Cape Town International Convention Centre
Situated on the outskirts of the Central Business District, the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) is close to the vibrant beat of the city’s heart. At its official opening, then-President Thabo Mbeki called the development “a symbol of hope, a symbol of our glorious past, a symbol of modernity and a symbol of future prosperity”.
It is a notion that is as true today as it was then.
Location and setting: a stunning environment
When you visit Cape Town, bring your camera. Table Mountain presides majestically over the entire city bowl, with landscapes as diverse as beaches and winelands just a short drive away. Many of the city’s landmarks – shops, buildings, cultural attractions – are a few minutes from the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The nearby V&A Waterfront, with its mesmerizing list of restaurants, boutiques, malls, and creative characters, remains the country’s most visited venue. This is indeed a city that embraces its ancient and recent history, fusing it with a sense of cutting edge design, contemporary fashion, and social chic.
The CTICC has added to this vibrant space. Its arrival has resulted in the blossoming of the Foreshore precinct – land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean in the 1930s. The Foreshore now forms a lively link between the Central Business District (CBD) and the city’s harbour. Hotel and infrastructure developments abound – and the CBD itself has been infused with a new sense of purpose.
The new centre of Cape Town
One of the city’s most recent developments is the Roggebaai Canal, which provides a water-taxi route between the CTICC and the V&A Waterfront. With an embarkation point in the main court, Convention Square, the canal offers visitors a unique view of the city. And it’s just one of the ways the Convention Centre’s location makes for an unforgettable stay.
Flexibility: the key to multi-use facilities
The Cape Town International Convention Centre is designed to meet the varied needs of its delegates and visitors. Its sub- divisible, multi-use convention facilities – and dedicated exhibition area – create an environment that allows for any number of events and functions.
A sublime sense of space
One of the outstanding features of the CTICC is its imposing, two-storey gallery that extends the full length of the centre. Move from one venue to the next, and you will soon notice that the design lends itself to a smooth flow and circulation of visitors. From major medical and scientific conventions hosting thousands of delegates, to consumer exhibitions and trade shows, as well as intimate meetings and events, the CTICC accommodates them all.
The auditoria
The two auditoria, which offer excellent technological infrastructure and superb acoustics, provide tiered seating for large plenary sessions, lectures, product launches award evenings and theatre productions. Situated on opposite ends of the building, both auditoria can be utilized simultaneously while still allowing delegates breathing space. Design details such as writing tablets attached to the seats add a final quality touch.
The sweeping space of Auditorium I seats 1 500 guests, and is equipped with a large stage and screen, six interpreting booths, an orchestra pit and a projection room. Linked VIP dressing rooms comfortably accommodate speakers, or the cast of theatre productions. The auditorium’s spacious foyer enables delegates to enjoy refreshments, register, network, or view conference-related exhibits with ease. A designated exterior smoking terrace leads off from the foyer.
Auditorium II seats 620 delegates and is also equipped with a stage, screen, six interpreting booths, and a projection room. This venue is ideally located off the Strelitzia Conservatory and can be accessed from Level 1 of the centre. The Conservatory is the ideal pause point between busy conference schedules – enjoy some refreshments, and relax.
From lectures to live jazz, the CTICC’s auditoria remain consummate hosts.
Exhibition halls
The Cape Town International Convention Centre provides 10 000m2 of dedicated, column-free exhibition and trade show space. The exhibition halls are sub-divisible and can be configured into five separate venues for smaller exhibitions, banquets, special events or conferences.
It’s not called the Grand Ballroom for nothing.
The magnificent, multi-functional 2000m2 Grand Ballroom is delicately bathed in natural light. It can also be divided according to a 60-40 ratio by means of soundproof partitioning. And, although the aesthetics are designed to take full advantage of the view, motorised vertical blinds do allow for blackout.
The venue is serviced from two dedicated kitchens situated on either side of the room. This allows for speed of service when the entire venue is in use. The 60-40 configuration would therefore see each individual room with its own kitchen.
More room to move
The Roof Terrace Room situated on Level 2 has spectacular views of Table Mountain. Natural light flows into the room from three sides of the venue, and motorised blinds allow for blackout. The Roof Terrace Room includes a dedicated foyer and exterior terrace, making this prime space highly flexible.
There are also four flexible Meeting Rooms, each accom- modating up to 330 delegates. The Meeting Rooms are sub- divisible and can be set up for a variety of seating configurations.
The 13 Meeting Suites are well equipped and vary in size, accommodating up to 25 delegates. Many of these suites are glass fronted, and overlook the bustle of the Exhibition Halls. They double as private viewing boxes or VIP suites, broadcasting or pressrooms. These venues are most-often used as Speakers’ Preparation rooms and Organizers’ Offices.
A diverse number of dedicated conservatories and landings complement the meeting requirements of event organisers. The Convention Centre’s two multifunctional restaurants are the Strelitzia and the Jasminum. Both are accessible from several venues and the exhibition halls and are adjacent to the Clivia, Strelitzia and Jasminum conservatories.
More than just a striking façade
The interior of the Cape Town International Convention Centre reflects the city beyond. Modern, tranquil, and welcoming, this floating space creates an atmosphere of ‘African Zen’. Generous conservatories are flooded with natural light and surrounded by indigenous flora. These relaxing, less formal settings are perfect for viewing of exhibits, cocktails, light lunches, a meal on the run, or just a moment of quiet reflection in the course of a busy conference schedule.
The Registration Foyer is a spacious area dedicated to the efficient registration of large numbers of conference delegates. Ideally located off the Main Foyer on the ground floor, this flexible space can be easily adapted to suit particular needs.
The CTICC’s main foyer leads off Convention Square, a grand piazza that looks out over the Roggebaai Canal and the ArabellaSheraton Grand Hotel. Convention Square links the road network to the centre’s walkways and parking areas as well as the Roggebaai Canal embarkation point.
Future flexibility
The Cape Town International Convention Centre is already thinking ahead. In 2007 the exhibition area will be expanded to include a further 1200m2. Adjacent to Hall 4, this additional space will allow for breakout sessions for large conventions, dinner and lunch parties or exhibitions. Facilities and services will naturally match the exacting standards of the CTICC.
The art of conferencing
Bold, distinctive artworks that express African and Cape essences ensure that the centre is not only technologically sophisticated but also aesthetically pleasing. The striking 28- metre wide and nearly 8-metre high relief sculpture in the Main Foyer, entitled Baobabs, Stormclouds, Animals and People, is a collaboration between the late San artist Tuoi Stefaans Samcuia and award-winning artist Brett Murray. It reflects the rich diversity of South African culture and brings into focus the qualities that make Cape Town historically and culturally unique.
The second major artwork, Reservoir, is a vast two-piece sculpture by well-known local sculptor Gavin Younge. One portion comprises suspended vessel-like forms, woven from wire and metal strapping. The second piece consists of woven wooden boat hulls situated in the foyer of Auditorium I. Hidden speakers broadcast the life stories of people from Cape Town, South Africa, Africa and elsewhere in the world in a telling reflection of the region’s cultural heritage.
Access for the disabled
The CTICC has been designed around its visitors, including the disabled. The complex features international standard wheelchair access, designated drop-off points and parking bays, toilets for the physically challenged and elevators with Braille inscription. In fact, in 2004, the centre hosted Access, an International Conference on Partnership in Disability, as well as the sixth General Assembly of the World Blind Union. Here you can read more about Voices for the Future of the Oceans.
Technology: at your fingertips
The Cape Town International Convention Centre combines aesthetics with supreme functionality. The highly sophisticated IT network with its fibre optic backbone, includes some 1800 CAT5e data points located across the exhibition halls, meeting rooms and public spaces. This infrastructure is used to offer a host of technology services which include secure broadband internet. Every corner of the CTICC is also covered by separate wireless networks.
Remote control touch panels in certain venues allow event organisers to control light levels, blinds, and projection screens. Should a power failure occur, emergency back-up generators guarantee an uninterrupted power supply.
Service and quality: a great Cape tradition
The staff at the Cape Town International Convention Centre are a committed team, aided by a sophisticated infrastructure, and cutting edge technology. This is enhanced by the excellent reputation of the operating company, the Dutch RAI Group, which has extensive international experience in all facets of the facility’s operation.
The CTICC is supported by the qualified expertise of professional, preferred suppliers who complement the core services of the centre. These incorporate a full range of services from audio- visual and IT, to rigging and security.
A choice of restaurants on the menu
The Cape Town International Convention Centre’s catering division is managed by a team of talented, internationally trained chefs. They will help customise any menu you can imagine – and perhaps some you can’t. Running the length of the centre, the kitchen facilities are the largest and most advanced in the Western Cape. Dedicated lifts from the kitchen to each venue allow for every event to be catered for with efficiency, flair and friendliness.
Delegates and visitors also have the option of visiting the CTICC’s two informal restaurants, the Jasminum and Strelitzia, or the privately-owned Marimba Restaurant, a vibrant eatery offering a combination of African and world cuisine. At the Marimba, guests can tune in to the vibrant beat of live jazz music, or take in the commanding city and mountain views from the outdoor terrace.
The Cape Town Convention Centre has been booked for the period 9 – 14 September 2012, and the following venues have been secured:
- Auditorium 11
- 25 Breakaway rooms for parallel sessions
- The Roof Terrace
- Executive Boardroom
- Sub-divisible Exhibition Hall 1
- Strelitzia and Jasminium Conservatories Foyer areas for registration
Effectively this reservation enables the organisers to cater for a conference up to 10 000 persons, or to scale down if required. In addition the adjacent Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays Hotel has excellent conferencing facilities and would be available to be booked should additional venue space be required.
We believe the venue is one of the most modern and suitable that exists, and its light and airy interior, coupled with ideal location, make it an ideal venue for the IAC conference in 2012.