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Uganda’s ultra-modern Speke Resort Convention Centre (SRCC) has been admitted as a member of the prestigious International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
Founded in 1963, ICCA specialises in the international association meetings sector, offering data, education, and communication channels, as well as business development and networking opportunities.
Today, ICCA is one of the most prominent organisations in, and advocates for, the world of international meetings. The ICCA Association Community offers associations across the world education, connections, tools, and resources to help them organise more effective and successful meetings.
“This esteemed membership connects us with a global network of top venues, suppliers, and experts in the international meetings industry, further solidifying our dedication to delivering exceptional services and facilities to our valued clients and guests,” Speke Resort Convention Centre (SRCC) said in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“We look forward to leveraging this membership to enhance our offerings and make a meaningful impact in the world of international events and conferences,” the management of the Convention Centre added.
World-class facility
Located in the environs of Uganda’s Capital City, by the shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater lake, the Speke Resort Convention Centre is a shining example of a successful public-private partnership between the Ugandan government and Ruparelia Group’s Speke Group of Hotels.
The one-of-a-kind Convention Centre features a modern and equipped-to-international-standards convention hall and gallery area that seats a combined 3,800 people. The Centre also features 12 high-end conference/breakaway meeting rooms, 2 VIP lounges and a floating restaurant that can host more than 900 guests, with extraordinary views of Africa’s largest freshwater lake⏤ Lake Victoria.
Meeting spaces are equipped with cutting-edge audiovisual capabilities, high-speed internet connectivity, and state-of-the-art presentation systems.
It also features other key amenities to meet the needs of event organisers and participants for comfort and convenience such as registration counters, a food court and organiser offices. It also features a large parking area that offers a total of 725 designated spots in the on-site parking area that also caters to differently-abled individuals.
The new Convention Centre is also conveniently located ⏤only 25 minutes away from the Entebbe International Airport via the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.
The Convention Centre is a joint development by the Ruparelia Group’s Speke Group of Hotels and the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC)⏤ the investing arm of the Government of Uganda.
The Ruparelia Group is Uganda’s largest business conglomerate with investments in real estate, non-banking financial services, education services, hospitality, agriculture and media/broadcasting amongst others. In the hospitality space, the conglomerate’s Speke Group of Hotels owns and runs 13 facilities that include Resorts, Hotels and Apartments, altogether providing more than 900 modern rooms and 45 state-of-the-art conference rooms and meetings, award-winning restaurants and bars, health clubs and spas, and recreation and leisure facilities.
Perhaps, what stands out as the most important differentiator between this new Convention Centre and other convention centres on the continent is its integrated nature. It has been built within an existing 105-acre luxury resort complex that already has two award-winning luxury lake-side resorts⏤ the Speke Resort Munyonyo and Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort, also owned by the Ruparelia Group.
Combined, the two resorts and the Convention Centre bring to the region one of the most competitive MICE assets that blends both elegance and functionality.
Altogether, the facility now boasts of:
- A modern and equipped-to-international-standards convention hall and gallery area that seats over 3,800 people.
- An additional 33 equally well-equipped high-end breakout/conference/meeting rooms.
- 5 ballrooms/ banquet halls3 indoor and 2 outdoor restaurants and bars, serving multiple cuisines
- 2 VIP lounges
- 8 outdoor function venues
- 476 accommodation rooms including 59 presidential suites
Some of the most recent events successfully hosted by the centre this year alone include:
- The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE), is Uganda’s largest tourism exhibition. Over 250 regional and international exhibitors, 70 hosted buyers, and more than 5,000 trade visitors and consumers attended the Expo.
- The 2024 Uganda-EU Business Forum (5th to 7th March 2024)⏤ the largest and most influential joint Uganda-EU event on doing business and investing in the country. It attracted 3,600 online and physical participants, 900 of whom were physical participants and 90 exhibitors.
- The 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit (15th-20th January 2024) and the 3rd South Summit of the G77 and China (21st – 23rd January 2024. The two back-to-back meetings attracted 1918 delegates from 129 Countries. This included 16 presidents, 9 Vice Presidents, 16 Prime Ministers, and seven special guest categories.
- The 27th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), which attracted over 30 parliamentary speakers from the 3rd to the 6th of January 2024.