Last night the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) was recognized as the finest property development in South Africa when the developers of the CTICC, Convenco (Pty) Ltd, were honored as overall winner in the prestigious Award for Innovative Excellence in Property Development 2004 by SAPOA (the South African Property Owners Association).

The award ceremony formed part of the 36th SAPOA International Convention & Property Exhibition, South Africa’s leading event for the property industry, where the CTICC were announced the overall winner from 28 national contenders.

The panel of judges set strict benchmarks and were bowled over by the CTICC’s ability in meeting all the criteria for the award.  Criteria cited by SAPOA included the industry and community’s perception of the nominated property, the property’s efficiency of operations and maintenance, its flexibility, owner and user satisfaction levels, the quality of design and finish, the quality of service delivered, the property’s facilities, its environmental sustainable design and its overall impact.;

Says Ian Douglas, CEO of Convenco: “This is great news and a major accolade not only for the CTICC and Convenco, but also for all those individuals, professionals, contractors and sub-contractors who have been involved with the project since 2000.  The overall impact of the CTICC from a design, socio-economic, tourism asset and property development point of view has been profound and it’s wonderful that this impact is recognized by our property development peers.”

He adds that receiving this accolade almost a year after launching, reflects Convenco and the CTICC team’s dedication to and passion for the project, the quality of the product and the centre’s important role in growing business tourism in the Western Cape and South Africa.   The establishment of Convenco has demonstrated that the public and private sector can work together effectively to initiate a development that truly meets the market’s expectations.  Convenco is a live example of collaboration between the City of Cape Town, the Provincial Government of the Western Cape and organised business, through Business Cape.

“The CTICC is Cape Town’s newest landmark and the community and industry have embraced this facility with pride.  The centre has become the new home for many local and international events, but has also allowed event organisers to initiate new events which expose Cape Town and this region to the world. 

“This is evident by the CTICC’s results for the first six months of operation alone.  During June and December last year, the centre hosted 196 events, nearly double the number of bookings originally projected for the same period.  The positive comments from both the management team and many satisfied clients during the first six months of operation, fully endorses this

“The CTICC has positioned itself as a crucial world-class infrastructure which puts Cape Town on the map as a preferred business destination.  With the CTICC in place, Cape Town will be attracting more than its fair share of national and international events,” Douglas concluded.

Editor’s Notes:

Category in which CTICC was entered and finalists:

Hotel, Leisure, Residential Category:   Cape Town International Convention Centre                                                                       

                                                            V&A Waterfront Marina

                                                            Atlantic House

Other Winners:

Retail Development Category:  Investment Cars

Office Development Category:  Mutual Park West Campus

Social Development Category:  Tribunal Gardens

Innovative Development Category:  Automotive Supplier Park

Overall Winner:  Cape Town International Convention Centre

About SAPOA Awards

The awards are in recognition of the importance of property development to the South African economy.   SAPOA honours those developers and owners who, through the quality of their products, have contributed significantly to the enhancement of the property industry.                                           

ENDS

ISSUED BY:                                 Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC)

MORE INFORMATION:               Dominique Coetzee

                                                Corporate Communication Officer, CTICC

                                                Tel: 021 410 5000           Cell: 082 802 8184

                                                Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FOR COMMENT:                       Ian Douglas

                                                Chief Executive Officer, Convenco (Pty) Ltd

                                                Cell: 083 501 1111