On 4th April 2019, Zuri Events joined organizations across six continents to support the fourth Annual Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) at Weston Hotel, Nairobi. Discussions of the event were held around the theme: The Future of the Meetings and Events Industry in Kenya. This was the first GMID event in Eastern Africa, with others held in South Africa and Zambia.

Among the key note panelist speakers who graced the event were Keziah Odemba- Director of Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and Mr. Joshua Orumoi, – Managing Director of Tourism Finance Corporation, Jeffers Miruka- President of the African Society of Association Executives, Dr Cosmas Kimanzi- Strathmore university, Beatrice Makawiti – Senior Lecturer, Technical University of Kenya, Janet Chamia -Chair of Kenya Association of Women in Tourism and Chris Kirwa – COO of Cate Chris Limited and board member of the Event Managers Association of Kenya. The panel was moderated by Kezia Mukiri, CEO of Zuri Events.

At the event, the MD of Tourism Finance Corportion, Mr.Joshua Orumoi stated, “We need hotels to develop their structures with meetings in mind.” This was a plea to the hoteliers to be innovative and more technologically driven so as to attract the younger generation into the M.I.C.E industry.

Some of the issues raised by Dr. Cosmas Kimanzi of Strathmore university was that, there was lack of enough data from the different stakeholders in the tourism sector therefore making its hard for Kenya to bench mark in the global market and that, the School of Business at Strathmore University was on an initiative to spear head a hub for authentic data in the M.I.CE industry.

Mrs Keziah Odemba, Director of Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, assured there is a convention bureau being formed that will engage the different stakeholders in the meetings industry. She also pointed out within a week’s time a report is going to be released from the office of the PS concerning the M.I.C.E industry

In support of this, Kezy Mukiri, C.E.O. of Zuri events pointed out that they were organizing the 2nd Global M.I.C.E summit that will help in promoting business events in Kenya and drive the business meetings agenda in the events space.