SPECIAL FEATURE Events
SPECIAL FEATURE Events The FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa in 2010 created a surge in the number of foreign visitors to the country. The Eastern Cape hosted 260 000 foreign visitors in that year and the province became a favoured destination for international travel agents. In 2017 foreign visitor numbers ticked upwards close to the 2010 peak, and a focus on events is one of the reasons for this trend. Grahamstown hosts the National Arts Festival every year, an 11-day extravaganza of performance art, music of every sort, art exhibitions, film, lectures, craft fairs and workshops. More than 240 000 people attended the 2015 festival and a study has put the economic impact of the festival at R349.9-million. Port Elizabeth hosts matches in the international Super Rugby series. The provincial tourism body calculates the public relations value of the rugby hosting as R18-million with an “economic spin off in excess of R150-million”. Port Elizabeth maintained its reputation for “firsts” when it hosted South Africa’s first-ever day-night cricket Test match in 2017. With brand-new lighting of the latest design, St George’s Park cricket ground was illuminated to the highest international standards. The innovative lighting system will now give events organisers options that never existed before in terms of lighting shows and coordinated lighting programmes that can be tuned to musicians’ needs. Another major feather in Port Elizabeth’s cap is the decision by the international 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship to designate official qualifier status to an event to be held on the first two days of September 2008. Hobie Beach will be the main focus of the event, as it is for the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship which has been held since 2015. The city held its first IRONMAN event as far back as 2004. Enthusiastic crowds of up to 80 000 have been known to line the route and the event will undoubtedly be a fillip for the local economy. More than 6 000 athletes are expected to participate. Other popular events in Port Elizabeth include the Herald Cycle Tour and the Ocean Racing Series (a world championship). Buffalo City has its own IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon. In 2018 the 11th running of the event was held in the last week of January, and East London is home to several other popular cycling and running events. ONLINE RESOURCES Apple Express: www.appleexpresstrain.co.za Buffalo City Tourism: www.bctourism.co.za Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board: www.ecgbb.co.za Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency: www.visiteasterncape.co.za Mandela Bay Development Agency: www.mbda.co.za National Arts Festival: www.nafest.co.za Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism: www.nmbt.co.za EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018 24
Maritz Electrical FOCUS St George’s Park lighting installation is a world first. Maritz Electrical, a premier supplier and installer of dedicated sports lighting, was tasked with erecting a new lighting system at St George’s Park cricket ground in record time. This complicated flagship project was completed on time and on budget and makes South Africa’s oldest Test match ground the first International Cricket Council-compliant, LED-lit stadium and the first such stadium to be fitted with theatrics. Where before the lighting level was 800 Lux, it is now 2000 Lux. The LED lighting makes for a much brighter light and far more flexible. No warm-up is required and so the theatrics can be employed at any time: flashing, chasing and picking out patterns in the lights. With the possibility of holding light shows before and after events, safety is improved because crowds will come in early and linger later. LED technology also reduces consumption significantly. St George’s Park Cricket Ground. St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth’s famous ground, was the site of the first-ever Test match to be played on South African soil, back in March 1889. Over four days in December 2017, the ground celebrated another landmark – South Africa hosted Zimbabwe in the first-ever day-night Test match. The R27-million contract was completed on time and on budget by a team from Maritz Electrical led by Warren Williams. Two project managers from Musco Lighting, the supplier, supported the installation. The lights on top of the Duck Pond Pavilion were hoisted at night, the process being illuminated by floodlight. Maritz Electrical Maritz has installed lighting systems at a number of schools, universities, multi-sports stadia, including a recent big project for the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, the Kaizer Sebothelo Stadium. Maritz Electrical has an internationally compliant management system in place. Musco (leading supplier of electrical sports lights) is one of our established relationships that allows us to provide products of a similar quality to that of Twickenham Stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. We work closely with our customers, ensuring that the task or project is completed on time and on budget, using the highest quality products available. We specialise in all residential and commercial areas of electrical installation and maintenance. Our electrical services include project management, design, supply, installation, testing plus commissioning and maintenance of electrical systems. CONTACT INFO 7 Wetton Road, Kenilworth, Cape Town, 7800 Tel: +27 21 703 0867 Fax: +27 21 703 0868 Cell: 071 364 7354 Email: info@maritzelectrical.co.za Website: www.maritzelectrical.co.za 25 EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018
