City Events dedsigned to boost Cape Town

Cape Town has played host to and supported a number of large international events for the 2013/2014 financial year.  The economic spin-offs have been significant, with six of those events alone injecting more than R2 billion into local coffers.

The City has developed a strong track record as an events destination and continues to attract major global events to our shores.  The Volvo Ocean Race, happening in Cape Town right now is one such event! The economic spin-offs from these events hold enormous benefits for the city and its residents.

‘The direct economic impact through visitor and organiser spend is estimated at over hundreds of millions of rands per event. Our support is part of our strategy to attract big events to the city and to position Cape Town as the events capital of Africa. Events are also a catalyst for providing outstanding visitor experiences in a unique and incredibly beautiful setting. Year-round events also help to address seasonality, especially in the low winter period,’ said the City’s Acting Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development, Councillor Johan van der Merwe.

Cape Town’s success in hosting events of various sizes and types, throughout the year and in various parts of the city, has earned it the enviable reputation of an events destination of choice on the continent.  

Statistics on the impact of annual major events held in the city, as supplied by event organisers can be seen in the table at the end of this post. Not only do these large events contribute to local coffers, but the global media exposure for the Mother City is phenomenal.   World Design Capital 2014 status achieved an amazing international media presence!

‘The economic benefit of large events that attract international participants to the city has been incredible. The ripple effect by way of job creation during the events and after, the increased spending at our attractions and across the hospitality industry, coupled with the need for local associated services that benefit directly from these events, are all a welcome injection into the local economy. The Cape Town International Jazz Festival creates more than 2 700 temporary jobs just for that event alone.

‘The design event of the year, Design Indaba, is not just an expo, but also an opportunity to create employment for design and craft entrepreneurs. The exposure to local and international buyers makes this event an excellent launch pad for up and coming design entrepreneurs, which forms part of our vision to make progress possible together. The expo promotes design, innovation and the development of designers, and is the ideal platform for our local creative minds to showcase their talent. There are many success stories of local entrepreneurs getting their “big break” either locally or in overseas markets thanks to the indaba,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development, Councillor Garreth Bloor.

Africa Travel Week, the continent’s largest international travel industry event, comprises three co-located shows: the World Travel Market (WTM) Africa, the International Luxury Travel Market Africa, and the Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings Africa event. Over the two days of WTM Africa, some 4 500 travel and tourism professionals leveraged real business opportunities and engaged in valuable business conversations, met new contacts, exchanged ideas, shared best practice and learned and networked in a fresh new environment. Suppliers and buyers have praised the event as an excellent opportunity not only for cities, but also for Africa’s business development, knowledge enhancement and exclusive networking in the region, with global relevance.

The ITU World Triathlon Series is a global event and a new addition on our calendar, as is the Cape Town Fringe that was held for the first time this year.

via Cape Town Green Map