LESS than a month after its official opening, the R360 million Sandton Convention Centre (SCC) will host the 10th Global Summit of Women, informally known as the 'Davos for Women' to be held from October 5 to 7.
Deon Viljoen, executive director of the SCC says the acquisition of this conference - which will draw 400 professional business and entrepreneurial woman from over 50 countries - is a "significant coup" for South Africa and is the second major international conference to be hosted by the convention centre.
A salute to African women ministers, to be held at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, is one of the highlights.
In December, approximately 500 delegates from 125 countries, will convene for the Fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting to develop a legally binding instrument on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The negotiations will be managed by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
Commenting on the committee's decision to host the meeting in South Africa, Buthi Mathebula, deputy director at the Department of Environmental Affairs , said he believed the SCC's facilities are ideal for a conference of this nature and would be comparable to the best in the world.
Viljoen says the SCC is "delighted" to be hosting two such prestigious meetings, proving that there is "no doubt that Sandton has the potential to draw a large percentage of the growing conference market".
A study by consultants Grant Thornton Kessel Feinstein indicates that the number of international conference visitors to South Africa has increased by 48% per annum - higher than the increase in annual tourism arrival figures.
"The challenge is to draw these delegates into Sandton," says Viljoen.
(Adele Mackenzie)
