The Performance of Seaport Clusters - RePub - Erasmus Universiteit ...

Chapter 11 – Governance and Performance in Seaport Clusters; Results of the Cases 159
One opportunity to improve the marketing and promotion regime would be the creation of a
coalition to attract new investments in South Africa. The ‘geography of production’ in South
Africa is changing. As a consequence of the integration of South Africa in the global
economy, most new production facilities are export oriented. This provides opportunities for
port regions. All actors in the port cluster benefit from new activities in logistics and
manufacturing. However, such a coalition has not yet materialized.
The marketing and promotion regime in Rotterdam
Table 64 shows the relevant initiatives/ investments in Rotterdam’s marketing and promotion
regime.
Table 64: Initiatives/investments in Rotterdam’s marketing and promotion regime
Mode of
coordination
Relevant initiatives/investments
Hierarchies ECT is active in marketing Rotterdam as ‘the gateway to Europe’ for containers.
Interfirm
alliances
Interfirm alliances do not play a role in this regime.
Associations Deltalinqs, the port cluster association, and the member associations of Deltalinqs play a
limited role in the marketing and promotion regime. Deltalinqs invest in ‘public relations’ in
order to get a ‘license to operate’. Deltalinqs occasionally has marketing activities abroad.
Publicprivate
partnerships
Public
organizations
Deltalinqs was involved in mapping opportunities for co-siting in the petro-chemical industry.
This has led to an overview of co-siting opportunities and enables specific marketing efforts.
The Rotterdam Port Promotion Council (RPPC) is an association specifically developed for
the marketing and promotion of the port of Rotterdam. About 300 firms are member of the
organization. Since RPPC also receives funding from the RMPM, it is a public private
partnership. The organization focuses on attracting cargo to the port and organizes
marketing tours and host representatives from shippers.
RMPM has developed a network of Rotterdam representatives in important markets, both
overseas and in the hinterland. These representatives develop contacts with shippers and
promote the interests of the port of Rotterdam.
The RPPC and the RMPM contribute most to the marketing and promotion regime. Both
organizations invest substantially in marketing and promotion. The institutional structure of
the RPPC has the advantage that a part of the RMPM’s marketing budget is transferred to