Durban businesswoman Nina Freysen-Pretorius received the mayor of Ethekwini’s excellence award for the promotion of tourism in December.

Mayor James Nxumalo’s annual awards recognise individuals and organisations that have done extraordinary things for their neighbourhoods and the city of Durban.

Freysen-Pretorius, who matriculated at Hoërskool Durban North and studied public relations at the Durban University of Technology, is the chief executive officer of The Conference Company, which specialises in arranging conferences for local and international associations. The Conference Company, founded in 1997, also has offices in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.

“I am hugely honoured to receive this mayor’s award and very proud to be recognised by the city in which I live and work. By bringing major events to our city and exposing delegates to its incredibly diverse tourist offering, we contribute to the city’s economy and the prosperity of its people,” says Freysen-Pretorius.

Freysen-Pretorius is the president of the International Congress and Convention Association, serves on the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa and is a former board member of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal.

She is a former chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry, as well as a former national chairperson of the association.

Freysen-Pretorius was also one of the Top 40 Women in MICE for 2014.

Highlights of her career include being project manager for the COP17 climate change conference held in Durban in 2011, professional conference organiser for the International Confederation of Midwives in the same year and being the Zambian Ministry of Tourism’s project manager for the UN World Tourism Organisation’s world congress at the Victoria Falls in 2013.

Published: http://www.saconference.co.za