COVER STORY
AFRICA’S SMARTEST CONVENTION CENTRE Meetings explores how the Durban ICC has evolved to provide a valuable offering that is relevant to where the MICE industry is currently.
T
he Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) has always aimed to position itself as ‘Africa’s leading convention centre’ and during this unprecedented global situation, the centre has been focusing on the development of its high-tech virtual event solutions. Having invested in the latest cutting-edge meetings technology, the centre is reinventing itself as the continent’s leading high-tech convention centre. “Without moving away from our existing market positioning, we are adding this competitive edge and aiming to also be recognised as ‘Africa’s smartest convention centre’,” says Lindiwe Rakharebe, CEO, Durban ICC. The centre is offering a range of innovative solutions such as live-streaming events,
remote-presentation events, hybrid events and video-on-demand.
VIABLE EVENT SOLUTIONS For the uninitiated, a hybrid event is simply the combination of a traditional face-to-face event with an online component, which extends the reach of the conference to a wider audience using technology like live-streaming. “The best part is that companies are taking advantage of this kind of event solution, even during the lockdown, by using the technology we have on offer and not having to wait until live events fully start up again. By taking their events online, Some are even able to reach much larger audiences than they would have with
“We have already had a phenomenal response from clients to our virtual conferencing solution. We are able to assist clients to run their events from the comfort and safety of their own homes. ” Lindiwe Rakharebe, CEO, Durban ICC
4 • MEETINGS l JULY/AUGUST 2020
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