South African National Convention Bureau is entering a new leadership chapter as SA Tourism confirms the appointment of Ms Corne Koch as Chief Convention Bureau Officer, effective 1 December 2025. The announcement comes as South Africa participates at IBTM World 2025 in Barcelona, showcasing its expanding business events capability to global buyers.
The South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB) remains a key strategic business unit within SA Tourism. It is tasked with strengthening South Africa’s position as a competitive global destination for domestic, regional, and international MICE events. The bureau is mandated to attract high value meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions that stimulate economic growth, expand sector transformation, and reinforce South Africa’s role in international business tourism.
In the first two quarters of 2025, the SANCB secured 35 successful bids that contributed more than R415 million to the national economy while bringing nearly 16000 delegates to South Africa. These outcomes highlight the bureau’s impact in driving long term economic value through business events and sector partnerships.
Ms Koch steps into this leadership role as the country prepares to host several major events, including the G20 Leaders Summit. This milestone further elevates South Africa’s visibility on the world stage and positions the destination as a reliable venue for high level international gatherings.
Her appointment comes with more than two decades of experience in tourism destination marketing. She previously served as Head of the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau at Wesgro, where she led strategic initiatives that positioned the Western Cape as Africa’s leading business events hub.
Speaking on her new role, Ms Koch noted that business events are a catalyst for knowledge exchange, economic development, and long term impact that extends beyond tourism. She emphasized the importance of collaboration across government, academia, and industry to ensure South Africa remains the continent’s premier business events destination.
Her background spans programme implementation, strategic partnerships, global stakeholder engagement, and event strategy. She has played a critical role in advancing the growth of meetings, incentives, and exhibitions across the Western Cape, championing platforms that connect regional opportunities with international markets.
Darryl Erasmus, Acting CEO and COO at SA Tourism, described the appointment as a pivotal step in advancing organisational capacity. He said strengthening leadership is crucial as the country prepares for flagship events such as Meetings Africa in February 2025 and Africa’s Travel Indaba in May 2026. He added that her leadership supports efforts to showcase Africa’s tourism and business events ecosystem at a global scale.
South Africa continues to build its reputation as a trusted host for major gatherings. Its business tourism offering includes modern convention centres, world class infrastructure, diverse accommodation, and unique leisure experiences that blend professional engagements with memorable travel. These assets collectively reinforce South Africa’s position as a high value destination for business events.
This week, South Africa is exhibiting at IBTM World 2025 to highlight the readiness, resilience, and innovation of its business events sector. In a few days, the country will welcome world leaders for the G20 Leaders Summit, further demonstrating its capability to host complex global events backed by experienced industry players and strong national coordination.
