Business for Tourism (B4T) connects the businesses that run tourism in Southern Africa with the suppliers who keep them running. Lodges, camps, hotels, restaurants, tour operators and DMCs meet suppliers of the goods and services they buy every day, from food and beverage to linen, vehicles, insurance, software, training and maintenance.
The 2026 edition is fully virtual. There is no stand to build, no flights to book and no time away from your property. Everything happens in scheduled one-to-one video meetings over five days, at times each participant chooses.
In short: buyers meet suppliers, suppliers meet buyers, and both sides leave with new business relationships – without leaving their desks.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
|
1. Register |
Register online through Cvent as either a buyer or an exhibitor. Registration takes a few minutes. |
|
2. Build your profile |
Tell us what you buy, or what you sell, so the right businesses can find you on the platform. |
|
3. Browse and request |
Browse the list of participants and request meetings with the ones relevant to you. Ignore the rest. |
|
4. Set your times |
Meetings run 08:00–21:00 across the five days. You choose the slots that suit your working day. |
|
5. Meet online |
Each meeting is 20 minutes, one-to-one, in your browser. No travel, no stand, no time off work. |
|
6. Follow up |
Take your notes and quotes into your own follow-up. We share a participant list after the event. |
Free for Africa’s Eden and SATSA members.
If you are a member and your business buys anything at all, B4T is for you. You do not need to be a “buyer” by job title. Send the people who place the orders: your chef, your housekeeper, your maintenance team, your fleet manager, your bookkeeper or your marketing lead. Every department has a supplier waiting for it.
Food and beverage · Housekeeping and laundry · Maintenance and building · Procurement · Fleet and vehicles · Finance and insurance · Marketing · HR and training · IT and software
Questions? Louise Nielsen, Chief Operating Officer – louise@africaseden.travel
If you sell goods or services to tourism businesses, B4T puts you in front of buyers from lodges, camps, hotels, tour operators and DMCs across the region, in meetings they have asked for.
If tourism businesses are your clients and you are interested in becoming an Africa’s Eden Supply Chain Member, please reach out to Louise at louise@africaseden.travel
A limited number of Africa’s Eden SMME suppliers can take part in B4T 2026 free of charge.
Small and micro suppliers are often the businesses with the most to gain from meeting tourism buyers, and the least room in the budget to do it. Africa’s Eden is therefore offering a limited number of free places to qualifying SMME suppliers: crafters, food producers, transport operators, service providers and other small businesses that supply the tourism sector.
Places are limited and are allocated on application. Email Jillian Blackbeard at jillian@africaseden.travel with your business name, what you supply and where you are based, and we will confirm whether a place is available.
| Buyers (AE & SATSA members) | Exhibitors and SMME suppliers | |
|---|---|---|
|
What you gain |
Suppliers you did not know existed, and better buying decisions |
Direct access to tourism buyers who are actively looking |
|
Time |
Meetings at times you choose, 08:00-21:00 |
Meetings at times you choose, 08:00-21:00 |
|
Cost |
Free for members |
USD 250 Supply Chain membership; free for qualifying SMMEs |
|
Travel |
None – everything is online |
None – everything is online |
| Event | Business for Tourism 2026, Virtual Edition |
|---|---|
|
Dates |
12-16 October 2026 |
|
Platform |
Online, hosted on Cvent |
|
Meeting times |
08:00–21:00 daily |
|
Meeting length |
20 minutes, one-to-one |
|
Buyer cost |
Free for Africa’s Eden and SATSA members |
|
Exhibitor cost |
USD 250 Africa’s Eden Supply Chain membership |
|
SMME places |
Limited free places, on application |
Registration is open now. Use the same link whether you are joining as a buyer or as an exhibitor, and choose your role on the form.
Buyers: Louise Nielsen, Chief Operating Officer – louise@africaseden.travel
Exhibitors and SMME places: Jillian Blackbeard, Chief Executive Officer – jillian@africaseden.travel
