Cape Town: Business and pleasure?

Sitting in a US hotel that came down to pure elegance, I glimpsed an in-room magazine, Leading Hotels of the World. Impressed by the old world charm of the hotel with its newer modern tower block, the Amway Grand Plaza standing alongside the river in downtown Grand Rapids near Lake Michigan seemed indicative of the reason the small city had earned the title, San Francisco of the Mid-West.

Returning home it’s a remarkable feature of South Africa boasting a large number of these leading hotels. The One & Only at the Waterfront has an urban setting that reflects Waikiki on Hawaii’s main island of Honolulu where business and commercial outlets co-exist and interplay between a classy commercial downtown and beautiful beaches one block away. The One & Only’s private island and spa recreate a unique feel minutes from the downtown central business district one side and the Waterfront’s retail and harbour life on the other. It’s one example, but indicative enough of Cape Town’s growing reputation that has moved beyond pure leisure. Cape Town is home to several hotels ranked amongst the finest on the planet.



A recent Japanese business delegation in Cape Town was sold on two points during a meeting I sat in on two weeks ago. The first was the world class convention centre – set to expand - followed by reference to some of the top hotels of the world. South Africa’s sound financial institutions and position as a springboard into Africa make Cape Town a lifestyle destination – and its growing in the creative arts, communications and financial services like private equity and asset management.

In a world where conventions and conferences have become and industry unto themselves and executives can choose amongst a wide variety at which they can network and set in motion new business opportunities, Cape Town all the making for serving as a top conference spot. Few long-haul packages can beat a gateway into the African continent as well as some of the world’s most scenic and diverse landscapes amongst varied urban settings suited to a number of tastes.



But can you mix business and pleasure intricately? During the recent AfricaCom convention I slipped away for lunch, a side event at the major telecommunications convention at the CTICC which itself resembled something out of a tech gathering in Vegas: lights, gadgets, bubbly and sushi at some stands and stylishly dressed promoters mixing with high-level CEOs and company managers. Lunch was however served overlooking a Florida-style marina.

Within a ten minute walk of the CTICC we headed to the Cape Grace Hotel for one of many side-events and into another world. Inside a grand but elegantly style restaurant an excellent three course meal over a business presentation preceded all of us enjoying harbour views and cocktails as introductions kicked off.  Business talk permeated references to the city’s beauty by my host, a European telecommunications firm. Their message was clear enough: with Europe’s market rather stagnant, South Africa was to serve as the base of continent-wide operation to capture Africa’s growing consumer base. And to prove the point, the firm was readying itself to launch African operations from all-new regional headquarters in South Africa. It’s clear they were enjoying doing business in Cape Town.

Commerce aside, on leaving the hotel I sought advice on something light and fun for an American friend visiting in December; a charming concierge representative with a foreign accent suggested a harbour cruise from the hotel doorstep aboard one of the parked yachts in a marina resembling West Palm Beach’s yachting scene.

Of course, in the midst of such opulence the reality is many locked into the informal sector, excluded from the benefits of growth in the mainstream market economy. The good news is our hotels seem to boast impressive social responsibility programs.  Every single one seems to embrace some level of involvement, doing so diligently and often under the radar.

It’s easy to get starry eyed on Cape Town, but the facts bespeak a uniqueness that seen the city take an increasingly number of accolades while finding in several top ten cities list. The key features and associations currently include attractions from national parks to a harbour, kilometres of each peninsula coastline, pristine beaches and a bustling downtown amongst new nodes of industry and urban density.

Perhaps business tourism holds one of the best options for the South Africa’s second largest city to entrench its image beyond just vacations. Those who come on business tend to want to come back and conference organisers seem to know that offering a package that includes business and leisure is good enough to entice business people on the long-haul. Now thinkers in the city want those who like Cape Town to see the attraction of coming back – to work and live, with all the benefits of investment and skills.

That evening following AfricaCom convention I headed to the top floor of the Westin Grand for a cocktail reception hosted by Ireland’s recent trade delegation to South Africa. Stunning views from the top floor offered a choice of harbour and Waterfront views or downtown city centre with Table Mountain as the backdrop. The latter view was impressive to me as a local like myself: the skyline represents a vibrant CBD, open for business and comparable to what one expects to see in cities with a brand aligned to business.


For our visitors, the view was enough to earn several compliments to keynote speeches, while eager professionals pointed out the city’s popular spots for good restaurants and sightseeing between heavier discussions. Will tourism carry forward more than just money and job creation in the industry - and expand to attracting more business opportunities for those who want the pleasure of living or running companies with operations located in Cape Town?  Business executives I have encountered believe it’s possible, showing me tangible examples.

With more financial services firms in the city, a convention home to major events like the World Economic Forum and Africa’s first ever Fortune conference, it’s evident the city can sell its unique point for business networking and leisure, thereby leveraging its tourism brand to attract key decision makes who can drive investment and job creation from base into the continent and from within growing existing sectors that also serve local markets.

Cape Town needs more direct flights and a cruise liner terminal. It’s clear the city wants to get both, though it does require close co-operation with national decision-makers who oversee harbours and airports. Like any city, ensuring it’s easy to do business in the context of a well-run enabling environment is a winner.

Cape Town’s brand is changing and we may see choices beyond holidays amongst professionals keen to embrace a lifestyle rooted in Cape Town’s growing business sectors. As home-grown asset management entrepreneur of humble origins described it: “It’s a unique African southern California with sound business prospects and a good regulatory environment”.

By Garreth Bloor

www.capetown.travel/business