Conferences and expos

CTICC lands four major conferences

30 October 2008

The Cape Town International Convention Centre recently won bids to host four international congresses which, taken together, will bring nearly 5 000 delegates to South Africa and inject as much as R60-million into the local economy.

This is based on estimates contained in a new study by economists Barry Standish and Antony Boting of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business.

According to the study, an average of R2 400 is spent per delegate per day on registration, accommodation, local travel and transportation, gastronomy and souvenirs when in Cape Town. The total spend of 5 000 delegates attending an average 5-day congress in Cape Town would thus be R60-million.

The four recently secured events include the Youth Nuclear Congress 2010, to be attended by 350 nuclear professionals from 60 different countries in July 2010, and the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, which will see 2 000 delegates from space institutes across the world flying in to the city in October 2011.

The 8th International Aquarium Congress, accommodating over 500 overseas delegates, will be hosted at the CTICC in September 2012. Then, in December 2014, another 2 000 delegates will gather for the Uni-Global Union Congress. More than 900 unions, representing over 15-million members, will be involved.

World-class facilities

Dirk Elzinga, managing director of the CTICC, said the four winning bids proved that, "as a relatively young kid on the convention circuit, we are geared to the needs of today's international conference planners, both in our facilities and services.

"Word quickly gets around in this industry if a venue is not up to scratch in any way, and we have to diligently prove and improve our service constantly," Elzinga said in a statement earlier this month. "It does not matter how beautiful Cape Town may be as a destination if the delegates have a bad experience when under our roof.

"In the present financial climate and at a time of growing carbon footprint awareness, these four wins are a tremendous accolade to our staff and the practices we have put in place here."

Growing numbers

Elzinga said the number of delegates being attracted by the CTICC was expected to "increase noticeably from 2009, given the rise in the number of large events we will be hosting."

According to Elzinga, the centre already has a well-filled portfolio of 133 international congresses booked for the next eight years (until 2016).

The Cape Town International Convention Centre enjoyed a record year in 2007/08, welcoming almost 550 000 visitors and delegates, hosting 500 events - including 42 international conferences - and contributing an estimated R2.7-billion to South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP).

SAinfo reporter