16 November 2004
Cape Town continues to make its mark on the local and international conference scene. The International Congress and Conference Association (ICCA) recently held its annual conference in the Mother City, attracting the highest attendance in the organisation's 43-year history.
Billed as the "conference conference" by the media, the ICCA's 2004 meet drew a record 479 delegates, from over 80 countries.
They stayed for a combined total of 2 360 bed nights, with the majority electing to stay at the Arabella Sheraton and Cullinan hotels, followed by the Table Bay hotel in the V&A Waterfront, the Capetonian, and the Holiday Inn on the Foreshore.
A quarter of the delegates brought partners along, bringing 144 additional leisure visitors to the city.
99% of the delegates chose to arrive in Cape Town ahead of their conference, with a further 226 extending their stay after the conference ended.
'Record attendance
levels'
"We have had record attendance levels for this year's conference", said ICCA president Christian Mutschlechner. "It is clear that the attraction of coming to Cape Town persuaded our delegates to attend."
The ICCA conference ran simultaneously with the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (IACVB) and the BestCities.net Workshop.
The three conferences combined injected an estimated R24-million into the Western Cape economy.
In just six months, the Cape Town Convention and Events Bureau, a division of the newly formed Cape Town Routes Unlimited, has won six international conferences that will bring an estimated 10 000 delegates and R116.8-million to the Western Cape over the next seven years.
Business and leisure visitors
According to Noki Dube, CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, "business visitors frequently become leisure visitors, either extending their stay to take in the local
sights, or returning with their families. They are often our best ambassadors.
"Recent research has also shown that international conference delegates visiting Cape Town will each spend approximately R1 932 daily (including conference fees), with 34.8% of their total expenditure going towards accommodation, 6.3% going to restaurants, and a further 7% going towards shopping", Dube said.
"This all adds up to a huge cash injection for our city."
By comparison, domestic delegates each spend R1 425 per day (including conference fees). 37.5 % of their spending is on accommodation, 6.6% on restaurants, and 5.9% on shopping.
'On par with the rest of the world'
Dirk Elzinga, chairperson of the Local Host Committee and MD of the Cape Town International Convention Centre, said: "We now have more than 600 ambassadors for this city and the country who will all convey the same message back home: 'Cape Town and South Africa are business
tourism destinations on a par with the rest of the world.'
"Delegates were not only impressed with our world-class convention facility, but also with the city's infrastructure, tourist attractions, hotel accommodation, service levels and scenic beauty."
SouthAfrica.info reporter
