MICE: Cape Town

Convene in Cape Town

The gem of the Western Cape shines with eco-conscious corporate events.

BY ELYSE GLICKMAN

WATER VIEW: Cape Town Waterfront

PHOTO: © SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

EVEN THOSE WHO HAVE NOT VISITED South Africa know Cape Town as a chic, lifestyledriven destination that sells itself. It is the gateway to the lush Winelands anchored by Stel lenbosch and Franschhoek, home to breathtaking Table Mountain, the starting point for a day at the thought-provoking Robben Island and, of course, a departure point for luxury safari camps and outdoor adventure.

Since the election of Nelson Mandela as president in 1992, Cape Town evolved into a diverse, cosmopolitan city of 4.52 million residents. Its arts and culture landscape — as colorful and dynamic as the views from Table Mountain — features a healthy assortment of jazz clubs, art galleries and architecture as well as globally renowned chef-driven restau rants, distilleries and festivals. Beyond its long-standing “it” factor as a leisure destination, it also serves as South Africa’s legislative capital and an expanding business hub, offering endless possibilities for one-of-a-kind events.

In addition to its two main convention centers (Cape Town International Convention Centre and Century City Conference Centre), more than 130 venues host events and meet ings, each with its own distinctive personality. They run the gamut from high-end hotels to museums and historic castles (The Castle of Good Hope), an internationally prominent sports stadium to fashionable beach clubs and centrally located spaces like The Lookout Waterfront. Statistics reflect this optimism and energy. According to WESGRO (which encompasses the Cape Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau), 1.6 million visitors came to the Western Cape in 2016, which climbed to 1.7 million in 2017 and increased by 0.2 percent in 2018. Those visiting the Western Cape forbusiness activities comprised 10.4 percent of visitors in 2017 and 11 percent in 2018. More than 150 hotels operate in Cape Town and its environs, offering an estimated 20,000 guestrooms.

On arrival at Cape Town International Airport (about 12 miles from city center), visitors find access to ground transport simple and convenient, with taxis, MyCiti bus service and a rail network doing their part to cut carbon emissions and leave fewer cars on the road. Travelers also rest easy about safety and value for the dollar given the favorable South African rand exchange rate and substantial local and national government investments to ensure every visitor feels secure and

FRESH PERSPECTIVE: People on Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town

PHOTO: © SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

welcome.

Thirumerni Naidoo, business development manager, Cape Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau, stressed making those pieces come together in an environmentally sound way has been a top priority for the past decade. Even before the 2018 Western Cape water crisis and rising public concern over protect ing South Africa’s natural resources, sustainability and best environmental practices have been a part of every conversation, especially when working with overseas companies and planners. “Our goal is to not only connect those attending conventions from abroad and South Africa,” said Naidoo. “Our concept of sustainability ties into promoting integrated management of natural resources and ecosystems. [We want to accomplish] meeting the needs of the present without compromising meeting the needs of future generations.”

Case in point is the 121,000-square-foot Cape Town Inter national Convention Centre, opened June 2003 and expanded in 2010. Management places its sustainability objectives as one of its biggest selling points for planners and companies in and outside of South Africa. Since 2009 it has followed the directives of the Nurture Our World Committee, constituted of regional executives in a variety of industries, to not only establish best environmental practices but also assist prospective clients in the best ways to green their events.

For starters, the facility offers a variety of conference packages as a base from which to build a bespoke meeting or conference. This, in turn, ensures a productive and unforgettable experience for attendees that will also be green, reducing their environ mental impact and carbon footprint. To expedite the process, a downloadable checklist on the website helps planners get the most desirable results.

Opened in February 2016, the Century City Conference

Centre offers prospective clients a sustainability proposition in tended to be future-proof, from the construction materials used to build the complex, hotel and adjoining businesses and residences to an over-arching environmental strategy that encompasses transport, health, energy, water and waste management for up to 1,900 event-goers at its more than 20 venues. As the center and surrounding community continue to grow, with the Century City Hotel Bridgewater the latest hotel to open, contractors are encouraged to make use of locally sourced materials to ensure maximum local economic benefit as well as reducing environ mental impact.

“Greenhouse gas emissions, water conservation and the welfare of our visitors have been a consideration in the design of the entire project from the groundbreaking to the present day,” said Glyn Taylor, co-CEO, Century City Conference Centre. “We are committed to working even harder to minimize our impact on the environment. This not only means everyday mea sures like using recycled water in our restrooms but also providing guests water-saving awareness tips in the hotel’s reception area. Things like this not only help replenish the local water table, but with additional bio filters added to our adjoining canal, the direc tives also improve biodiversity and cleaner air.”

Organizations like GreenCape also promote a more economi cally sound business landscape by providing guidance to South African companies of varying industries and sizes, connecting them with nearby communities and philanthropic entities. Those coming in from abroad, meanwhile, can use this site as an infor mation source to gain greater insight into the region’s ongoing efforts to protect the environment and natural resources.

In a city offering one-stop shopping for convention experi ences, planners find it easy to blend distinctive local flavor with conscientious and environmentally innovative business practices.

UNIQUE VENUES The visually arresting Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art impresses with its permanent collection of contemporary African artists and visiting exhibits. However, its otherworldly interior, powerful acoustics in the BMW Atrium and cathedral-like architecture make it unbeatable as a statement-making venue for business events ranging from presentations to performances and cocktail parties. Its restaurant on Level Six flows into a dramatic rooftop terrace where guests can take in an astounding sunset and daytime views. zeitzmocaa.museum

At Babylonstoren, near Franschhoek, choose from the deluxe menu of traditional and nontraditional winery activities to provide the perfect self-contained Western Cape Winelands experience for a pre- or post-conference retreat. Sustainability is front and center, from wine tastings and tours of its exquisitely organized gardens to photography classes, bird watching, fishing, bike tours, rowing and canoeing on its reservoirs. Consider a tea ceremony in its Healing Garden; the spa with its boutique of homespun goods; and two excellent restaurants, Babel and The Greenhouse, noted for its gravity-defying cheese, charcuterie and condiment platters tailored for everybody’s wine preferences. babylonstoren.com

Urban Agenda

Enjoy Quito’s new subway, sustainable architecture and year-round equatorial sunshine. BY RON BERNTHAL

FOUNDED IN 1534, QUITO sits at almost 10,000 feet, making it the second-highest capital city in the world. Located just 14 miles south of the equator, the city enjoys a spring-like climate year-round, from the cool 50s at night to the low 80s during the day. With a consistent 12 hours of daylight, Quito is, literally, one of the greenest cities in the world.

Quito’s unique geography provides visitors with a spectacular wall of snow-capped Andes Mountains and volcanoes just beyond the skyline as well as flower gardens and palm trees. In 1978 Quito’s cobblestoned, 16th-century Old Town, one of the best-preserved colonial-era districts in South America, became UNESCO’s first World Heritage site. Business travelers can start the day with an early-morning swim or workout at Zumay Health Club at the 5-star JW Marriott Hotel, followed by breakfast at the hotel’s Bistro Latino, featuring a buffet along with healthy fruit and juices. A popular downtown meetings venue for Ecuadorian and multinational businesses since opening in 1999, the strikingly modern hotel offers more than 30 event venues.

Numerous off-site venues provide a different ambience. English is widely spoken at business hotels, but at venues like museums and art galleries in Old Town or at wineries

and flower farms in the countryside, non-Spanish speakers may find it difficult to arrange meeting spaces. Contact a local tour operator like Link-Experiences, with connections throughout the city, prior to your visit.

Getting around Quito by taxi is easy, but account for traffic congestion between destinations. The new Quito Metro, opening this year, will ease that burden considerably and help make the air cleaner. Local environmentalists are thrilled the new Metro will stretch 14 miles through the business center and suburbs, offering 15 new stations, including one in Old Town. Operating 5:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m., the Metro will allow visitors and Quiteños to travel around the city faster and more efficiently.

“This is a pivotal moment for the city,” said Felipe Correa, editor, A Line in the Andes, a book about Quito’s urban transformation. “Quito is a linear city, north-south, along a narrow and elongated valley with mountains on either side, so there are very few cities that can actually build a subway from scratch in such a consolidated urban area.”

In 2013, to make room for the Metro and other projects, the city moved its airport from city center to a location 11 miles from downtown. The new, green Mariscal Sucre International Airport boasts one of the longest runways in Latin America and earned South America’s Leading Airport at the World Travel Awards. It strives to maintain its high scores in the global Airport Carbon Accreditation program and also instituted a rainwater management program and

works to maintain the biodiversity of the area. The city repurposed the 300 acres around the former airport into a city playground called Bicentennial Park, offering bicycling on the old runway. The Eugenio Espejo Convention Center provides another example of repurposing, as the building once served as an important hospital center. After a remarkable architectural restoration in 2008, the center opened with enough meeting and exhibition space to host Ecuador’s largest conventions.

Quito took advantage of the more affordable e-buses coming into the market by electrifying two major bus corridors, purchasing about 120 e-buses and installing dozens of charging stations. Ecuador is only the second South American country to adopt sustainable electric mass transit. Such projects increased since Quito hosted Habitat III, a United Nations conference, in 2016. Some 30,000 delegates attended discussions among world environmental leaders about making cities sustainable, resulting in the Quito Declaration on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements.

For a small group lunch with business associates, reserve a table at Café Plaza Grande in the Hotel Plaza Grande, a boutique property adjacent to Old Town’s main square, home to the historic Carondelet Palace, Cathedral of Quito, the Archbishop’s Palace and the Municipal Palace. The café serves fresh fish, pork, steak, seafood salads and Ecuadorian specialties, including locro de papas (potato soup). Around 5 p.m., an hour before sunset, get a table at Rooftop

Bar & Terrace at Casa Gangotena, a restored Neoclassical mansion converted into a 33-room boutique hotel on Plaza San Francisco. While enjoying the Old Town view, order a locally produced gin like the quadruple-distilled Amaranto. Or try the non-alcoholic agua de frescos, also called horchata, a vivid pink infusion of plants and herbs traditionally served to refresh visitors arriving in Quito.

Quito’s environmentally ambitious city plans also include green architecture. Quito-based Uribe & Schwarzkopf will open the IQON residential tower in 2021, designed by the Danish firm BIG. The 33-story structure of concrete apartment “boxes” features terraces planted with native trees, with a hollow wall underneath to hold the roots. The entire façade becomes a vertical display of Quito’s biodiversity, and the building will act as an urban tree farm, as the trees will be replanted in city parks once they outgrow the terraces, in about five years.

EPIQ, a 24-story curved tower also by BIG, will open in 2022 with sustainable features such as a gray water treatment plant for reusing rainwater and a materials bank to reuse and recycle construction materials. It will sit next to a large park close to a new Metro station. Global architects Moshe Safdie, Jean Nouvel, Philippe Starck, Leppanen Anker, Marcel Wanders and Carlos Zapata also launched projects that will greatly enhance Quito’s green and innovative urban environment.

NATURAL APPROACH: (Left to right) Plaza Grande in Old Town, IQON terraces, and the JW Marriott Quito lobby

Stroll down La Ronda, a pedestrian street where flowers and flags decorate the balconies. PHOTOS: © QUITO TOURISMO, © BIG BJARKE INGELS GROUP, © JW MARRIOTT