Sandton Convention Centre has a powerful line-up of events in its 2013 programme that will build on its growing reputation as Southern Africas leading convention centre.
As a dedicated venue for hosting world class events of any size and stature, Sandton Convention Centre boasts a highly-skilled team that is equipped to manage the most demanding specifications in any event, as well as state-of-the-art technology facilities throughout the venue, says Mati Nyazema, Executive Director of the Sandton Convention Centre.
Sandton Convention Centres 2013 programme is packed with a range of interesting and varied global and local events. This includes the 59th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which will be held from late August to early September and will be hosted by the Parliament of South Africa.
According to Parliament Project Manager, Malose Dolo, the objectives of hosting the conference include ensuring that our Parliament’s international relations are part of broader political processes and discussions that take note of global developments and a changing world order. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference will be attended by about 1 000 participants.
In early October, the One Young World Summit will be held at Sandton Convention Centre. One Young World is a London-based charity that gathers together young people from around the world, helping them make lasting connections to create positive change.
The organisations annual summit sees delegates, backed by One Young World Counsellors, debate and formulate solutions for the pressing issues the world faces. After each summit, the new ambassadors work on their own initiatives or lend the power of the One Young World network to those already in existence. About 1 200 delegates from about 180 countries are expected to attend this years event.
Mid-November will see the fourth World Conference on Doping in Sport being held under the auspices of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and will be hosted by Sport and Recreation South Africa and the City of Johannesburg.
According to WADA, this World Conference will be an important opportunity to take stock of how far the fight against doping has come and to identify its next critical tasks. It will also be the culmination of the next review of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). Close on 2 000 delegates from around the world are expected to attend this years conference.
The local line-up of prestigious events to be staged at the Sandton Convention Centre includes the 27th Hostex hospitality show, which will be held in March 2013. The 2012 Hostex in Cape Town attracted 220 exhibitors and 11 500 visitors and the Johannesburg figures are expected to be higher all round.
Also set to return to Sandton Convention Centre are three excellent fine food and drink events Fine Brandy Fusion, RMB WineX, and Whisky Live each of which attracted a record number of visitors in 2012. Our South African food and drink industry is world class and it is a privilege for Sandton Convention Centre to be able to present different aspects of the industry in such a specialised manner, comments Nyazema.
Other events on the local calendar at Sandton Convention Centre include Markex World of Events, in June South Africas definitive marketing, promotions, and special events trade exhibition, which is upping its game this year and dividing the exhibition in two distinct shows the SA Corporate Gift and Clothing Trade Show powered by Markex, and the all-new Integrated Marketing Village.
Another highlight for the year and a conference that has become one of SCCs signature events is the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit, scheduled to take place in October and once again affording Sandton Convention Centre the opportunity to provide a platform for this prominent exchange of thoughts and ideas among some of the countrys top leaders as well as many global leaders. Each year this summit attracts CEOs, industry leaders and policy makers from across every sector of South African business. The summit is expected to attract close on 2 000 delegates, including about 250 VIPs.
These are just some of the events scheduled to take place in this custom-built convention centre, which is a 12-storey building of which five are allocated specifically to convention, exhibition, and event space. These five floors total 22 000 square metres and are designed to enable multiple events to be held simultaneously, accommodating up to 10 000 visitors at any one time.
Adding further value to the centres formula for success is its location in the epicentre for business, retail, and entertainment in Gauteng. Sandton is headquarters to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and many multi-national companies and home to many of the citys world-class hotels. The Sandton Convention Centre is also a five-minute walk from the Gautrain, which gives clients and visitors easy access from other major centres in Gauteng.
Sandton Convention Centre is a vital part of the Tsogo Sun Group, which has 95 hotels and 14 casinos in its portfolio through two divisions, Tsogo Sun Hotels and Tsogo Sun Gaming. Three of Sandtons top hotels are part of the Tsogo Sun group, which creates synergies between the different Tsogo Sun properties to ensure a holistic offering of accommodation, event venue, entertainment, restaurants, and other facilities for all visitors to the Convention Centre.
Were excited about our 2013 programme. We believe its a tribute to our efforts to achieve and maintain the highest standards in service excellence throughout our facilities to ensure our position as a world-class venue, adds Nyazema.
