A social convention
The Cape Town International Convention Centre is investing 1.2 billion rand in a big programme of expansion. Joey Pather talks to Gay Sutton about managing quick turnarounds and moving towards total sustainability.
During the six years since it first opened its doors, the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has established itself as the premier conference venue in South Africa and perhaps one of the best in the southern hemisphere. Hosting such events as the World Economic Forum on Africa, which has made Cape Town and the convention centre its home, and the Mining Indaba, the worldÔÇÖs largest investment conference for the international mining industry which today attracts some 5,000 delegates, the centre also caters for around thirty exhibitions and trade fairs a year. Meanwhile, large cultural events such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, which attracts up to 25,000 people in one weekend, are held there every year.
ÔÇ£Our original vision when we opened the centre was to be the leading convention centre in the southern hemisphere, and without being arrogant I think weÔÇÖre up there,ÔÇØ explains the centreÔÇÖs general manager for Commercial and Business Development, Joey Pather. ÔÇ£So now weÔÇÖve expanded that vision and we aim to become the number one long-haul destination of choice. We believe there is huge potential for growth in that marketplace.ÔÇØ
The centre, which already holds some 30 per cent of the continentÔÇÖs international association conferences, is located in the heart of the historic Victoria and Alfred Waterfront district of Cape Town, and benefits from excellent road, shipping and air links. Cape Town Airport is just 20 km away with direct flights to most of Europe, and with good links as well to Johannesburg International Airport, the centre is an excellent location for international travel.
Already, the centre is running at near capacity. In 2008 it hosted 509 events, and figures indicate that this year it will achieve a new record of around 600. From a capacity perspective, the average occupancy level stood at 59 per cent last year, a high figure for any venue, but this rose to as much as 90 per cent during the busy months of September, October and November. To meet these demands, and to prepare the centre for growth into the long-haul conference market, 1.2 billion rand is being invested in an ambitious programme to expand the existing facilities.
Discussions are currently in progress with the national government for the acquisition of a plot of land adjacent to the convention centre. Meanwhile, the designers are working on plans for a new building which, when linked with the existing one, will create a horseshoe-shaped structure and increase the floor capacity by some 8,000 square metres. 
The new extension will add a second ballroom and more meeting rooms. ÔÇ£Ideally we would like to house exhibitions there and free up the main centre for conferencing. WeÔÇÖd love to have it now,ÔÇØ he admits, ÔÇ£but weÔÇÖre probably looking at the next three to four years.ÔÇØ
The centre as it currently stands occupies 55,000 square metres, and contains an exhibition hall of just under 11,200 square metres that can be subdivided into four halls. There is a ballroom, two auditoria, and a range of meeting rooms. ÔÇ£The building was designed to be flexible and multi-functional and weÔÇÖve hosted as many as eight events at one time,ÔÇØ Pather says.┬á
Operating at this highly pressurised level was a commercial and management choice that the centre made from a very early stage. ÔÇ£There are two types of thinking in the exhibition industry. Either you go for a long build-up which earns venue rental over that period, or you encourage stand builders to build quickly and safely. From our perspective, we didnÔÇÖt see the financial gain in a long build-up. Taking five days to build a show that could be built in three means we lose two days that could, for example, be sold for a banquet. So there is a loss of income on other services. Therefore, our ethos is: donÔÇÖt waste time.ÔÇØ Over the past six years the centre has developed considerable expertise in managing rapid turnarounds, which have been helped by the design of the building, thorough exhibition planning, and the accessibility of the halls for loading.
The centre, which is owned by ConvencoÔÇöa consortium of the City of Cape Town, the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, and Business CapeÔÇöis managed by Dutch events management company Rai Amsterdam, and operated very much as a commercial enterprise. However, it also has a mandate to help grow tourism to the area and benefit the local economy, and it has excelled in this. To date the centre has created some 3,700 direct jobs and 5,300 indirect jobs. Last year its turnover was 128 million rand, and its contribution to South AfricaÔÇÖs GDP was 2.7 billion rand.
The benefits to the community are not confined to jobs and money, however. In almost everything it does, the centre focuses on being as environmentally-friendly as it can. ÔÇ£We donÔÇÖt just want to be part of a trend,ÔÇØ Pather says. ÔÇ£We want to live what we say. With our new building we aim to achieve a 6-Star rating in the system run by the Green Building Council of Australia. The building will have everything from a green roof to photovoltaic systems and a black water treatment plant. And it will undoubtedly be a landmark building.ÔÇØ
The original centre is also receiving a green face lift, and is currently being retrofitted with energy and waste-saving hardware such as dual flush toilets and energy efficient lighting. But although the building will never have the minimal environmental impact of the new building, all the usual things such as recycling and the installation of a building management system to reduce power and water consumption have been attended to.
ÔÇ£What we are aiming at is total sustainability,ÔÇØ Pather says. ÔÇ£So weÔÇÖve created programmes where, for example, conference delegates can leave their conference bags and leftover stationery behind, and weÔÇÖll redistribute them to schools.ÔÇØ In another programme called Feedback, food that can be safely and hygienically redistributed is sent to suitable organisations. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve also created a green conference package offering the option of organic food, and we donate one rand to a green fund for every person attending.ÔÇØ
As initiatives go, these are excellent examples of innovation in corporate social responsibility, and bear witness to the companyÔÇÖs aim: that of working for the greater good of the community.
