CTICC international conferences bolster the knowledge economy

With nearly 30 international conferences on the books for 2015, the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) is gearing up for a bumper conference year once again. The first large scale international association conference kicks off in March with the World Congress of Nephrology 2015, which is expected to attract in excess of 3000 delegates.

“The primary objectives for building a convention centre eleven years ago, was to provide a venue where people from all over the globe could converge to collaborate on matters of interest: and to provide an avenue that could serve as a catalyst for driving economic growth in the region”, adds Julie-May Ellingson, Chief Executive Officer.

Cape Town and the CTICC have successfully reinforced its appeal as both a leisure and business destination. According to Arendse, the increased delegate attendance numbers experienced at two international association conferences hosted last year, the International Congress of Infectious Diseases 2014 and the Third Global Symposium on Health Systems Research 2014, bears testament to this.

The ability of the CTICC and Cape Town to secure major international conferences is a significant component of its success; during 2014 the centre secured almost 24 bids until the year 2022.

This year CTICC will continue to take the conference industry to new heights, some of the international events highlights on the cards for 2015 include the World Library and Information Congress: IFLA General Conference and Assembly 2015 – forecasted to draw 3000 delegates, the International Conference of the World Veterinary Poultry Association 2015 and the 47th Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology 2015 (November) have both been predicted to attract 2000 delegates; the World Congress of the International Federation of Aesthetic Dentistry 2015 and the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health 2015 is expected to attract 1500 and 2500 delegates respectively.

Cape Town has become renowned for its medical and scientific fraternities, which is an appealing value proposition for international conferences. “Close collaboration with key stakeholders and academic institutions, such as the University of Cape Town, the University of Stellenbosch and the University of the Western Cape assist the CTICC in successfully attracting and hosting international association conferences”, adds Ellingson.

These conferences remain one of the pivotal drivers of the knowledge economy, which contribute to knowledge exchange and skills transfer in key sectors. Key sectors which have been identified to help bolster the knowledge economy include agro processing; the green economy, ICT, property, mining and medical.

Some of the future conferences to look forward to at the CTICC include the 35th International Geological Congress, the 16th International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics World Congress 2017, World Congress of Internal Medicine 2018 and the World Congress of Neurorehabilitation in 2020. Combined these events will draw over 15 000 delegates to Cape Town. CTICC has managed to secure an international conference booking as far as 2022, when the International Heat Transfer Conference is due to take place.

“The imminent CTICC expansion plays a pivotal role in bringing international business to the region. The expansion will allow the centre to meet the growing demand to stage more events, offer more flexibility and allow for an increase in the concurrent hosting of various sizes of meetings, conventions, exhibitions and other events,” concludes Ellingson.

For more information visit the CTICC website www.cticc.co.za or view the video below: