Gauteng Business 2018-19 edition

OVERVIEW
provide economic opportunities for a wide range of entrepreneurs in
textiles, leather, traditional art and beadwork. The broader creative industries
sector contributes more than R3.3-billion to the Gauteng economy
and employs 182 000 people, according to the provincial government.
This includes film and advertising studios.
Tourism is one of the sectors being targeted for a closer working
relationship between the private sector, academia and various government
entities. The Gauteng Business Consultative Forum (GBCF) is an
initiative of the Gauteng Provincial Government that meets four times a
year. The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) hosts the functions
at its Johannesburg campus.
South Africa’s biggest international airport is OR Tambo International
Airport in Johannesburg. Some R200-million was spent on extending
and upgrading the runways and aprons prior to South Africa hosting the
2010 World Cup football tournament. OR Tambo caters about 20-million
passengers every year, receives more than 105 000 arriving air traffic
movements and employs 18 000 people.
The Gauteng Tourism Authority is targeting Southern African
Development Community markets such as Botswana and Mozambique.
The city of Ekurhuleni successfully
hosted Airport Cities: World
Conference and Exhibition in
2013 as part of the city’s plan to
establish an aerotropolis around
OR Tambo International Airport.
The Tshwane Events Centre and
the CSIR International Convention
and Exhibition Centre are among
Pretoria’s most used venues.
The OR Tambo Building of the
Department of International
Affairs and Cooperation (Dirco)
won architectural awards and
hosts conferences and meetings
of the Pan-African African
Parliament.
Events
A Bidding, Hosting and Events Strategy for the Gauteng City Region
has been developed to encourage investors. The Gauteng Convention
and Events Bureau (GCEB) promotes the province as a conference and
events venue. The Johannesburg Tourism Company has a dedicated
unit, the Johannesburg Convention Bureau, that assists companies in
preparing bid documents and in supplying relevant information on
telecommunications and IT services and the securing of visas for visiting
international delegates.
Big events continue to draw big crowds. These include the Standard
Bank Joy of Jazz, DStv Delicious Food and Music Festival, and the
Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup (horse racing).
With events growing in importance within the tourism offering,
efforts are being made to include townships to a greater extent. The
GTA gives support to two Soweto events, the annual Makhelwane
Festival in Mzimhlophe and the Soweto Wine Festival together with
the Tshwane Township Weekend Experience, covering Garankuwa
and Mamelodi.
Gauteng is a continental leader in conferences and events.
Most large hotels have conference facilities. Large venues in
Johannesburg are:
• Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec. Capacity: 15 000
• Coca-Cola Dome, Randburg. Capacity: 14 000
• Standard Bank Arena, New Doornfontein. Capacity: 6 300
• Sandton Convention Centre, Sandton: Capacity: 4 500
Hotels
Location, it is said, is key in all property
developments. In Gauteng
today, location relative to the
Gautrain has become an additional
component of value. So much
so that the 216-room Radisson
Blu Gautrain Hotel even has the
vital word in its name. The hotel,
which is in Sandton, was a winner
2017 in the World Luxury Hotel
Awards in the categories, Luxury
Business Hotel and Luxury Hotel
and Conference Centre. The nearby
Radisson Blu Hotel, Sandton,
won the Luxury City Hotel Award.
A huge new multi-use development
is taking shape in
59 GAUTENG BUSINESS 2018/19