Durban Conferences and Exhibitions

[dysan1]

Originally Posted by p2bsa

cross post from the main SA 2020 Olympics thread...

The 2014 Karate World Cup will take place at the ICC Durban...


>>>>>
South Africa has won the bid to host the 2014 Karate World Cup. The announcement was made in Durban last night following the 2nd annual Jacob Zuma Karate tournament. The tournament consisted of more then six countries from around the world.

It's the first time that the tournament will be held in the country. President Jacob Zuma says the country should be proud of its latest achievement. He said the hosting of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup has proved the country's capabilities to the world.

"We have earned accolades because we pulled off a successful World Cup during a global economic crisis. This proves our excellent economic management expertise. It's these attributed successes that make it possible for us to host other international events," says the President.

He adds that there has been a huge focus on the main sporting codes and hoped that such a tournament will help to promote the other sporting codes. He also says Karate is one of the sports that promote discipline and a healthy life style.

"Karate teaches self-defence, discipline and focus in everything one does. These are important skills for the youth to learn."

President Zuma was honoured with a six dan black belt, one of the highest ranks in marital arts. This has made him the first citizen in the world to ever be awarded this status
>>>>

Another great event for the city!

[romanSA]

And another one...

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Durban to host World Champion MMA fighter Ken Shamrock
29 Oct 2010 at 03:09 PM

The African Bureau of Conventions has successfully secured a first, not only for South Africa, but also for the African Continent. On the 25th November 2010, the ICC Durban will host one of the most highly anticipated Mixed Martial Arts events in 2010.

“Platinum” will feature International and national fighters, including Ken Shamrock, Donovan Hawkey, Abjul Hussain, Craig Fourie, Tyson Chelin, Donald Nziwara and Mike De Bruin to name a few.

Ken Shamrock is one of the most widely recognized MMA fighters in the world. He is a legendary American Mixed Martial Arts fighter and a former professional wrestler.

This tournament is part of the international 'King of the Cage' event where promoters travel around the world to expose and elevate the profile of local fighters, thus creating MMA legacies

Out Reach Programme

The newly developed and opened training facility, iThe Lions Den South Africa' has combined with NICRO, (The National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders), which is a non-profit organization working towards a safer South Africa.

Ken Shamrock is looking forward to huge success in South Africa both with MMA events, but more importantly building a sustainable program that encourages a healthier lifestyle for our youth involving MMA gyms and the MMA community.

On November 22nd and 23rd Ken Shamrock will be visiting Durban's South community to launch the project, spearheaded by Darian Smith from NICRO. Everyone involved in South Africa is extremely excited about the possibilities here including His Worship the Mayor of Durban, Councillor Obed Mlaba, who will be welcoming the team to Durban.”

This exciting event, will be broadcast to over 50 million people world-wide.


http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/ne...-ken-shamrock/

[romanSA]

Cycling for green Olympics
SOHANA SINGH

A MUNICIPAL team of 17 participated in the MTN Amashova Durban Classic last Sunday in support of the city’s bid to host the world’s biggest climate change conference in Durban next year.

The 17th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Cop 17) will be held in South Africa next November.

The conference is the most important platform for international climate change negotiations. Following the failure to reach consensus at Cop 15 in Copenhagen last year, Cop 17 is viewed by many as the event where a binding greenhouse gas emission reduction agreement will be reached.

Derek Morgan, Manager of the Energy Office at the Municipality, said, “Cop is the Olympics of climate change. It is possibly the most important conference in the world. “If we are able to negotiate and agree to binding greenhouse gas targets at the Cop 17 and it is held in Durban, the ‘Durban Climate Change Agreement’ may guide economic and development policies worldwide for the foreseeable future. Durban will be seen as the city where the world addressed climate change.”

The Municipality’s team of cyclists was drawn from various units. Alison Stanley, of the Special Projects Unit who coordinated the ride, said, “Thirty eight kilometres is pretty far, even if it’s mostly downhill. But it was fun and it’s been great to see how keen staff have been to support the bid.”

The team also included an electric bike or e-bike to promote e-bike use in the city. E-bikes are bicycle fitted with an electric motor to assist the rider on hills. The eThekwini Energy Office is testing one to see if it can be used for inner CBD transport. Although e-bikes are not strictly allowed to participate in cycle races, the MTN Amashova organisers were happy to allow the bike as part of the Municipality’s team in support the city’s Cop 17 bid.

singhsohana@durban.gov.za

https://www.ethekwini.co.za/durban/g...%204%20Eng.pdf

[dysan1]

Good news with or without winning cop17.

[juzzy]

World Federation of Chiropractic congress will be hosted at the ICC in April 2013. Cant find any Article on it, but is secured. Epect between 1500-2000 delegates

[dysan1]

Another great win

[dysan1]

SA to host Africa International Media (AIM) Summit

The Africa International Media (AIM) Summit takes place at the Durban Manor Hotel and Conference Centre in Durban, South Africa from 5-6 November 2010 addressing the 2010 FIFA World Cup and its successes. The two-day summit aims to develop a conscious awareness of the need to ensure balanced representation of Africa within the global community.

This "re-branding" of Africa is an evolving process that will continue over a period of ten years until Africa is set in a more positive light in the minds of millions, said Dr. Erieka Bennett, president, African Communications Agency (ACA), head of mission DAF (AU).

Honouring 2010 leaders

"The theme of this year's summit is, 'The impact the World Cup had on the image of Africa'. It also gives us an opportunity to say thank you to South Africa for organising a first-class event in Africa. The event ends with an Africa Living Legends Banquet where key African leaders, journalists and soccer greats will be honoured," she added.

The summit is hosted jointly by the African Union (AU), African Development Bank (ADB), Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Communications Agency (ACA) and the SA National Editor's Forum (SANEF).

The event plans to host the 2010 leaders of SA, football stars, and national and international media agencies and journalists.

Past honorees at AIMS since 2006:


Nelson Mandela - former president, South Africa

Kofi Anan - former secretary general, UN

Ruth Sando Perry - former president, Liberia

Professor Wole Soyinka - Nobel Laureate

Olusegun Obasanjo - former president, Nigeria

Chief Emeka Anyaoku - former secretary of Commonwealth

Muhammad Ali - former heavy-weight champion

http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/410/147/53852.html

[dysan1]

Here's the massive MMA event coming our way

[romanSA]

SA to host Africa International Media (AIM) Summit

The Africa International Media (AIM) Summit takes place at the Durban Manor Hotel and Conference Centre in Durban, South Africa, 5-6 November 2010, and will address the 2010 FIFA World Cup and its successes. The two-day summit aims to develop a conscious awareness of the need to ensure balanced representation of Africa within the global community.

This "re-branding" of Africa is an evolving process that will continue over a period of ten years until Africa is set in a more positive light in the minds of millions, said Dr. Erieka Bennett, president, African Communications Agency (ACA), head of mission DAF (AU).

Honouring 2010 leaders

"The theme of this year's summit is, 'The impact the World Cup had on the image of Africa'. It also gives us an opportunity to say thank you to South Africa for organising a first-class event in Africa. The event ends with an Africa Living Legends Banquet where key African leaders, journalists and soccer greats will be honoured," she added.

The summit is hosted jointly by the African Union (AU), African Development Bank (ADB), Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Communications Agency (ACA) and the SA National Editor's Forum (SANEF).

The event plans to host the 2010 leaders of SA, football stars, and national and international media agencies and journalists.

Past honorees at AIMS since 2006:

•Nelson Mandela - former president, South Africa

•Kofi Anan - former secretary general, UN

•Ruth Sando Perry - former president, Liberia

•Professor Wole Soyinka - Nobel Laureate

•Olusegun Obasanjo - former president, Nigeria

•Chief Emeka Anyaoku - former secretary of Commonwealth

•Muhammad Ali - former heavy-weight champion

[2 Nov 2010 10:55]


http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/410/147/53852.html

[romanSA]

Durban scores with visiting international artists
November 3, 2010

By Latoya Newman

Durban's classical music lovers are in for treat this week with a host of international artists set for performances at the Durban Music School Gala Concert at the Playhouse Theatre tomorrow and at the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra's 2010 Spring Season closing event at the Durban City Hall on Thursday.

The Quatuor Connection, a classical saxophone quartet from France, will feature at the Durban Music School Gala Concert along with the Youth Wind Orchestra from Germany.

South Africa's Maxine Matthews, a member of the quartet, said her journey into the classic saxophone started in Greece where at the age of 17 she began studying the alto sax.

"There I was told that if I want to study the classic saxophone I needed to go to France. So in 2008 I moved to Besancon and studied at the Besancon Concervatoire and Dole Concervatoire. The quartet started last year with myself, my professor Cecile Dubois, Paul Richard and Valerie Houssier. As part of our diploma we had to do a course in chamber music. The chamber worked so well that the idea came to keep it going," she said.

The Durban Music School Gala Concert will also feature performances by The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Wind Band (KZNYWB).

Kim Matthews, chairwoman of the KZNYWB, and who also works at the Durban Music School, said their senior ensemble toured Germany and Vienna last year and won first place in an international music competition in Vienna. "While we were in Germany we were hosted by a music school in Goppingen, Baden-Wurttemburg, which is KZN's sister province in Germany. We decided to invite the Youth Wind Orchestra from this school to tour Durban as guests of the Durban Music School and the KZNYWB.

"At our Gala Concert we will have the 74 piece-strong German Orchestra perform for the first half, then the French Saxophone Quartet and finally the KZNYWB. We will end the programme with a performance of the 1812 Overture," she said.

After a recital with The Friends of Music earlier this week French virtuoso cellist Jérôme Pernoo returns to local stage for the KZNPO's Spring Season closing. He will perform Offenbach's Grand Concerto Militaire. Italian maestro Alessandro Crudele will conduct the concert. The event will also mark the launch of the KZNPO's 2011 Summer Season.

The Durban Music School |Gala Concert starts at 7.30pm tomorrow at the Playhouse Theatre. Tickets are R50, bookings through Computicket. For more information call Kim Matthews |at 083 626 9739.

The KZNPO concert starts at 7.30pm. Tickets range from R80 to R' they will be available from computicket. For more info contact Portia at 031 369 9438 or e-mail reception@kznpo.co.za.


http://www.tonight.co.za/index.php?f...398&fSetId=251

[dysan1]

We really need to dig more on this refurb of the DEC and what it entails

Originally Posted by romanSA

An ICC Durban official quoted in yesterday's Sunday Tribune mentioned that the Exhibition Centre is to undergo extensive refurbishment, which will enable the city to bid for more events. Anyone knows what the refurbishments entail? Nothing yet on the ICC website. Did, however, come across this from last month...

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ICC DURBAN WINS FIVE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE BIDS
07 October 2010

In the past month the ICC Durban secured five major international conferences. This was made possible with the assistance of the Province of KwaZulu Natal, city of Durban, the local organizing committees and professional conference organizers.

The five conferences secured are;

•Disabled People International 2011
•World Transplant Games 2013
•World Chiropractic Congress 2013
•Congress of the Intl Assoc for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions 2014
•21st Baptist World Congress - 2015
The delegates attracted by these conferences over a five day period will generate an estimated R100 million in economic impact for the province.

Dr Reg Engelbrecht, CEO of the Chiropractic Association of South Africa (CASA) said “CASA is proud that the ICC Durban and the city of Durban were chosen to host this congress. One of the 2 Chiropractic educational facilities, the Durban University of Technology is located in Durban, providing an opportunity for visiting student delegates, Chiropractic lecturers and Research experts in the profession to interact with this institution over the course of the congress.”

“The World Transplant games were held in Australia in 2009 and attracted competitors from 38 countries and featured fourteen different sports. When the games take place in Durban in 2013 we expect the number of participating countries to be much more.” said Willie Uys, National Chairman of SA Transplant Sports Association. Uys continued “The world transplant games have been held across the world biennially for over 30 years. Following the upgrades of the city in preparation for the FIFA World CUP 2010, Durban becomes a premier destination for events of this nature.”

The ICC Durban is proud to host the 21st Congress of the Intl Assoc for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP). IACAPAP is a non-governmental organization the purpose of which is to promote the study, treatment, care and prevention of mental and emotional disorders and disabilities of children, adolescents and their families. The emphasis is on practice and research through collaboration between child psychiatrists and the allied professions of psychology, social work, pediatrics, public health, nursing, education, social sciences and other relevant fields. IACAPAP’s International congress meets every second year.

“Our success in winning these bids has relied on excellence in bid preparation by the ICC team and a strong team effort with city representatives. The united front and support of all stakeholders in the city and province is a key success factor when competing for business on an international stage” said Jeremy Hurter, acting CEO of the ICC Durban. Mr Hurter thanked and praised his dedicated team for the effort and passion which they display every day.


http://www.icc.co.za/About/News/ICC-...ENCE-BIDS.aspx

[romanSA]

Another successful high profile event hosted in Durbs..

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Jordaan awarded at 2010 AIM Summit

Dr Danny Jordaan, South Africa's 2010 Organising Committee CEO, received an award at the 2010 Africa International Media Summit (AIMS) held in South Africa, 5-6 November, during the Africa Living Legends Banquet at the Durban Manor Hotel. Jordaan was awarded a white-beaded miniature replica of the 2010 Moses Mabhida Stadium for his role in hosting the successful 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Kwazulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize also received recognition for his leadership and vision and for also hosting a unique 2010 programme in his province to make 2010 a lasting legacy. South African National Editor's Forum (SANEF) deputy chair Mary Papayya, who is also the KZN editor of the Sowetan Newspaper, was honoured for her general contribution to journalism excellence and leadership on the African continent.

Media awards

The Living Legend award for soccer excellence went to soccer legend Pele. SA journalists Canaan Mdletshe (Sowetan), Zanele Buthelezi (SABC) and veteran journalist Subry Govender were given special achiever awards for their 2010 reporting. The SA National Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) received honour for the media entity that delivered on its mandate. AIMS office bearers from around the world received certificates for their achievements.

The two-day AIM Summit, organised by the Diaspora African Forum (DAF) and the African Communications Agency (ACA), deliberated the impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on the image of Africa.

"People said we would not be able to host this World Cup, but we delivered. People said we should not bill this as an African World Cup, with all that is going in the African continent, with the famine, civil war, child soldiers," said Jordaan.

"They said we did not have the infrastructure and the technology to deliver an event of this magnitude. Because of this FIFA advised us to have a plan B, but then when the World Cup arrived, and even before it started, it emerged that we were the first country in the world to host the World Cup that delivered on all its infrastructure ahead of time.

World Cup firsts

"It was the first time that the World Cup was broadcast in HD and 3D. It was the first ever in FIFA history that matches were watched on mobile phones - this did not happen at the last Germany World Cup, but in Africa," he added. The SA 2010 World Cup proved to be the one with the lowest crime rate in the history of the event. "They said this World Cup would make FIFA bankrupt, yet 700 million watched the event and it raked in an amount of US$2.5 billion for FIFA. This World Cup debunked all the myths and distortions," he added.

Premier Zweli Mkhize said the 2010 FIFA World Cup was used to market not only Kwazulu-Natal as a province but the whole of Africa and South Africa. "We hosted dignitaries, celebrities and ambassadors. We showcased our province and country not only as a tourism destination but also as one in which international investors could invest. People will remember us for the Vuvuzela that even Chinese people were able to pronounce when they left."

Uniting Africa

He said the greatest achievement of the SA 2010 World Cup was that it united the people of Africa. "We debunked all the myths surrounding Africa. We slayed the dragons of pessimism about Africa. It was pessimism where people thought that nothing worked, there is constant fighting, coups and famine - they never had a reason to praise Africa. Africa is now the envy of many countries who still want to host the World Cup. The SA 2010 World Cup attracted 28 heads of states, 20 of them from Africa - very few countries that have hosted the World Cup can record this," said Mkhize.

"We were honoured to host the fifth summit in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. It was our intention to say thank you to the people of South Africa for organising a first class event in Africa. The event put the African continent on the world stage. The re-branding of Africa is an evolving process that will continue over a period of ten years until Africa is set in a more positive light in the minds of millions," said AU ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett, head of mission DAF.

The deliberations of the media summit attended by football stars, and media including African and South African journalists, and students, will be tabled before the African Union as part of the process to leverage a more positive image for Africa from all leaders including government and the media.


[8 Nov 2010 11:45]

http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/410/147/54070.html

[romanSA]

King of the Cage makes first African appearance in Durban

Move over Vegas and enter the ICC Durban, as the first African host of the MMA (mixed martial arts) King of the Cage Fight on 25 November 2010 in the Arena. Acting CEO of the venue, Jeremy Hurter, says they will be working with the organisers to ensure that patrons will enjoy an evening of glamour and excitement similar to that of Las Vegas.

http://www.bizcommunity.com/InBrief/196/40/10062.html

[romanSA]

Originally Posted by dysan1

We really need to dig more on this refurb of the DEC and what it entails

I am also very curious to see what this will mean for the ICC as a whole, especially the kinds of events the refurbishments will enable the ICC to bid for. According to the ICC website, the Exhibition Centre alone has approximately 10,000m2 of space, and it offers an additional 20,000 m2 of outdoor space in its plaza for exhibitions etc. That's pretty impressive, especially if you combine with the ICC arena and main ICC building.

Has anyone checked out the nearby Olive Convention Centre (the Ice Rink complex that recently hosted the national ANC Convention)? Seems the developers did quite a nice job converting the old cinemas (the erstwhile large Ocean City cinema and smaller O'Connor cinema), and part of the ice rink, to convention facilities. It also offers additional smaller conference rooms. If this was adjacent to the ICC, it could have been incorporated into the Albert Luthuli ICC campus, and would have been a good addition to the current ICC campus facilities (Olive currently offers over 2,200m2 of space; if the remaining ice rink is converted into conferencing venues, this would presumably rise to over 3,000 m2).

See: http://www.oliveconventioncentre.co....=86&Itemid=165

and: http://www.oliveconventioncentre.co....uments/OCC.pdf

[dysan1]

The developers of the Olive Convention Centre announced awhile back that they have further amibitious expansion plans which include restoring a full Olympic size rink and potential high rise development...

DB mentioned he was somehow involved? any insights?

PS... It actually looks very good from those images on their website!

[Mo Rush]

I have just received news that Durban is currently the confirmed front-runner for COP17. I cannot confirm this but I thought I'd share what I've heard.

The second round of bid submissions and replies to questions from the first submission are just about complete, if not entirely complete.

[Mo Rush]

Originally Posted by Mo Rush

I have just received news that Durban is currently the confirmed front-runner for COP17. I cannot confirm this but I thought I'd share what I've heard.

The second round of bid submissions and replies to questions from the first submission are just about complete, if not entirely complete.

UN selects Durban for talks on climate

November 12, 2010 Edition 2
MELANIE GOSLING Environment Writer
DURBAN has won the bid for the UN's climate change talks next November, beating Cape Town and Johannesburg.


The negotiations, which were held in Copenhagen last year and in Cancun this year, are one of the biggest UN gatherings. About 35 000 to 40 000 people attended the talks in Denmark last year.



Having the climate talks was hotly contested as the gathering is likely to inject about R1 billion of spending into the host city.
The host city also enjoys a high profile for the duration of the two-week talks.


The purpose of the talks is to thrash out a global, binding agreement to tackle climate change after the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012. The talks failed in Copenhagen, and if the talks in Cancun later this month also fail to deliver, the negotiations in South Africa next year are likely to become "the big one" when the pressure will be on to reach consensus.


Some eyebrows have been raised by the choice of Durban, as the city has only one five-star hotel in a 15km radius of the city's conference venue. Cape Town has 18.


Questions have also been asked as to why the planned site-visit by UN staff was cancelled earlier this month at short notice without explanation. Some suggest this points to the fact that the decision was a political one, rather than one based on the city best able to host the event.



However, Joanne Yawitch, a deputy director-general at the Department of Environment Affairs, said yesterday that the decision had been based purely on the fact that Durban had the best facilities, adding that there was "nothing sinister" in the UN officials cancelling their visit.


"They were very involved with (the negotiations) in Mexico, and they could not come when we wanted them to. They agreed that we could go ahead," Yawitch said.


City of Cape Town officials were not available to comment.
melanie.gosling@inl.co.za

[p2bsa]

Told ya so!!!
And that report is 'sour grapes' cos CT was strong as was Durban and JHB...
Durban is more than capable. And lets not kid ourselves politics always play a role... it's the nature of the world...

AS I reiterate - Don't underestimate Durban!
We love political support - but work really hard at everything we do... just like with the Olympics, we've been strategically positioning ourselves for all this (see article below ref to Bonn - where COP HQ is based), which shows our seriousness - not just sitting back cos we have political support...
I also have it on good authority that DBN is putting more money into this than CT... which in addition to our ICC - won it for us.


Council Members Voicing Local Action on Biodiversity
Bonn, 20 October 2010.

From the 24 to 26 October local authorities will gather in Nagoya for the City Biodiversity Summit organized in parallel to the international negotiations of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The summit is organized by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and the CBD secretariat.

Six members of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change are representing their city at the summit. More than ever before, it is obvious that climate change and biodiversity are overlapping global sustainability issues. Once again, local leadership can make a difference by addressing the problem at its roots and contributing to the building of global action. The Council is looking forward to initiating synergies between the outcomes of this summit and the next World Mayors Summit on Climate in Mexico City on 21 November.

The members present at the summit are:

David Cadman, Councilor of Vancouver, Canada and President of ICLEI
Lucciano Ducci, Mayor of Curitiba, Brasil
Imma Mayol, Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Spain
Obed Mlaba, Mayor of eThekwini Municipality (Durban), South AfricaGérald Tremblay, Mayor of Montréal, Canada
Naomi Tsur, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Israel
About the Summit

The City Biodiversity Summit aims to confirm the importance of "Cities and Biodiversity, "facilitate the sharing of information and exchange of experiences among local authorities worldwide, and appeal to the world the need for further expanding local initiatives to conserve biodiversity.

It also plans to confirm the CBD Plan of Action on Cities, Local Authorities and Biodiversity, which is needed for promoting the Convention on Biological Diversity at the local level, and deliberate on the flexible use of an index which enables local authorities to monitor biodiversity effectively.

The Summit results will be put together in the declaration and presented at the CBD COP 10 High Level Segment to introduce the initiatives taken by local governments.

Source: http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=10327

[Mo Rush]

Originally Posted by p2bsa

Told ya so!!!
And that report is 'sour grapes' cos CT was strong as was Durban and JHB...
Durban is more than capable. And lets not kid ourselves politics always play a role... it's the nature of the world...

Indeed. Congrats.

[dysan1]

Great news indeed. p2bsa seriously though, there is no need to be so OTT in response. the article has some flaws though. only one 5 star hotel in 15km radius? really? i can name 4 off the top of my head. but yes most are north. i can tell you now as i said before. durban won it simply down to the security and lock down nature of the icc site. you can completely close it off to the outside world.

Massive win for the city