There’s more to Joburg than just busines

There’s more to Joburg than just business

07 September 2016

Johannesburg, which has over the years earned a reputation as a preferred host of high-profile global events, has added another feather to its cap.

Later this month, more than 2 000 delegates from 180 countries will pour into the City of Gold to attend this year’s Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The conference, also known as COP17/CITES, will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from Friday September 23 to Tuesday October 4.

Johannesburg Tourism’s Laura Vercueil said the City was proud to host yet another significant international event.

“We believe that this is also a great platform for us to expose tourists to our beautiful city and show them that there is more to Joburg than business,” says Vercueil.

She says the opportunity to host significant global events brings with it substantial marketing and promotional benefits in terms of attracting new visitors, positioning, profiling and branding the city as a leading global player. Johannesburg was selected as the preferred venue for COP17/CITES after the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) was awarded hosting rights.

Some of the events Johannesburg has hosted in the recent past include Africitiies Summit, Ecomobility World Festival, C40 Climate Change and World Congress on Ageing. The City generated more than R170-million from conferences and exhibitions hosted in 2015 alone.

The Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is held every three years. The meetings take place over 13 days. The direct economic impact from this year’s event is estimated at R83.4-million.

Besides the meaningful role played by tourism in strategically creating and strengthening international relations and contributing significant economic benefits, hosting business events also contributes to the knowledge economy of host cities, countries and communities.