CTICC expansion aims to increase CT's competitiveness

The CTICC East, a R832m jointly funded project by the CTICC, City of Cape Town and Western Cape government, is aimed to increase the global competitiveness of Cape Town as a premier world-class meetings and events destination.

“We recognise that economic sustainability is only possible through a willingness to continually invest back into our product offering and infrastructure," said Julie-May Ellingson, CEO at the CTICC. "Over the past few years the CTICC has turned away hundreds of potential business opportunities. This expansion will allow us to accommodate these events.”

Ellingson emphasised the significant contribution that CTICC has already made to the local economy with over 91,000 direct and indirect jobs which have been created to date. Since inception, the CTICC has made a cumulative contribution of R28.8bn to South Africa’s gross domestic product and R25.6bn to the gross geographic product of the Western Cape.

Exhibition capacity

The expansion will double the existing exhibition capacity by adding 10,000m2 of multi-purpose conference and exhibition space and 3,000m2 of formal and informal meeting space. The underground tunnel will connect the CTICC West and East, allowing for delegates and guests to move seamlessly between the two buildings.

With 60% of the construction already completed, the CTICC is confidently moving towards the practical completion at the end of 2016, with commissioning of the building taking place between November 2016 and February 2017. The CTICC expansion will officially open in March 2017.

The expansion enables the CTICC to host concurrent events simultaneously, increasing the enviable ability of already hosting the highest number of international association events in Africa. As a result of the expansion, the CTICC was able to secure the World Ophthalmology Congress, which will see the CTICC West and East simultaneously occupied by 15,000 delegates in 2020.

“Our strategy is to increase capacity in to order meet CTICC’s growing list of clients who want to expand their events into both buildings and other clients who we will now be able to accommodate,” concluded Ellingson.