Celebrating fifteen years of excellence

from page 10 The contribution that the Centre has made to the local and national economies, coupled with the number of direct and indirect employment opportunities that have been created since our opening have had a positive impacted on our city and country,” said Julie-May Ellingson, Chief Executive Officer at the CTICC.

“The Centre has been a key driver of the region’s knowledge economy and provides the perfect platform for investment and shared ideas. Over the past 15 years, the CTICC has remained committed not only to maintaining and increasing our economic footprint but we also remain steadfast in our commitment to develop our staff as leaders in their fields through our training and development programmes, assisting local community organisations to which we pledge long-term support, and continuously introducing creative and innovating initiatives to decrease our carbon footprint,” said Ellingson.

“The strategic approach that we have taken as a company shows in our results, and in the most recent opening of our new building, CTICC 2. We are positive that the new edition to Cape Town’s Foreshore can only bolster the economy, create more jobs and bring in even higher numbers of business tourists,” Ellingson added.

The CTICC continues to build on its foundation, and with the opening of CTICC 2, the Centre is looking forward to enhancing the city’s economy, as it is now able to host concurrent events across the two buildings.

“Congratulations to the CTICC on their 15th anniversary. The CTICC has played an important role in developing the tourism and events economy of Cape Town and the Western Cape since its inception and has been responsible for the creation of thousands of jobs. With the addition of CTICC 2, we expect to see this economic impact magnified in years to come,” said Alan Winde, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Economic Development.

Looking forward, the CTICC has secured some notable international events: the World Congress of Internal Medicine 2018, which takes place in October and which will bring 6 000 delegates to the Centre; the 18th International Congress of Endocrinology, which happens in December 2018 and will see 5 500 delegates attending to the event; the World Ophthalmology Congress takes place in June 2020 and will see 15 000 experts descend on the CTICC; the International Congress of Human Genetics will be hosted in May 2021 and will host 7 000 delegates; and the 18th International Congress on Immunology, which takes place in August 2022 and will host 6 000 visitors.

CTICC Board of Directors Chairperson, Hlompho Ntoi, commended the CTICC on its contribution and its reputation for service excellence. “This year we celebrate the 15th year of the CTICC’s existence. At its founding, the Centre was intended to cement the reputation of Cape Town as the continent’s leading business tourism destination.

“The CTICC has achieved this goal and surpassed many of its stakeholders’ expectations at the time of its establishment. The Centre has since its opening made significant financial and economic development contributions to Cape Town, the Western Cape and the country as a whole,” said Ntoi.

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to express how privileged we are to be entrusted with the guardianship of this national treasure, and we look forward to the CTICC having a further positive impact in the future due to the new capacity that has been brought on board by the recently-opened CTICC 2.

This expanded capacity offers the opportunity for the Centre to grow, primarily through allowing clients to host larger events and the ability for the Centre to host multiple events simultaneously. I also commend Julie-May Ellingson and her team on their exemplary management of the facility and their oversight of the recent expansion.

“The team and its calibre puts the CTICC in a strong position to capitalise on the growth opportunities made possible by the expansion,” he said. The second phase of CTICC 2 is currently underway. This will include the construction of a sky bridge connecting CTICC 1 and CTICC 2. The addition of the sky bridge between CTICC 1 and CTICC 2 will enhance the flow of foot traffic and allow the Centre to run events seamlessly across the two buildings.

“The CTICC is moving into a new and exciting phase of its development. With the opening of CTICC 2, we can only contribute positively to the city, country and continent,” said Ellingson.