Towards a competitive convention bureau: a case of the Kwazulu-Natal Convention Bureau
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Date
2024
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University of the Western Cape
Abstract
The study sought to ascertain the relationship between the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Convention Bureau's organisational strategy and its performance, as it has been losing market share in the South African business events market. The KZN Convention Bureau is an important player in South Africa's competitive business tourism industry as convention bureaus globally play a vital role in attracting business events that assist local and national economies to generate revenue, create jobs, and enhance destination visibility both locally and globally. However, from 2016 onwards, the KZN Convention Bureau's market share has decreased, indicating possible strategic and operational flaws that may have jeopardised its competitiveness. This case study investigates strategic management areas critical for enhancing the competitive position of the KZN Convention Bureau, drawing on established firm competitiveness literature. An expanded resource-based conceptual framework was employed to study both macro- and micro-environmental factors impacting the bureau's performance. The research utilised the Miles and Snow typologies alongside the PESTLE framework to provide a comprehensive understanding of the strategic gaps of the bureau. Purposive document sampling was used in this study which reviews over 25 relevant documents from 2009-2023. A qualitative document analysis was conducted using official documents from the KZN Convention Bureau and relevant organisations. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data allowing for a discussion on themes aligned to the research objectives. The study revealed an overall misalignment between the KZN Convention Bureau's strategic objectives, available resources, and organisational structure that affected its market performance and negatively impacted its overall competitiveness.
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Keywords
KZN Convention Bureau, Strategic Management, Economies, Competitive, Political