airways
SAA
African Low-Cost Airline
Fastjet
FlyAfrica
FlySafair
Kulula
Mango
African Regional Short-Haul Airline
Airlink
Air Mauritius
Comair (BA & Kulula)
Mango
SAA
Airport Business Lounge
Bidvest Premier (ORTIA – International)
Emirates (ORTIA – International)
SLOW Lounge (ORTIA – International)
SLOW Lounge (ORTIA – Domestic)
Virgin Atlantic (ORTIA – International)
Business Class
British Airways
Emirates
Etihad
Qatar Airways
Virgin Atlantic
Business Hotel in SA
Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre
Radisson Blu Gautrain
The Fairway Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort
The Maslow Hotel
The Michelangelo Hotel
The Westin Cape Town
Car Rental Company
Avis
Bidvest Car Rental
Europcar
First Car Rental
Hertz
Thrifty
Forex Supplier
American Express Foreign Exchange
Bidvest Bank
Travelex
Global Distribution System
Amadeus
Sabre
Travelport
International Hotel Group
Four Seasons
Hilton
Hyatt
Marriott
Starwood
International Long-Haul Airline
British Airways
Emirates
Etihad
Qatar Airways
Virgin Atlantic
Large Conference Venue
Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre
Cape Town International Convention Centre
Emperors Palace
International Convention Centre Durban
Sandton Convention Centre
Luxury Hotel in SA
One&Only Cape Town
Taj Cape Town
The Michelangelo Hotel
The Oyster Box
Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa
Private Aviation Operator
Air Charter Service
Comair Flight Services
ExecuJet Africa
Federal Air
NAC
Small Conference Venue
African Pride Mount Grace Country House & Spa
Blue Lagoon Hotel & Conference Centre
Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa
Focus Rooms
Indaba Hotel, Spa & Conference Centre
Lagoon Beach Hotel
Misty Hills Country Hotel, Conference Centre & Spa
RoomFive
Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
The Blades
The Fairway Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort
The Maslow Hotel
South African Hotel Group
City Lodge Hotels
Legacy Hotels & Resorts
Sun International
Tsogo Sun
Travel Credit Card Provider
American Express
Diners Club
MasterCard
Visa
Travel Management Company
American Express Travel Services
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
HRG Rennies Travel
Travel with Flair
Travel Sales Team
Beachcomber Tours
Bidvest Car Rental
Corporate Traveller
Flight Centre Business Travel
Protea Hotels
Thompsons Travel
Visa Service Provider
Blade Express
MDS VisaPak
ROSE
Visas & Passports Unlimited
Visa International
For more information:
Dylan Rogers
+27 11 280 5968
dylan@thefuture.co.za
To attend the Business Traveller Africa Conference & Awards at The Maslow Hotel on 1 September 2015, please click here or contact Michelle McBride on 082 566 2518 or michellem@thefuture.co.za. Tickets are R825 ex VAT, or R7425 for a table of 10.