Beckham to star at Soccerex 2008
14 October 2008
The participation of David Beckham will be the highlight of Soccerex 2008, the world's biggest business-to-business soccer convention, which takes place at Johannesburg's Sandton Convention Centre from 23 to 26 November.
Beckham, one of the most recognisable faces in "the beautiful game", will deliver an address on managing the biggest world brand in football on the conference's second day.
Football clinics
The David Beckham Academy will also conduct football clinics in partnership with the Barcelona legends, who will be taking on South African heroes on the field.
Other on-field action includes six regions of Gauteng province, featuring about 100 communities, doing battle in a DISKI five-a-side competition as part of the Soccerex social responsibility programme.
A further highlight will be the establishment of the Soweto Football Museum.
Fifa President Sepp Blatter has described Soccerex as "a must-attend event in the football calendar".
Fifa 2010 progress
For soccer lovers Soccerex will also offer an opportunity to find out how South Africa's preparations to host the Fifa World Cup in 2010 are progressing; the South African Local Organising Committee CEO, Danny Jordaan, will be delivering a report on matters.
Gauteng's MEC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Barbara Creecy, is expecting strong support for Soccerex.
"We are expecting over 4 000 delegates and over 300 exhibitors, from over 95 countries to participate in this year's Soccerex," Creecy said in a recent statement. "This year's event will be the biggest and best yet, with the entire convention centre booked out."
The International Football Club Summit will present a programme of sector-specific networking and learning workshops, focused on maximizing revenue streams for clubs through mobile marketing, player development and other topics such as law and finance management.
Soccerex Merit Awards
A Gala Dinner will be held on 24 November. At the event the achievements of individuals in the world of soccer will be recognised by the awarding of Soccerex Merit Awards.
Registrations for Soccerex indicate a strong African representation, which will offer networking opportunities.
The Department of Economic Affairs will facilitate the participation of local small businesses as well as black economic empowerment companies through its empowerment agencies.
Besides offering loads of opportunities for local companies to partner and do business with their international counterparts, it is estimated that the hosting of Soccerex will, over the course of three years, indirectly inject more than R5-billion into the Gauteng economy.
SAinfo reporter
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