eThekwini Municipality - LOERIES AWARDS ALREADY YIELDING POSITIVE SPIN-OFFS2016-05-25 The City’s decision to host one of the biggest advertising awards, the Loeries Awards is already yielding good results. An economic impact study conducted by an independent company, Grant Thornton has revealed that the City raked in R117 million within its first year of hosting the Loeries Awards.
This was revealed by the Loeries Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Human, during the Loeries Town hall meeting that was held in Westville last week. The aim of meeting was to share information with local business and individuals who might be interested in participating during the Loeries Creative Week. The Loeries Awards and Loeries Creative Week will take place at Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre from 15 -16 August 2016. The prestigious awards were attended by over 4 000 delegates last year and had a total footprint of 16 000 people. “The City of Durban is looking forward to being the host city to one of the most powerful and influential creative gatherings in the brand communications industry,†said Phillip Sithole, Head of Durban Tourism. He added that the awards will culminate into one of the best platforms to showcase the City’s rich diversity and natural beauty while also presenting the opportunity to uplift the local creative industry and empower emerging talent in the city. “We anticipate that the influx of the creative experts and leaders from the continent will also increase the global advertising and filming opportunities for the destination marketing of the city. “This year we intend to showcase of City's unique culture and lifestyle by extending some of the experiences into our Township Tourism nodes, as the buzz word in tourism now is: keep it authentic, organic and real,†said Sithole. About 60 percent of the delegates that came to Durban for the Loeries were from Gauteng, 21 percent were from the Western Cape and three percent were international delegates. The statistics generated also showed that 99 percent of the delegates stayed for two or more nights while 43 percent remained for four or more nights. The survey further revealed that 94 percent of the delegates interviewed said that the City of Durban was an excellent venue to host the Loeries while 97 percent said they would recommend Durban to others. The majority of these delegates were in Durban for the first time. “The advertising and media industry is worth R40 billion and we are happy to have contributed to the economy of the City by bringing the Loeries to Durban. From the bookings that we have received from the agencies, we can confirm that the number of people coming to the event will surpass last year’s figures,†said Human. EThekwini Municipality Speaker, Councillor, Logie Naidoo, said at a time when economic growth and unemployment are major challenges, the City was excited to see its innovative ways yielding the desired results. Events like the Loeries, he said, have proved to be a significant boost to the economy. “This R117 million economic boost was generated through accommodation, meals, and transport. The Loeries didn’t only create 500 jobs for locals, but also exposed over 150 tertiary students to the advertising industry. About 39 traders also benefited through the I Heart Loeries Market. This is in line with our mandate of creating jobs and ending poverty,†said Naidoo. ENDS Issued by the eThekwini Municipality’s Head of Communications, Tozi Mthethwa. For more information contact the Municipal Spokesperson Thulani Mbatha on 031 311 4820 or email: thulani.mbatha1@durban.gov.za or Princess Nkabane on 031 311 4818 or email: princess.nkabane@durban.gov.za |
eThekwini Municipality - LOERIES AWARDS ALREADY YIELDING POSITIVE SPIN-OFFS
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