Durban ICC

DURBAN ICC

DURBAN ICC

Durban’s Famous

ICC Continues to Improve PRODUCTION: David Napier

Two years on from when Enterprise Africa last spoke to Durban ICC and the company is still thriving by attracting new international conventions each year, investing in its facilities to maintain world-class standards, and helping to develop the economy that it calls home. Chief Executive Officer, Lindiwe Rakharebe, talks again to Enterprise Africa about the success of this important KZN icon. www.enterprise-africa.net / 3

INDUSTRY FOCUS: EVENTS & HOSPITALITY

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In the heart of Durban, just a 10-minute walk from the beachfront and the harbour, and just 30 minutes from King Shaka International Airport sits the Durban International Convention Centre.

Officially opened by Nelson Mandela in August 1997, the centre has become known across Africa – and around the world – as a versatile venue of multiple dimensions, flexible enough to meet any need, big or small, no matter how extraordinary; international conventions, exhibitions, sporting events, concerts or special occasions – every requirement can be accommodated.

Enterprise Africa studied the important work of Durban ICC, helping to put KZN on the world map, in 2016. Rakharebe explained that much work was underway at that stage to ensure the centre continues to meet international quality expectations with various upgrades and improvements going on across the 112,000m2 site.

Today, Rakharebe tells us that the work is constantly ongoing as the centre positions itself as the premier exhibition space on the continent.

“One example is the system of tribune seating we have in Hall 1, which comes from the original design of the building, and gives us the flexibility of offering clients an auditorium set-up with 1680 very comfortable seats or the option of raising those tribunes into the ceiling to give us versatile flat floor functionality on the same day,” she says. “Many of our clients will take the opportunity to hold their plenary session in the morning and we can then reconfigure the venue that afternoon and host a gala dinner in the evening in the same venue. This means you get two venues for the price of one.

It’s a wonderful system but one which has served us well for the past 21 years and was in need of a refurb. The project to refurbish the tribune seats was undertaken in the last couple of months and all of the seats have been completely replaced and everything is brand new.”

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Rakharebe notes: “As a venue that takes pride in the fact that we are a world-class convention, exhibition and entertainment centre, our primary goal is to enhance our guests’ experience and the refurbished tribune seating will definitely improve our clients’ comfort and enjoyment of the event.”

This R6 million project was just one part of a wider Capex spend programme which will see a number of the centre’s features improved.

CAPEX SPEND Bathrooms, kitchens, buffets, and physical infrastructure will all receive part of a R27.3 million budget in the coming financial year.

“We have a rolling five-year Capex plan that we work against and as long as we’re planning correctly, we can tackle major projects in phases without negatively impacting on the business,” says Rakharebe.

Brand new, state-of-the-art

culinary equipment has been installed in the centre’s kitchens to ensure Executive Chef, John Moatshe, and his team can delight all guests with a real taste of Durban.

“Things like the combi-steamers are not produced locally and we need to order in advance as it takes a number of months for them to be fabricated, shipped to South Africa from Switzerland, and installed on site. From ordering to functioning has been a long process, probably in the region of 18-months, and we are thrilled that they are now here and in operation working,” says Moatshe.

In order to display the food, prepared in the newly purchased kitchen equipment, the front-of-house team has also received investment to modernise, refresh and update its display and distribution capability.

“There’s been a fairly big order in our culinary department for buffet tables and front of house presentation

DURBAN ICC

equipment. When we set out large buffets to feed 2000 + people, we want it to feel like a special experience and not like you’re just a number in a crowd, so a lot of effort goes in to making sure the dining experience, which is critical to the enjoyment of every event, is something exceptional. We firmly believe that people eat first with their eyes, so a lot of creativity is being invested into the presentation of our food, seeing what the chefs have produced, and ensuring that guests are excited.

“This investment goes-handin-hand with the re-invention of our entire culinary offering which we have undertaken for the new year. In consultation with our clients, we are mindful of the changing nutritional needs of our delegates. Whilst we have always catered for vegetarian and Halaal patrons, we are seeing an increase in

demand for vegan offerings, as well as gluten-free dishes, and generally more healthy options in our menu pack.” added Rakharebe.

“We have some really beautiful glass and steel buffet tables. They are very eco-friendly and we’ve moved completely away from using table cloths to a look that is a lot cleaner, a lot more modern and a lot more attractive aesthetically,” says Moatshe.

Another feature of the Durban ICC which gives our clients flexibility in their event configuration is our system of moveable dividing walls. These give us the option of offering clients the largest column-free, flat floor event space on the continent, or to conveniently split the space into smaller halls and breakaway venues according to their specific event requirements. We are in the middle of a multi-year project to

replace these operable walls to ensure ongoing top-class operation and easeof-use for our staff and clientele.

“We have a series of five sets of operable walls throughout the centre and these come with a hefty price tag.

We’ve completed the first phase of the project which involved replacing the operable walls between Hall 1 and Hall 2, and we will continue to replace a hall at a time over the next few years. It gives us the flexibility to subdivide the hall and mould the centre around the requirements of whatever event we are hosting that week,” details Rakharebe.

In weeks when the Durban ICC is busy, it can host up to 22,000 people, and this does put strain on the centre’s resources hence the need for its ongoing reinvestment plan. Since we last spoke to Rakharebe in 2016, the bathroom refurbishments, which saw

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: EVENTS & HOSPITALITY

all the taps and porcelain replaced, have been completed and now “it’s time to complete a smaller refurbishment on all of the tiles through the centre’s bathrooms,” she says.

PHYSICAL & DIGITAL In another important upgrade programme, vital for the satisfaction of modern conference delegates, has seen the Durban ICC completely overhaul its wireless internet network. Delegates from government, business and public all converge on the site for large scale events and their communication capability is often the base of any marketing strategy for the day.

“We joke a lot about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs when it comes to a conference delegate and it’s no longer food and shelter at the base of the pyramid – it now starts with Wi-Fi. Once people have their Wi-Fi connection,

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they feel a lot better so that is a nonnegotiable for us,” says Rakharebe.

In 2016, she reminded of the importance of strong Wi-Fi saying that Durban ICC has more than two decades of history but wants to remain at the cutting edge with its technological offerings. After a lengthy upgrade programme, the Centre’s IT attributes are strong.

“The major procurement that we needed for that project is now complete and everything is in place and operational. We are very proud of the Wi-Fi network that we offer – the fastest connection of any convention centre in Africa as well as the ability to host 8000 concurrent users on the network simultaneously.

“We want people to have a good experience when they are with us and we understand that each conference delegate is bringing along two or

sometimes three devices each that all need to be connected throughout the day, so we have invested a lot to ensure the experience is easy and pleasant for every guest,” explains Rakharebe.

This tech investment has also seen the Centre become home to a number of new large HD display screens which can be used by clients during exhibitions and conventions or by the Centre for advertising purposes.

“We also use the screens to promote our beautiful destination so that delegates attending events get an insight to the beautiful country and region they are visiting. Our partners, including Durban Tourism and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, have some excellent footage that we are proud to display so that we might inspire visitors to travel further in KwaZulu-Natal after their congress or conference is over,” enthuses Rakharebe.

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BUSY 2019 Activity at the Durban ICC in 2018 was fast paced. Several major international events saw thousands of guests pass through Durban, and 2019 looks to be just as hectic.

In May, the Centre will host the 21st African Renaissance Conference as well as Africa’s Travel Indaba which looks to attract 10,000 delegates to the city.

November will see the first ever United

Johannesburg | Durban | Cape Town

Cities and Local Government Congress hosted in Africa being held at the Durban ICC which is expected to bring in over 3000 delegates.

“The Durban ICC is more than simply a venue,” says Rakharebe. “It is a platform for meetings, a facilitator of international dialogue and a place for people to connect, debate and ultimately find common ground. From the moment the guest sets foot into our

// WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE EAT FIRST WITH THEIR EYES, SO A LOT OF CREATIVITY IS BEING INVESTED INTO THE PRESENTATION OF OUR FOOD, SEEING WHAT THE CHEFS HAVE PRODUCED, AND ENSURING THAT GUESTS ARE EXCITED. //

venue, the Centre strives to deliver its unique brand of world-class service and a uniquely warm, African experience.”

Rakharebe says that medical conferences are a particular focus of the Centre. “We are very proud to have a number of medical conferences coming through this year such as the 2019 Africa Bio Convention will come to the Durban ICC for the second time, with 2000 delegates. In June, the Southern African Aids Conference will bring 5000 delegates to the city, and the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation is hosting its international congress with us in October.

“We are very lucky to have some fantastic medical schools in our city and province, and a lot of them are world leaders when it comes to HIV AIDS and TB research so we certainly do target the medical industry but our offering

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: EVENTS & HOSPITALITY

// WE ARE PUSHING VERY HARD TO GROW EVERY YEAR AND WE ARE THANKING OUR CLIENTS AND SUPPLIERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT, HELPING US TO PUSH OUR BOUNDARIES ALL THE TIME //

is certainly not limited to those fields at all. We have a proud track record of having hosted medical congresses of all sizes for the past 21 years and it is definitely something that we seek to target because of the benefit and knowledge legacy that gets left behind with us. It accelerates the programmes that we have undertaken as a province and a country to help our people. We see these events as vehicles to fast track those agendas and deliver on those objectives in our city and province.”

In the 2017/18 financial year, the Durban ICC contributed R4.7 billion to the country’s GDP, creating 9474 jobs.

In 2018/19, the target is to increase that contribution to R4.9 billion. Since its

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establishment in 1997, the Durban ICC has contributed more than R40 billion to the South African economy and Rakharebe is confident about potential for the future.

“With the crop of international events that we have booked for this year, we are certainly going to be pushing that envelope again,” she says.

“We have set ourselves the target of R4.9 billion for this financial year and, so far, we are on track to achieve that.

That is our primary mandate and why the centre was built initially. For us, it’s about what we can do to bring the right calibre of international events to the destination whose economic impact translates into real jobs for our local

communities each year. We are pushing very hard to grow every year and we are thanking our clients and suppliers for their support, helping us to push our boundaries all the time.”

INDUSTRY LEADING At the end of 2018, Durban ICC was lauded as a leader in its sector, picking up a World Travel Awards accolade (for the 17th time in 18 years) as “Africa’s leading Meetings and Conference Centre”. The business was also nominated as a finalist in the prestigious Top Performing Public Service Award Category at the 16th annual South Africa National Business Awards. On top of this success, in February, it was announced

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DURBAN ICC

that Durban ICC had received a clean audit from the country’s Auditor General for the fifth consecutive year. This recognition helps the company to build a robust base from which growth can be quickly and easily achieved.

“If people are leaving us happy with the experience that they’ve had, and they have achieved the objectives of their events, then that is the real reward we are looking for,” says Rakharebe.

Even with the very successful exhibition and conference spaces that are frequently popping up around the continent, Durban ICC remains the diamond in the African industry and will, according to Rakharebe, continue to push boundaries.

“There is some wonderful product in the convention space and hospitality space on the African continent. It’s great to see that we are growing all the time with new centres opening all the time across the continent. I think we are lucky in that we have been able to play a pioneering role from a South African perspective, being the first international

convention centre, announcing to the world that the country is open for business,” she says. “For us, attracting international business to our shores is a real feather in our cap – it really is a strong source of pride for us. That being said, the pressure is then always on us to live up to the reputation we have built over the past 21 years. We market ourselves as Africa’s leading convention centre, and we work hard every day with every guest that comes through our doors, to maintain that reputation and grow it.

“Africa’s time has come – we are seeing a lot more interest in Africa as a global business events destination and we are going to lead that charge by doing things before others as we understand that is our role,” she adds.

For 21 years, the Durban ICC has been transforming its city, boosting the economy and inviting the world to experience Africa and the world-class service on offer. It’s continuing drive for excellence and constant investment into maintaining the industry top spot

mean that the Durban ICC will keep people and businesses coming back, year after year.

“We’re trying hard and having to be more creative with what we bring to the market but we do have an amazing team with years of experience and an uncompromising commitment to customer service excellence. I am excited about where we’re heading as a Centre, we are completely re-inventing ourselves from a culinary perspective, and some of our technology innovations are positioning us to deliver greater benefit to our clients on the things which matter most to them. I think if we continue working hand-in-hand with our clients and being responsive to their evolving event needs, we will continue to produce fantastic events and service those clients successfully in the longterm,” Rakharebe concludes.

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