The Cape Town International Convention Centre is set to move up a gear

It is the jewel in the crown of business travel in South Africa. The Cape Town International Convention Center, or CTICC, is an exceptional venue of nearly 141,000 m² consisting of two parts, CTICC 1 and CTICC 2, connected by a skybridge. In total, the complex, which can host several simultaneous events, can accommodate more than 22,000 visitors. Thus, a hundred conferences, exhibitions, banquets or cultural events, such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, are organised there each year. The success is undeniable and is based on the exceptional environment of the city of Cape Town, which is particularly rich in quality hotel infrastructure.

Since its opening in 2003, the CTICC, a partnership between the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape provincial administration, has also become an economic driver for the region and employment, having created over 160,000 jobs. What makes me particularly proud is our contribution to education through a scholarship programme, as is the fact that we are providing the country's largest contribution to the South African economy.Taubi Motlhabane, the CTICC's Executive Chairperson, emphasises.

The ambition of expansion

For several months now, the question of the CTICC's expansion has gained momentum, leading the City of Cape Town to take a stance on divesting its stake. Councillor Siseko Mbandezi, a member of the Cape Town City Hall's finance executive committee, has become the main proponent of the plan to sell the city's 72.7 % share in the CTICC. This would allow the municipality to dedicate more resources to its services and to an infrastructure investment programme for the city: " We believe this municipal participation, estimated to be worth approximately 885 million rand, is ripe for private sector investment to unlock the formidable commercial potential of this asset. "he said.

The operation, which will be subject to a vote, is expected to take two to three years to be finalised. For us, at the CTICC, we see it as an opportunity to access more private sector investment. And if we are considering expansion, it will facilitate that. », believes Taubi Motlhabane. While the centre now hosts major unmissable events that open the door to Africa, such as Mining Indaba, the world’s largest mining event, it remains to be determined what type of expansion is envisaged and for what type of events.

To do this, the CTICC will take the pulse of the international geopolitical crisis which could strongly impact business traveller movements, but also the Cape’s declared ambition: to seize a share of the global outsourcing market currently dominated by India. The authorities and industrial groups of South Africa’s second-largest city thus want to develop global centres of competence, platforms that multinational companies would use to outsource high-value-added functions. All of this while benefiting from the same time zone between Europe and South Africa.