This November, Joburg will be awash with soccer legends, top players and leading clubs and football-playing nations when Soccerex comes to town.
January 24, 2007
By Tammy O'Reilly
THE world's largest sporting exhibition, Soccerex 2007, will be held at one of Joburg's premier venues, the Sandton Convention Centre.
The Gauteng provincial government won the bid to host Soccerex from 2007 to 2009, and in its first year it will take place at the Joburg convention centre from 26 to 28 November.
Sandton Convention Centre is a prime exhibition venue, with world-class communication technology and amenities. It is also capable of hosting up to 10 000 people at a time. Its most important attribute, however, is its location in the heart of the luxury hotel, business and entertainment district. This makes it convenient for holidaymakers and business tourists alike.
"I would like to assure and reassure the country and the rest of the world that we are ready to host this exhibition," said Mati Nyazema, the centre's executive director. "We have the technical expertise and the hospitality expertise to ensure that Soccerex will be a resounding success."
It is projected that Soccerex will bring in more than R700-million to the economy as well as give the province billions of rands worth of media coverage. It is anticipated that more than R7-billion in business deals will be negotiated at this year's Soccerex.
The event will showcase Joburg's business and conferencing facilities, hospitality, transport and communication infrastructure, culture and tourism drawcards, and business opportunities ahead of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. Joburg is the host city for that event, holding the opening and closing matches, among others.
Speaking at a media conference at the Sandton Convention Centre on Tuesday, 23 January, Gauteng MEC for sport and recreation Barbara Creecy said that the province was committed to creating opportunities for small and medium business owners to be a part of Soccerex.
"Although exhibiting space is very limited and understandably also expensive, we want to ensure smaller businesses also get a slice of the pie through selling and marketing domestic products and services."
Soccerex attracts the who's who of soccer from across the globe, with football legends, top football clubs and football-playing nations taking part. It is the only convention that gives exhibitors and delegates the opportunity to network with suppliers, manufacturers, key buyers and decision-makers in international football.
More than 300 exhibitors are expected to attend the event this year.
Last year's Soccerex took place in Dubai; when stalls for the Gauteng leg of the exhibition went on sale, more people booked for these than the number of people exhibiting in Dubai.
"Having witnessed the enthusiasm and interest shown by exhibitors in Dubai during last year's event, I am confident that Soccerex will allow Gauteng and the nation the opportunity to showcase our competitive advantages on the international stage," Creecy said.
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