Meet the faces behind ICCA's famous First Time Attendee programme! ICCA places huge importance on giving First Time Attendees (New-Bees) at the ICCA Congress a very warm welcome. Each year, just before the ICCA Congress begins, new attendees are invited to join a specialised session that aims to prepare them for success. Jam-packed full of helpful advice that is delivered from member to member, the programme has been delivered to over 3,000 delegates since it initially began and is designed with care to help them network, do business, learn, and maximise the benefits of attending their first ICCA Congress.



At the centre of the entire programme are the people we couldn’t do it without: our mentors, an amazing group of ICCA members and #ICCAFriends who are Congress veterans and want to help support and steer our New-Bees as they join the ICCA Family.



Naledi K. Khabo - CEO, Africa Tourism Association



Naledi K. Khabo is a strategy leader with 25 years experience within Operations, Marketing & Technology. Having developed and implemented countless of global innovative multimedia brand initiatives, she possesses a rare combination of exceptional business and technology acumen and the ability to translate complex technical concepts for practical business applications. 



A graduate of Stanford University with a degree in Industrial Engineering, Naledi began her career as analyst at Accenture, specializing in implementing global business and technology solutions, along with re-engineering business processes. In 2006, Naledi joined ICED Media, a pioneer in the digital space.  At ICED Media, she was responsible for marrying technology and innovation with comprehensive integrated marketing strategies to deliver measurable results for their clients. She also developed a proprietary analytics reporting tool which was the first of its kind quantifying the effectiveness of digital campaigns. Following her tenure at ICED Media, in addition to serving as a strategic consultant and product development lead for a number of technology startups, she served as Chief of Staff at the United States Small Business Administration My Brothers Keeper Millennial Entrepreneurial Initiative. My Brothers Keeper was former United States' President Barack Obama’s national initiative to increase the awareness of millennial entrepreneurship in the areas of music, fashion, film, and sports. 



Naledi most recently brought her enthusiasm for innovative strategy, marketing, and technology to service global organizations focused on economic development and growth across Africa, engaging stakeholders ranging from small and medium enterprise owners to tourism Ministries and African Union Commission. Naledi currently serves as chief executive at the Africa Tourism Association (ATA), a global trade association promoting travel and tourism to Africa and strengthening intra-Africa partnerships. During her tenure at ATA, Naledi has led the organization through significant operational changes including a complete re-branding of the organization and launching several new digital platforms to serve the hospitality and tourism industry. Most recently, Naledi has made driving inclusive engagement and DEI initiatives across the travel and tourism industry a priority. She is co-founder of Travel Is Better In Color - a platform celebrating diverse storytelling and storytellers across the travel industry - and The Collective, a global group of Black travel writers and reporters, lifestyle and hospitality publicists, magazine owners, TV personalities, and industry leaders.



Thank you Naledi, for being a mentor to our New-Bees! Are you interested in helping our New-Bees to settle in? Please email Ksenija.p@iccaworld.org to find out how you can become a mentor.



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