June 25, 2004
By Lucille Davie
THE need to give Sandton a specific identity has led to the creation of Sandton Central, a hub of businesses in the area bounded by Grayston and Sandton drives, and Rivonia Road.
Sandton Central comes out of the need to make the area more attractive to businesses, residents, visitors and tourists.
It is co-ordinated by the Sandton Central Marketing Committee, which comprises representatives of the Sandton Business Improvement District and the Sandton City and Convention Centre Improvement District. These two bodies were formed in 2002 and 2001 respectively; both will now dissolve to form Sandton Central.
Sandton, which contains several top-class hotels and shopping centres, is one of the premier business and tourist destinations of Johannesburg - and South Africa too.
The need to define and shape the area came about as a result of the word "Sandton" being used to refer to a broad chunk of the northern suburbs, from Buccleuch in the east to Fourways in the west.
"Calling this particular area Sandton Central will therefore give it a definite persona and those who live, work, play and shop here will have a clear idea of its identity," explains Cara Reilly, the brand manager for Sandton Central.
The idea is similar to that behind Central Park and Grand Central Station in New York, or Hendon Central in London.
"We believe Sandton Central will give all stakeholders a sense of place and that the new name will assist us to re-position perceptions," says Reilly.
The Sandton business improvement administrators have brought cleanliness and security to the area. But there has been some concern that workers and visitors tend to become cocooned in their buildings and that little is happening outside.
In a survey of those who live in, work in and visit the area, it was found that - although there was "plenty of energy" around - people didn't step out on to the streets: they had their lunch in the office restaurant and went straight back to their desks.
These people work in "corporate silos" and their daily routine brings little interaction outside their offices.
The effect of this too is that there is little to make visitors spend an extra day in the city - something the city's tourism industry is keen to change.
"We will be encouraging business and leisure visitors to stay another day in Sandton Central. We also plan to work closely with all key stakeholders going forward - including residents and schools - and have some exciting events in the pipeline," says Reilly.
The conclusion of the survey was that there was a sense of complacency, even arrogance, on the part of those in the area. What was now needed was to "make the area optimal".
The brand mantra of Sandton Central will be that it will become an "enterprising global hub". The area will take on "an outward-looking personality" and be seen to be connected to "Alexandra, the Johannesburg CBD and beyond, as well as the key tourist attractions in Gauteng".
The project will be informed by five key words: define, spruce up, open up, connect and interconnect.
The area will develop a corporate identity and will be demarcated with banners and signboards. Sprucing-up will be intensified and more green spaces will be created. An activities map will open up the area.
The connecting process will involve an urban plan in which boulevards and open spaces will be created, to get people out of their offices and interacting on the streets. And Sandton Central will work to become more connected to the whole of Johannesburg.
The Sandton Central security staff - a controller, five supervisors, 46 officers on day shift and 13 on night shift - will wear red uniforms and will be known as the "men in red". Maintenance staff will don the same clothing.
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