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during a difficult time , but the CTICC had the privilege of being part of the solution in the battle against Covid-19 .
We also realised that during the Covid-19 lockdown , the plight of the poor became heightened in our city . So , when we were approached by Ladles of Love , a local NPO and soup kitchen to sponsor space for them to use to prepare meals for distribution to some of the Cape ’ s most at-risk communities , the answer was an immediate yes . We provided one of our exhibition halls and a kitchen in CTICC 2 free of charge . This enabled Ladles of Love to increase their output from 200 meals a day to well over 2,000 meals a day .
How do you see the future at the CTICC ? Is the government able to support the industry and the venue through these difficult times and how have you adapted in terms of safety and hygiene and pivoting to offer digital solutions ? We are cautiously optimistic , although all are going through a very tough time . We continue to build a strong pipeline of bookings .
Although we are a government entity , our government has had to endure a huge financial burden to fight the Covid-19 crisis , so we are not rushing to them cup-in-hand . We are working hard to come up with a recovery plan that will ensure minimum need for financial assistance . This is an opportunity to build our resilience .
All visitors to the CTICC are expected to adhere to our health , hygiene and safety protocols , which include ( but are not limited to ) pre-arrival screening , compulsory wearing of face masks and observing social distancing within the facility . These protocols are encouraged by our Covid Monitors , who assist visitors . CTICC has recently been afforded the opportunity to use the WTTC Safe Travels stamp , in recognition of our readiness to host events safely . We have also included a virtual and hybrid events offering .
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What are your strategic priorities for emerging from the crisis ? We are doing everything to retain business and we have secured three bids during the lockdown period . We are also exploring new ways to re-purpose our spaces to attract new revenue streams .
The CTICC ’ s contribution to the South African GDP was R5.5bn in the last financial year ( 2019 / 2020 ), an amount calculated based on multiplier effects of induced tourism , as well as direct and indirect job creation . Our contribution to the regional economy of the Western Cape ( GGP ), has grown from R4.5bn in 2018 / 2019 to R4.9bn in 2019 / 2020 , up almost 9 % y-o-y .
The CTICC remained closed for business during a six-month lockdown from March 2020 and this has had a significant impact on our income . Based on events held and contracted in the previous financial year , we were on target to achieve revenue of R285m . However , we achieved a R214.3m , a 24.9 % drop .
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Cape Town has suffered in the past from power supply issues and a perception of a security threat to delegates . How are you trying to combat this ? The CTICC has been fortunate enough that they have never been impacted by the power supply issues . We have |
Above : High-tech and hybrid are on offer at CTICC |
our own power generators that can provide enough electricity should the need arise .
Crime is a problem in big cities throughout the world and the City of Cape Town has to contend with this as well . The Cape Town Central City Improvement District works with the Police Service to improve safety of visitors and offers assistance to tourists within the CBD through their private security contractors .
How have relations been with international exhibition organisers ? What has been your policy on cancellations and postponements ? While we are an industry leader , we value collaboration with our industry partners . Covid-19 has been a catalyst to strengthening industry relationships of old and forging new ones . The industry now appreciates that working together to win together is the most intelligent thing we can do .
In the spirit of collaboration , we have re-looked at our policy on cancellations and postponements to ensure that we empower event organisers and owners to secure the life of their events and their residency with the CTICC . It is clearly to our benefit to find a way that they can continue their events without prohibitive penalties and it has been heart-warming to see how the industry has been loyal to the CTICC .
What are your hopes for the next couple of years as we recover ? That the recovery of our industry is not too slow . The MICE industry is an important driver in the economy . We provide jobs that are very much needed especially at this time .
Our priority is to get the CTICC back to its operational health so we can continue to contribute to South Africa ’ s GDP and the Western Cape ’ s GGP . We will focus on finding new ways of doing business and innovating in the space of events . We have HOPE and we will work hard to ensure that our hope becomes reality .
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