Mother City retains Loeries, Creative Week to expand

Finalists will be announced throughout the week and the seminars will include international marketers and creative leaders. Additionally, Creative Week will be expanded and plans include an industry-focused expo, the Loeries Student Portfolio Day and the Creative Future Scholarship.

Creative Week Cape Town - a week-long celebration of creativity where companies and individuals are invited to expose their creativity to the industry's elite - was first initiated in 2010 in partnership with Loeries, as a legacy event to support Cape Town's now-successful bid for World Design Capital 2014.

Promote creativity, innovation

The above all forms part of the intention of Loeries to promote creativity and innovation as primary business tools and to grow the creative services sector. According to Loeries chairperson Boniswa Pezisa, the Loeries' "future focus is to build a compelling and industry engaging Creative Week with a strong accent on industry and people development."

Cape Town has been the home of the Loeries for past three years and the decision to continue to hold the awards in the city was arrived at by the Loeries committee based on a number of factors:

• continuity
  
• strategic alignment in building towards a national design capital
  
• venue - the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) provides a world-class raked auditorium seating for 2100 people [so much for upgrading the old Good Hope Centre venue and area - managing ed], and
  
• a strong conference infrastructure, including an international airport, public transport and a high density of hotel accommodation near the CTICC.

Comments Helen Zille, premier of the Western Cape, "The return of the Loeries to Cape Town for the fourth year in a row is something to celebrate as proof that the city is one that attracts investment and makes an attractive offering to the creative industry.

"In light of Cape Town's recent successful bid for the title of World Design Capital 2014, it is becoming clear to more and more people that the City of Cape Town is a choice destination and hub of increasing innovation and growing prosperity.

'Microcosm of city positioning'

Adds Patricia de Lille, executive mayor of Cape Town, "The Loeries are a microcosm of our positioning as a city. It is a reward for an industry that relies on innovation, excellence in design and finding new ways of bringing people together.

"This is exactly the kind of image we want to associate with Cape Town: a cutting-edge driver of bringing people together, fuelled by an unmatched dynamism and energy built by visionary design."

The Loerie Awards and the City of Cape Town are now in the process of drafting an agreement to cover the period 2012 - 2014.

The Loeries Festival Weekend is a major event on the brand communication industry's calendar, attracting around 5000 people, including CEOs, marketing directors, advertising executives, creative leaders, media owners, production companies and journalists.