When those working in the business events industry in South Africa drew breath after the first six months of 2008 they may not have been surprised to discover that visitation was up once again. This was a follow-on from the previous year in which South Africa recorded a 7.17 per cent jump in business tourist arrivals (to 652,000).
It appears that with new facilities and increased marketing activity, South Africa is kicking goals in the business event segment. Its “Business Unusual” slogan, which emphasises South Africa’s uniqueness and diversity as a business tourism destination, is finding a highly receptive audience globally.
South African Tourism’s general manager Australasia, Bangu Masisi, is understandably happy with the way in which South Africa is travelling in terms of business events, although she stresses that there is a need to continue promoting the benefits of meetings and incentives in her country.
Presently sitting in 31st position on the International Congress & Convention Association’s (ICCA’s) country listing, Ms Masisi anticipates South Africa to continue moving up the list in the years to come, particularly post-2010 when South Africa plays host to the FIFA World Cup. The spin-offs from that event alone are expected to be vast.
During 2007 South Africa played host to 67 events that fit the stringent criteria of ICCA. Of these, 40 events were held in Cape Town, which is clearly the country’s leading city for the business events sector.
According to Ms Masisi, it all bodes well for strong growth in the next five years.
“Already for 2009 we have confirmed nine key congresses for Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. In 2010 we have confirmed four congresses, with three in Cape Town, and one each in Johannesburg and Durban. In fact, we have confirmed business right up until 2014.”
Ms Masisi says the government is working closely with community-based organisations – “from the bottom up” – to ensure the safety of all visitors. Coupled with a common-sense approach to travel, the strategies appear to be working effectively.
“Our constant challenge is definitely education,” Ms Masisi says.
“Often the first thing people think about when they talk about Africa is that it is so far away. In fact, it is only 14 hours from Sydney and 11 hours from Perth.”.
In line with South Africa’s international growth, South African Airways is also seeing strong growth in the business tourism market from Australia.
According to South African Airways head of Australasia, Thevan Krishna, South Africa’s world-class facilities in cities including Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg means the country is able to cater to a range of requirements for small and large groups.
“With the rand now 7.5 to the Aussie dollar (compared to five to the dollar two years ago) South Africa offers great value for money,” he says.
“A lot of visitors who come for a meeting or conference can also take in a wildlife safari at one of our unique game parks, sample our diverse cuisine and wine in the Cape or even try the surf at Jeffrey’s Bay. We are seeing strong group bookings for next year and in 2010 when we host the World Cup.”
South African Airways presently flies five times a week from Perth direct to Johannesburg and five times a week from Sydney. In November SAA will introduce new A340-600 aircraft into Perth.
“SAA offers the fastest, most direct way of getting to South Africa with the best forward connections to anywhere on the African continent,” Mr Krishna says.
As Ms Masisi outlined, business is looking strong for South Africa from 2009 and beyond. The latest confirmed events include:
IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention, 2009 -  5000 pax (Cape Town); International Conference of the Institute of Internal Auditors, 2009 - 2500 pax (Johannesburg); Congress of the International Council of Nurses, 2009 - 4000 pax (Durban); FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 2009 - 8000 pax (Cape Town); Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology, 2010 - 1000 pax (Cape Town); World Congress of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, 2010 – 1000 pax (Cape Town); International Congress of Pediatrics, 2010 - 4000 pax (Johannesburg); World Social Security Forum (2010) - 1500 pax (Cape Town); International Congress of Midwives, 2011 - 3000 pax (Durban); Science Centre World Congress, 2011 - 1000 pax (Cape Town); World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing, 2012 - 1500 pax (Durban); Congress of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, 2013 - 1800 pax (Cape Town).
To find out more about meetings and incentives in South Africa visit South African Tourism at www.southafrica.net. For more information on South African Airways telephone 1300 435 972 or visit www.flysaa.com.
And the good news is that in readiness for the FIFA World Cup 2010 there is plenty more activity taking place. The Airports Company of South Africa is injecting R5.3 billion into refurbishments and improvements of the country’s three key airports which include Cape Town International Airport, Durban International Airport, and Tambo International Airport. Meantime, a new international airport north of Durban is already under construction.
In terms of purpose-built convention centres the three main facilities in South Africa are the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the International Convention Centre Durban, and Sandton Convention Centre, less than 30 minutes from Johannesburg.
On the drawing board at present are new international-standard convention centres planned for Pretoria in Gauteng, Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, and Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State.
The International Convention Centre Durban has been voted Africa’s leading conference centre for six consecutive years by World Travel Awards, and has been ranked as one of the top 10 conference centres in the world by the International Association of Congress Centres.
The venue is described as one of the most advanced conference facilities in the world, offering flexibility and versatility.
At its maximum capacity the ICC can seat up to 5000 delegates in 7000 square metres of column-free space. Combined with its sister venue, the Durban Exhibition Centre, the ICC can double its capacity to accommodate 10,000 conference delegates.
The ICC offers a range of nearby accommodation for delegates attending events at the venue including the Hilton Durban located adjacent to the ICC.
Cape Town is South Africa’s leading convention destination for international groups, hosting the lion’s share of business events in its state-of-the-art venue. Refer to page 118 for more information.
The destination is not only blessed with stunning beauty and ease-of-access, but a high level of quality hotels and resorts, and plenty of opportunities for delegates to explore the surrounding region without having to travel vast distances.
The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) offers 11,200 square metres of dedicated conference space, two raked auditoria with seating for 1500 and 620 delegates, and a grand ballroom of 2000 square metres, capable of seating up to 1500 guests for dinner. Its roof terrace meeting room provides spectacular views of Table Mountain and the 33 break-out rooms vary in capacity to hold from 25 to 330 people each. Additionally, it has three restaurant facilities. Plans are well underway to double its capacity in the coming years.
Refer to page 118 for more information.
Situated at the heart of Sandton Central, the Sandton Convention Centre is centrally located to many of South Africa’s most important financial and industrial organisations and businesses.
The 12-storey building offers more than 22,000 square metres of meeting, exhibition and events space. Multiple events can be staged simultaneously on four levels with up to 10,000 visitors accommodated at any one time. Room capacities range from a 10-seat function room to the Pavilion, which can cater for 4500 guests.
The Sandton Convention Centre boasts the latest state-of-the-art facilities with in-house technology partners offering infra-red simultaneous translation systems, ISDN, ADSL, and wireless internet broadband connectivity as well as satellite broadcasting capabilities. Within a five kilometre radius there are a total of 4300 rooms available.
Visit www.saconvention.co.za for further details.
If golf is your passion, then you can’t go wrong in South Africa, with some of the greatest courses in the world including The Gary Player Country Club, part of the huge Sun City entertainment complex that borders the Pilansberg National Park.
If water-based activities are more your style then South Africa can’t be beaten. Surfing, whale watching and swimming with sharks near to the stunning Grootbos Private Nature Reserve (a short distance from Cape Town) are all exceptional. Penguins on Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town, also near to Cape Town, is another great option.
Ultimately, it is the game parks and private nature reserves that really capture the imagination of first-time visitors. South Africa is teeming with wildlife and plenty of places to view some of its spectacular animals.
South Africa boasts a huge collection of wildlife regions and game parks – both public and private – encompassing a huge variety of landscapes – from deserts to forests, and the mountains to the coast.
The world-renowned Kruger National Park – just one of 20 national parks – offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the Lowveld, this national park of nearly two million hectares is described as being unrivalled in its natural diversity.
South African lodges located within private game reserves, national parks and nature reserves are often great options for incentive travel groups. The very highest level of accommodation is available along with sumptuous food, tours, and special experiences for groups.
Come 2010 South Africa will be hosting the world’s largest sporting event - the FIFA World Cup. For lovers of football - and sport in general - this event will be a world-beater for the incentive travel reward market.
But there are also plenty of other options to combine sport with incentive rewards. The Comrades Marathon (www.comrades.com) is an annual ultra-marathon that takes place near Durban and plays host to entrants from around the world. The Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour (www.cycletour.co.za) held in and around Cape Town (mountain bike – February 2009 and road race – March 2009) also welcomes international participation.
And who can forget South Africa’s love of rugby union and cricket. For details on games and matches visit www.sarfu.org.za and www.cricket.co.za.
To crown the CTICC’s amazing first five years, the centre has been awarded a number of prestigious titles including: Convention Centre of the Year 2008, Global by European CEO magazine, Conference and Exhibition Venue of the Year 2008 by Business Britain and Inclusion in the list of South Africa’s Top 500 companies.
These accolades followed a year in which the centre experienced further growth, with turnover rising above R100 million.
CTICC managing director, Dirk Elzinga, said he was delighted by the centre’s achievements since it first opened for business.
“Awards do immeasurable good in building Cape Town’s standing in the international convention community. It is yet another reflection of the world-class standards of service we provide here that has positioned Cape Town as Africa’s most important congress destination,” he said.
During the five years since opening, CTICC has attracted close to three million visitors, created 9000 jobs, and made a significant contribution to South Africa’s GDP.
More delegates than ever before are now flocking to this corner of the world, attracted by the mild all-year-round climate and outstanding natural beauty of the region including the iconic Table Mountain, coupled with the world-class facilities for conferences and exhibitions at CTICC.
The CTICC’s contribution of R9 billion to the country’s GDP in the past five years is a measure of the huge success of this conference facility.
Mr Elzinga believes that as well as its thriving tourism industry, Cape Town’s universities and research programs play a significant role in attracting conferences to the area.
“We have four universities in Cape Town and that puts us in a privileged position in our ability to contribute to the scientific content of any international conference program,” he said.
The largest conferences hosted so far by the CTICC have been the 19th World Diabetes Congress which attracted 12,300 delegates in December 2006, and the 14th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in March this year attended by 7300 doctors.
In 2007 two-thirds of all international meetings taking place in South Africa chose Cape Town as their meeting destination, and one out of every three international meetings in Africa took place in Cape Town.
The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), built in 2003 to a sophisticated design and carefully planned interior, is on par with the best in the world. The state-of-the-art venue is the hub of the international meeting activity in South Africa and its multifaceted exhibition, banqueting and conference space contributes substantially to both the regional and national economy.
The convention centre currently covers a 6.1 hectare site on Cape Town’s northern foreshore and operates under management of the Dutch Amsterdam-RAI Group. The City of Cape Town is its principal shareholder.
Cape Town’s profile and reputation as a business and business tourism destination has been heightened by the establishment of the CTICC. In 2007, 509 events and 46 international conferences took place at the centre. Many of these international events attracted a large contingent of African delegates, often the most important reason for meeting planners to bring their events to Cape Town.
CTICC plans to double its facilities in the next few years. The present convention centre offers 11,200 square metres of dedicated exhibition space, two raked auditoria with seating for 1500 and 620 delegates, and a grand ballroom of 2000 square metres which provides dining space for up to 1500 dinner guests. Its roof terrace meeting room provides spectacular views of Table Mountain and the 33 break-out rooms vary in capacity to hold from 25 to 330 people each.
Additionally, it has three restaurant facilities. The CTICC has the largest and most advanced kitchen in the Western Cape.
The venue is a 20 minute drive from Cape Town International Airport and within walking distance of both the city centre and one of its major attractions, the retail shopping and tourism precinct at the V&A Waterfront. It is also in walking distance of the city’s major hotels. There are more than 16,000 rooms in hotels and guest houses within a 45-minute radius of the Cape Town city centre.
With the construction of its long-awaited extension across the freeway now on the drawing board, CTICC is well on its way to making Cape Town one of the world’s top meeting destinations.
For further information contact info@cticc.co.za or
call +27 21 410 5000.
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