AFRICA’S SMARTEST CONVENTION CENTRE The Durban ICC has always aimed to position itself as “Africa’s Leading Convention Centre” but having invested in the latest, cutting-edge meeting technology, the centre is re-inventing 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”, said Durban ICC Chief Executive Officer, Lindiwe Rakharebe. The Centre is offering a range of innovative solutions such as Hybrid events, Livestreaming, Video-on-Demand, and Remotepresentation events. 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 on offer and not having to wait until live events fully start up again. Some are even able to reach much larger audiences by taking their events online than they would have with their traditional live event.
The virtual events offer a range of benefits, for instance, the digital delegate can: • Get all the content of the live event from the comfort and safety of their homes • Watch the speakers via the video feed and view any presentations via the picture in picture mode • Engage remotely with the event in real time via the event’s chat or social media channels • Share the content with others in their organisation directly without having to repeat it themselves second-hand to their colleagues • Choose to consume the event content at a later time if that suits their schedule • View selected elements from the event programme which pertain to their area of interest.
While this is just the latest addition to the ever-evolving range of tech offerings available at the Durban ICC, as the Centre has always taken pride in being on the leading edge of the latest developments in this space. The Durban ICC hosted its own live-stream event in September 2019 and has subsequently run several successful events of this kind for its clients. “There is no shortage of new innovations out there, but it’s our job to incorporate the meaningful
ones which make our clients’ lives easier into the Durban ICC customer experience”, added Scott Langley, Durban ICC’s Director of Marketing, Sales and Events.
system into their complex. The Centre has also invested heavily in its massive video screens and interactive digital totems in the past year.
The Durban ICC boasts the country’s fastest convention centre Wi-Fi network and that which is able to support the most concurrent users. It was also the first centre in the country to offer indoor Google Maps and to incorporate the ‘whatthreewords’ navigation
No wonder it is also being recognised as Africa’s Smartest Convention Centre.
