Jozi – the magnet of major global events
20-10-2014
When the City of Johannesburg welcomes more than 5 000 delegates to the seventh edition of the Africities Summit in December next year, it will be the umpteenth time that the economic hub of South Africa hosts a high-profile global event since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
Following the historic hosting of the United Nations’ Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, global event organisers have been tripping over themselves in a rush to bring their conferences to the City of Gold.
The race to Johannesburg gained even more traction after the highly commendable and successful staging of the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa, which saw about 15 of the 64 matches – including the opening match and the final – being played in the city’s world-class football venues: Soccer City and Ellis Park Stadium.
Counting in its favour are its state-of-the-art venues, world-class hospitality industry, strengthened public transport system that includes the Gautrain and the Rea Vaya bus rapid transit (BRT) system, experience and enthusiasm of its service providers, and countless leisure opportunities.
“Johannesburg is a city that does not have natural attractions often associated with tourist destinations. But it more than makes up for that by the quality of our top-class infrastructure, the efficiency of our services and our warm and accommodative citizens,” says Johannesburg Executive Mayor Mpho Parks Tau.
The hosting of the Africities Summit at the Sandton International Convention Centre, Gauteng’s premier conference and exhibition venue, from 1-5 December 2015, comes not so long after another major international event – the C40 Mayors Summit – was held in the city, where it continued with its exploration of creative ways to tackle greenhouse gas emissions in the world’s mega cities.
It was the first time since this 69-strong network of mayors of the world’s biggest cities was established in 2005 by then London Mayor Ken Livingstone that it had held its biennial summit on African soil.
The launch of the Africities Summit at the Park Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rosebank on October 15 came barely a week after Mayor Tau was elected co-president of Metropolis, a global network of 138 metropolitan cities, at its 11th World Congress in Hyderbad in India.
Mayor Tau’s election to the top leadership of the 30-year-old association was probably also in recognition of the successful and flawless way in which Johannesburg hosted the organisation’s summit last year.
It was also the first time that the association’s summit was held in Africa.
In a TV interview at the time, Mayor Tau said the holding of the Metropolis conference in Johannesburg proved once again that the city was a drawcard of major global events.
“Certainly, Johannesburg is acknowledged by our peers and colleagues internationally as a leading city in Africa. We understand that we are the cosmopolitan centre of Africa. We are the base from which economic activity happens throughout the region. Therefore, we play not just a local role but also a regional and global role.”
On the agenda of the Metropolis summit was rapid urbanisation, food security and resilience, resource resilience, safety and security, social cohesion in a caring city, waste management, greater citizen engagement, the power of the informal economy and funding models for growing cities.
Another event that demonstrated Johannesburg’s reputation as a unique destination, and a worthy and capable host, was the One Young World (OYW) Summit, held at the Sandton International Convention Centre in September 2013.
Said David Jones, CEO of Havas Worldwide and OYW founder: “Johannesburg is a true global icon, a City that has shown it can handle world events with style and exuberance.”
The summit brought together more than 1 000 brightest young people from all corners of the globe to look at critical issues that could bring about positive change in the world.
Also in 2013, Johannesburg successfully hosted Meetings Africa, which brought together more than 350 qualified international, regional and local buyers.
In September this year, the city played host to the sixth edition of Social Economic Media Week, during which thought leaders and free thinkers shared their thoughts and experiences in the technology space.
As a result, Johannesburg became the second African city to stage the event – which has its roots in New York – after Lagos, the former Nigerian capital (the capital is now Abuja), hosted it last year.
Several more high-profile events have been lined up for Johannesburg later this year and in 2015.
In November this year, the city will welcome representatives of advertising and information agencies, design studios and mass media industry on the continent, who will be descending on the Sandton International Convention Centre for the three-day Discop Africa Summit.
Next year’s Africities Summit will be preceded by another major global event – EcoMobility World Festival, which will coincide with the City’s Transport Month – from 1-31 October.
This will make Johannesburg the second-ever city to host this biennial festival since it first took place in Haenggung-dong in Suwon, South Korea, in September 2013.
Once again, this catalogue of events has confirmed Jozi, as the city is affectionately called by the locals, as one of the most preferred hosts of global events.
The festival, which the city is hosting with Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), will see certain streets of Sandton being closed to promote car-free mobility.
This speaks to the Corridors of Freedom, the City’s new spatial vision that seeks to promote walking and cycling as the best and environmentally preferred forms of mobility.
Other global events to be held next year include the Cidesco World Congress, Ifra World Congress and World Congress on Healthy Ageing.
Speaking at a seminar to launch the Africities Summit, Mayor Tau said: “As the City, we promise that we will not disappoint you. We will hold a successful Africities 2015 Summit. Our city is undoubtedly a world-class host of local and international events, meetings, conferences and exhibitions.”
With more than 5 000 people – including cabinet ministers; private sector representatives; academics and researchers; professionals and local government experts; and representatives of national, regional and international funding institutions, as well as United Nations’ agencies and other international cooperation organisations – expected to attend the five-day summit, tourism and the hospitality industries are undoubtedly going to be the biggest beneficiaries of the event, as it has been the case with previous global events.