The City of Cape Town has set the ball rolling for the establishment of an Events Commission, focusing on Business Events (events, meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions). The City has invited a task team - an interim committee of events industry stakeholders comprising of industry associations, industry heads and the public sector, to start the process of establishing the Cape Events Commission.

Cllr Simon Grindrod, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic, Social Development and Tourism, says: "We are delighted to support this major initiative as we believe it will give the region a major boost in terms of developing first class international events. Partners can share best practices, identify new opportunities for growth, attract new audiences and potential funders, whilst promoting Cape Town’s international reputation for hosting major events. Business Events are a key economic growth driver for the city. Cape Town is currently ranked as the 29th most popular city to host congresses and conventions internationally by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), and we aim to be part of the top ten by the FIFA World Cup in 2010. ”

The task team will define the mandate of the Cape Events Commission, whose primary objective is expected to be to position Cape Town and the surrounding region as the top business events destination in South Africa, Africa and a world leader in the market. In addition to this, the Cape Events Commission is also expected to assist in accelerating job creation, skills transfer and transformation.

The announcement has been met with enthusiasm by the private sector. Brian McDonald of Global Conferences Africa, a former chairperson of the South African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI), says: “Cape Town continues to attract international conferences to the city and the combination of South Africa’s six top tourist attractions being within an hour of Cape Town, the world class Cape Town International Convention Centre and our first class service providers make a dynamic package“.

Lance Gibbons, editor of The Event Newspaper, a national industry publication, agrees: “It’s important that the national and international market sees that local government is supporting the business events industry. The launch of the Cape Events Commission sends out a clear message to potential national and international clients that the public and private sector are working together in Cape Town and the surrounding region to make sure that we offer a business events experience comparable with the best in the world, at a time when the eyes of the world are on Cape Town as we prepare to host a semi-final of the FIFA World Cup in 2010“.

One of the Cape Events Commission’s first tasks will be to conduct comprehensive research on the business events industry in Cape Town. The conference industry has been seen as a R21 billion industry within South Africa, but recent research conducted on behalf of the Exhibition Association of South Africa (EXSA) has suggested that exhibitions alone contributes more revenue than this. When considering the economic impact, the Business Event industry as a whole has a significant influence on GDP.

In a further show of support for this burgeoning industry, the City has also announced that they will be further capacitating the current Events Permitting Office by increasing the staff from two to seven to meet rising demand.

The expansion of the Events Permitting Office and the creation of the Cape Events Commission will add infrastructural backbone to the industry, which has also been boosted by the recent news that the Cape Town International Convention Centre was named Africa’s Best Convention Centre at the World Travel Awards and is in the process of finalising an expansion project which will see it double it’s exhibition space.


ISSUED BY:
DIRECTORATE:  COMMUNICATION
CITY OF CAPE TOWN
TEL:  021 400 2201