Rasool, SAACI Conference
23 July 2007
I think that presence of South African Association for the Conference
Industry (SAACI) in the Western Cape allows us to broaden our participation
base particularly because the program for this conference is not just one in
which the industry speaks to itself. The program is also one in which active
training, active skills are imparted.
I think that for us is going to be an important component as we continuously
try to diversify the participants particularly in the conference industry. I'm
hoping that many Capetonians will take advantage of the presence of SAACI and
what SAACI has to offer through its workshops and many skills development
programmes.
One of the threads to a successful industry and what we have been able to
see in Cape Town alone and the Western Cape in 2007, nine international
association bids were secured, which will bring approximately 24 800 delegates
with an estimated economic impact of more than R232 million between 2007 and
2014.
Now it's very important that the SAACI conference begins to bring people not
just the desire to participate, but the skills to participate. Because I think
desire without skills can be detrimental to this industry and the skills
without participation by those who desire to be in, will I think isolate those
who are making a success of this industry? I am therefore looking forward not
only to the direction that this conference will give to the conferencing
industries but certainly to the skills that will be imparted.
We are very clear that the job creation aspects of the hospitality industry
are significant driver of employment. For example over last year they created
over 99 thousand new jobs overall. We thought that construction will be one of
the big drivers. It turns out that one of the big beneficiaries of job creation
has indeed been that of 99 000 jobs created, the conference industry and the
tourism and hospitality in general were also included. So I think that for us,
this conference is very important for the future of this province. Because when
people begin to feel the presence of tourists, they begin to increasingly feel
benefits coming to them.
Cape Town is also joined the Best Cities Global Alliance, an alliance with
eight partners on five continents. Besides Cape Town, the member cities are
Copenhagen, Dubai, San Juan, Singapore, Melbourne, Edinburgh and Vancouver. I
think the important of joining this alliance is that you join an international
conference circle but more importantly, you begin to get bench marks and become
part of the global certification program governing the service standards that
must be up held. This becomes another important step at the right time because
enthusiasm alone is not enough. The willingness to host global conferences is
not going to be enough. We have to be able to bench mark ourselves with the
best. There is going to be a time where Table Mountain the Wine routes, Cape
Point, Water Front and Robben Island alone will not be important enough for
South Africa draw tourists.
We have got to be able to make a transition very soon to bench mark
standards, to be able to compete with the best in the world and compete with
the Dubais and the Vancouvers in order for people to not only come for the
attractions but to come for attractions as well as the standards that we uphold
and that becomes an absolutely critical lesson for all of us here at SAACI.
Probably one of the most important signs that we are getting things right in
the Western Cape, Cape Town particularly through the Cape Town international
Convention Centre, is the fact that the Convention Centre is already bursting
at the seams. Already more than 10 of the top corporates internationally have
inquired about conference space in 2010 at the Convention Centre. 2010 is going
to allow us, for the country and for the continent unprecedented marketing and
will draw unprecedented attention to us. We have dispatched with our worries
about the stadium across the country. We now begin to ask the question are we
ready on other key fronts?
For us one of the most important fronts is the public transport front. We
want that to be the abiding legacy of the Western Cape and of Cape Town for the
world cup. We want ease of transport between the air port and the city centre.
We are talking to railways about that, particularly to metro rail about opening
up a dedicated line. In addition, inner city transport is going to be important
as well as the broader linkages. We have to formerly open on the road that
takes us to Agulhas in order to open up the entire hinterland to add other
attractions to the existing ones.
We've got to be ready with the infrastructure that will be needed. We have
to be ready with the capacity to house a number of people. As we are talking
here, one of the key inputs, for world cup 2010 is the fact that as we speaking
here, about 6 new hotels are coming out of the ground in the Western Cape. More
importantly we understood and we've learned a lesson from Germany, that five
star and six star hotels are not always the things that people want. We must be
able to appeal to an entire market.
The very good news that we have is that we have just concluded our
negotiations with the Minister of Public Works towards the extension of the
Cape Town International Convention Centre. Following all of those negotiations,
we can now say that Public Works nationally has agreed to see custom house to
the Cape Town International Convention Centre. There are few conditions but I
think within a few months we will be able to commence with the extension of
Cape Town international Convention Centre so that it can be ready by 2010.
I think that the sign that a few years after the opening of Cape Town
International Convention Centre that we need to expand it and the assurance by
the minister that we have custom house for that purpose I think begins to show
exactly what we�re here for to celebrate the success of the conference industry
in south Africa and I think that if SAACI does what it must do here at this
conference not only in sharing ideas but in sharing the skills, then I think
that not only is that future bright but that future is shared with more and
more people as we go forward.
We match the desire to be part it with the skills. We match the enthusiasm
that we have with the capacity to drive us then certainly I think that world
cup 2010 is going to be a reputable milestone that will again signify the
success that awaits us.
Thank you very much for the opportunity and welcome all of you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Western Cape Provincial Government
23 July 2007
