1. SAA Museum
The South African Airways
Museum at Rand Airport in
Germiston is a great place
to start a conference, with
a host of opportunities for
team-building activities and
excursions.
The museum preserves
the colourful history of
South African aviation and
general civil aviation and has
a display hall with a large
collection of memorabilia,
uniforms, photographs and
aircraft models on display.
Aircraft Park forms part of the
museum and has 10 aircraft
on display, some that were
operational in the 1940s.
A highlight is the Boeing
747 tour where visitors
are shown flight recorders,
emergency escape slide
operations and other behindthe-scenes
info. There are
also two non-operational flight
simulators that are identical
replicas of the Airbus A300
and Boeing 747 cockpits.
Tours of the museum can
be tailor made, including
a guided tour of the Rand
Airport Terminal (an art deco
building in the shape of an
aircraft) and a visit to the
Train Museum, 5km away.
There are two conference
venues available at Rand
Airport. The smallest venue
seats 45 delegates theatrestyle
and the largest, 140
delegates theatre-style. The
Harvard Café caters for both
conferences and private
meetings. Full- and half-day
conference packages are
available.
In walking distance of
Rand Airport is the four-star
Lions Rest Guest House &
Conference Centre. It offers
12 en-suite bedrooms – with
WiFi – overlooking lush
grounds and the heated
swimming pool. There are two
conference rooms, the largest
catering for 80 delegates and
a smaller venue catering for
36 delegates, both cinemastyle.
2. Chris Hani Memorial
Another interesting excursion
in Germiston is a visit to
the Chris Hani Memorial
near Chris Hani’s grave in
South Park Cemetery. It was
declared a heritage site by
President Jacob Zuma in
April. Visitors can take a
tour of the memorial on the
‘Walk of Remembrance’,
which includes the Wall of
Remembrance, built in honour
of those who lost their lives
in South Africa’s struggle for
liberation. Agents can contact
the Ekurhuleni Department
of Sports, Recreation, Arts
and Culture to arrange guided
tours.
A 10-minute drive from the
Chris Hani Memorial is the
five-star, 68-room Summer
Place Boutique Hotel. It
features four conference
rooms, the largest catering for
240 delegates cinema-style,
with free WiFi.
3. OR Tambo Cultural
Precinct
The OR Tambo Cultural
Precinct in Wattville near
Benoni provides a detailed
look at the life of ANC
stalwart, Oliver Tambo. It’s
a must-visit destination
for anyone attending a
conference in the area.
Built on the banks of the
Leeupan wetland, the precinct
has a narrative centre that
features both permanent and
temporary exhibitions on loan
from the Apartheid Museum.
It is one of the few ‘green’
museums in the world and
has an outdoor amphitheatre,
an environmental library,
bird-viewing deck and
multi-purpose centre.
Conference facilities in the
precinct include two meeting
rooms catering for 20 and
100 delegates plus several
rooms ideal for workshops of
30 delegates. The precinct
also caters for private
functions and team building.
Guided tours of the precinct
and nearby Oliver & Adelaide
Tambo Memorial are offered
by Ekurhuleni Tourism.
For those seeking larger
conferencing options nearby,
the three-star Lakes Hotel
& Conference Centre on the
banks of Benoni’s Swan Lake
offers 14 conference rooms,
the largest accommodating
1 500 delegates cinemastyle.
It also has a marquee
that seats 1 800 delegates
cinema-style. The hotel
features 150 rooms, three
restaurants, a business
centre, and bar and patio
overlooking the lake
