Kenya Safaris Resorts are Finally Hotspots for Corporate Conferencing and Ready for a Big Take Off

You can bet that the able international organizations and firms are no longer eyeing New York, London, Singapore or Dubai for their next annual partners meeting, they just discovered Africa! They will either be coming to Nairobi city, Kenya’s capital or conveniently take up a 100 bed capacity lodge in the heart of The Masai Mara game reserve or block out a 60 bed luxury tented camp some where quiet, tranquil and wild in one of Kenya’s many game reserve.

There is a real explosion in Kenya’s conferencing and trade fairs sector and few serious Kenyan tour firms are busy strategizing on how to accommodate this new important wave of a very different kind of business, most tour operators were used to running the usual Kenya wildlife safaris circuits to game reserves and national parks most often tourists would then reside to the beach resorts and islands, which we all admit is still very good value for the holiday makers.

But in the recent past we have experienced a very different kind of tourist visitors, they bring with them lap tops, i - phones then halfway ‘dress up’ and look semi official in their casual safari gear. This has come to the surprise of the many natives most of whom are hotel staff used to back packers and the real safari gear. Safari camps and lodges are suddenly flooding with flip charts and overhead projectors, internet hot spots and very many branded pens and pads in their storage rooms.

You must agree, there can never be a better way to run a four days meeting rather than somewhere blissful, luxurious, natural, accommodating and full of color. Somewhere in between your meetings you can take short game drives, a guided nature walk or a balloon trip over the Mara plains and later enjoy a bush dinner along the Mara river where crocodiles and hippos laze as they keep watch over in one of those cool Africa evenings.

It’s no surprise that each resort in the wild and the beach resorts are either developing or have heavily invested in world class business meeting venues. Some of which have the capacity to accommodate over 200 guests. City colleges and institutions are stating to avail courses on handling this kind of clientele to ensure continuity.

This trend if encouraged would turn around the countries economy and challenge the old tourism guards to invest in this viable direction. A big ‘thank you’ to the tourism ministry for embracing this venture.

The IT technology that came with mobile phones, video conferencing and wireless internet has by far mostly assisted in developing this sector and here is a country that its people shall forever be grateful for the Wildlife, rolling landscapes and diverse culture, a life time cocktail.

After a seven months undercover investigation to really find out whom among the safari resorts and camps have captured and is sufficiently ready to accommodate this new enterprise dubbed ‘business function venues of the 20th century’ on top of my list just to name a few of my favorites concluded as follows.

The Fairmonts international hotel chain with a camp in the Masai mara, a lodge on the slope of Mount Kenya and a resort on the Zanzibar island leads the pack, with a history in international hospitality, Kenya means real business for them, they have even gone a step further to introduce ‘green conferencing’ in all their resorts.

The Local Serena hotels chain has come up with a list of dedicated conferencing options and says they offer full business support and a well deserved massage, health and beauty therapy at the end of every meeting.

The Heritage groups with its chain of resort boast of the most tranquil locations on the Kenyan map. The new Rift Valley Golf Resort, only one hour drive from Nairobi city overlooks Lake Naivasha and hells gate national park. This is where all local corporate firms will run to for a three days retreat to discuss a new agenda that just came up the list.

The Masai mara bush tops camp takes the trophy for originality. They have set up a 24 persons conference tent overlooking a water hole where animals take water from, if the LCD projector is too much to look at, or you just don’t like the maker pen ink color they decided to use on the flip chart, just look down your left and enjoy a family of giraffes as they take their mid morning bath, or if you are lucky a cheater will make lunch out of some other animal as you watch! Just don’t say a word as you might just get expelled off the executive class room.