South Africa, Sept. 15 -- But the future of the sector will depend on more than simply bringing people together, with experience, cultural relevance, inclusivity and changing audience demographics emerging as increasingly important considerations.

That was a key message to emerge from a discussion on the future of business events, which brought together global trends, destination development and experiential event perspectives.

While the events industry continues to face significant headwinds, including slowing economic conditions, trade tensions, conflict and squeezed budgets, demand for meetings, conferences, incentives and experiences remains resilient.

According to Alistair Turner, managing director of EI8HT PR & Marketing and mode...