Busy period for Convention Centre
THE Cape Town International Convention Centre CTICC has been awarded 15 international conferences in the last six months, with many of these to be hosted on the African continent for the first time.
The events include the Association of International Schools in Africa Conference 2019, which will be held in November 2019 and attended by 300 delegates.
The International Council on Systems Engineering 2020 will be held in Africa for the first time in July 2020.
The event is the largest annual gathering of systems engineers, hosting about 800 attendees.
“We are extremely proud to have won these bids which are testament to the CTICC’s competitiveness as a venue and Cape Town’s attractiveness as a business event destination.
“These wins do not happen without the concerted effort of the CTICC team and the dedicated collaboration between internal and external stakeholders, including the Western Cape Convention Bureau and City of Cape Town,” said CTICC chief executive Julie-May Ellingson.
The World Congress of the International Health Economics Association will be held in Africa for the first time in July 2021 and will bring together 800 health professionals, while the International Federation of Surveyors 2022, will bring 2 000 specialists to the CTICC.
First hosted in South Africa in 1999, the event will take place in May 2022 and will bring together specialists in the fields of global surveying geomatics, geodesy and geo-information.
“Simply put, the CTICC’s key objective is to connect people to create jobs.
“The bids won will assist the CTICC in achieving this across a wide range of key economic sectors and reflects the centre’s ability to contribute meaningfully to the Cape Town, Western Cape and South African economy,” said Ellingson.
The CTICC works closely with its ambassadors and industry associations to bring international events to the centre and City.
In August 2024, the CTICC will host the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
The event, another first to be hosted in Africa, will bring together 2 500 delegates who are experts in the field of astronomy.
Professor Patrick Woudt, who was instrumental in bringing the event to Cape Town, said: “Africa is undergoing a tremendous growth in astronomy with the establishment of the Southern African Large Telescope, the MeerKAT radio telescope array, which will expand into the Square Kilometre Array, and a number of new facilities across the continent.
“Hosting the IAU General Assembly will bring the world of astronomy to Africa, to South Africa and to Cape Town.”
“This was the second attempt – previously we bid in 2015 – to bring the IAU General Assembly to Africa for the first time.
“In the 100-year history of the International Astronomical Union, its general assembly has not been held in Africa before.”