A salute to valued sponsors
GUESTS gathered at Houghton Hotel in Houghton on Monday night for the Joburg Open sponsors’ gala dinner.
The five-star hotel, one of the sponsors, could not have been a better venue for the glamorous occasion.
Over the past few weeks, the City of Joburg has hosted several premier local and international sporting events, mayor Mpho Phalatse told guests at the gala dinner.
“On the first weekend of November, we saw runners descend on the city to run the Soweto Marathon, also known as the People’s Race. I, along with community development MMC Ronald Harris, completed the 10km race,” Phalatse said.
She also mentioned the Carling Black Label Cup hosted at Africa’s Calabash in Nasrec on November 12, and the Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg on November 20 which she said was an opportunity for cyclists from around the globe to ride “up to 97km across Joburg on a beautiful spring day”.
She thanked the sponsors for funding the Joburg Open even during difficult economic times.
“As a city, we are always improving due to the investment made by organisations like the DP World Tour and the Sunshine Tour. This is amplified by the relationship with the City of Joburg, and I think we can all agree that together we have gone from strength to strength.”
Acting group head for the city’s group communications and marketing, Rotondwa Maphagela, thanked the sponsors, who include the Sunshine Tour, DP World Tour, Royal and Ancient, Jaguar Land Rover, the Houghton Hotel, Hyundai Staria, PMG Provantage, Stella Artois, CIB Insurance, Lavazza, Quebe Marketing, Bathu, World of Golf, Go Fresh and the Norwood Mall.
“It’s been a great partnership and we also welcome on board the new sponsors and look forward to working with you to continue developing the sport,” added Maphagela.
“We are very proud to be part of the world-class event in the world-class city as sponsors,” said Mark Lubner, the Houghton Hotel director.
Thomas Abt, the commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said the Joburg Open, which teed off yesterday, had showcased the City of Johannesburg to millions of TV viewers worldwide since its inception in 2007.
Harris said the tournament had helped young stars participate in the sport. He thanked the sponsors and partners of the city for their commitment and support. |