Cape Town International Convention Centre
The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) achieved its first Universal Accessibility (AU) audit, with an outstanding result of 83% for Mobility Accessibility from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) at the end of the last year.
“At the CTICC, we are committed to providing accessibility for all our clients and patrons, especially those who have special requirements. We were delighted with our result of level 3 which is the highest classification that one can obtain”, says Julie-May Ellingson, Chief Executive Officer.
For the past five years the CTICC has been assessed by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa and has maintained its 5 star rating. Due to a recent government mandate, all hospitality institutions were assessed for their universal accessibility on mobility – this was the first time that CTICC was evaluated and was able to achieve remarkable results.
“The audit findings stated that the CTICC provided ‘excellent mobility facilities’. This affirms CTICC’s ethos of creating exceptional experiences, through our ability to ensure the safety, comfort and accessibility for our clients and patrons”, adds Aage Hansen, General Manager: Operations & Food & Beverage.
The CTICC was designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities, and strives to ensure that all feel welcome. The building has features that live up to Universal Accessibility Standards and the South African National Building Regulations (NBR) Standards.
The world-class facilities at the centre offers full wheel-chair access, designated drop-off points and parking bays for people with disabilities, toilets have been specially designed for the physically challenged, elevators with Braille inscriptions, and tables and chairs which adhere to universal accessibility requirements.
The width of all external and internal doors has been designed to accommodate wheelchair access and lift buttons are placed to allow easy access by those in wheelchairs. Auditorium 1 is also equipped with designated seating sections for wheelchair occupants.
The CTICC has been the venue of choice for a diverse group of meetings and events since its inception. On 14 February 2014, the centre hosted the Disability Employment Summit, which aimed to raise awareness, especially among business, government and other sectors of society, on the challenges and opportunities of employing people with disabilities.
Events hosted previously include the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disability (IASSID) in 2008 which had 800 delegates; and the Disability Workshop Development Enterprise International Small Business Conference in 2009 which was attended by 200 delegates.
