Meeting News - November 10, 2008 - (Page 4C)

WHY SOUTH AFRICA? A sk world travelers what they think is the most beautiful city on the planet, and odds are good that the answer will be Cape Town, backed by towering Table Mountain and facing the blue expanse of Table Bay. The Indian Ocean city of Durban offers a sophisticated stew of Zulu, British, and Indian cultures, a seven-and-a-half-mile long beach, lively casinos, and leafy suburbs. Johannesburg, ringed by such glistening new satellite towns as Sandton and Rosebank, offers a lively arts scene and a glimpse into the country’s history, and it has the business infrastructure that large conventions demand. All three offer superb convention centers and smaller meeting facilities, top-notch technology and support services, and a work force committed to providing warm hospitality. They also can boast something important: significant experience as a meetings host. South Africa has, after all, successfully hosted the world's largest conference, The World Summit on Sustainable Development, attended in 2002 by 22,000 people. In 2010, the country hosts the FIFA World Cup, to be held in 10 different stadiums in nine South African cities. The soccer tournament is viewed by billions around the world. Winning the World Cup bid shows clearly that South Africa’s international airports, road and rail system, and hotel infrastructure can move, feed, and host many thousands of people at NOVEMBER 2008 “For many people, South Africa programs are the dream of a lifetime. Some clients have chosen to go there repeatedly, which is very unusual in the incentive market. It is simply because the experience is that outstanding: the lodges, the great variety of activities, the exceptional evening options, and the super service all combine to create a lasting memory for guests.” —Sally Armontrout, Maritz Travel Company NOVEMBER 2008 SUPPLEMENT TO once. It will take hard work to make it happen without a glitch, but the country is prepared to meet the challenge. Perhaps that “ready for anything” mentality helps to explain South African Tourism’s slogan for meeting and convention travel: Business unusual. Much of that business, in fact, is done in the bush given that incentive groups and meeting post-trips inevitably go on safari. That option alone drives planners’ choice many times. ● Produced by the Travel and Performance Group Special Projects Department 770 Broadway New York, NY 10003 Editorial: (305) 884-0295 Advertising: (646) 654-7333 Marilyn Moore, Director Melissa Burdick Harmon, Writer Denniston Brown, Creative Director & Design Grace Casey, Production Manager 1

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Meeting News - November 10, 2008 MN Exclusive Research Green & Social Responsibility: The Year that Was in Meetings Incentive Special: Recovering from AIG Perspectives What's Up @ MeetingNews.com Letters to the Editor Inside the Meetings Industry South Africa Supplement Newsmaker Q&A People Making News Hotels & Resorts Starwood Hopes E-Portal is Small Meeting Utopia Intercontinental O'Hare Puts Art at Forefront Convention Centers Dallas and Philadelphia Move on Their Projects CVBs Jacksonville Markets to Medical, Cultural Groups International Jamaica's Rose Hall Area Blossoms with Resorts EIBTM Puts Together an Ambitious Program Transportation & Services Meeting News South Technology Green Beat Destination Insider Fort Lauderdale Cleveland Incentive Report Mexico MN Webcast Report Ad Index Live from the Forum

Meeting News - November 10, 2008

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