SETE Conference and Exhibition set for Durban

SETE is a business-to-business platform that is aimed at positioning South Africa as a sports and events tourism destination. It encourages collaboration between the sports, events and tourism industries, which will showcase their product offerings to the attending international hosted buyers and SA corporates specialising in these sectors and who are interested in bringing business to South Africa.

Following the success of the previous three conferences, this year's conference is aimed at celebrating the successes and achievements of the events tourism industry over the past 20 years. This year the focus has been expanded to include arts, cultural and lifestyle events with sports events as part of the events tourism sector.

One of the driving forces behind the SETE 2014 is CATHSSETA, which focusses on developing skills in the sports tourism Industry. Education and training is important to ensure that sporting bodies have the prerequisite business skills to manage successful events and to benefit from the tourism opportunities arising from the hosting of such events.

Stimulate the exchange of ideas

The conference looks to stimulate the exchange of ideas that will enhance the sport, tourism, and event industries in South Africa and SETE has opened a space for events management learners to undergo internship programmes. CATHSSETA's involvement as a partner in hosting SETE conference over a three-year period has yielded positive results. This partnership has formed a platform to bring awareness and share information on CATHSSETA programmes and services to the sports and tourism audience.

In support of these objectives, this year CATHSSETA will recruit five learners to be placed on in internship whilst 15 other learners will be placed on learnerships with Thebe Reed as the lead employer and Peermont Global as the host employer on event support.

Thebe Reed has arranged for the learner work experience and, as such, the following places have been secured: Gauteng Motor Show (GMS) from 23-27 July, 2014; and Decorex Johannesburg from 4-11 August, 2014. These learners will also receive another work experience at Peermont Global on the planned conferences and other events hosted at Peermont-Emperors Palace.

"Workplace-based learning is a critical part of the learning process in today's terms," said Mike Tsotetsi, CEO of CATHSSETA. "With as high an unemployment rate as that which we currently have, having partners like Thebe supporting SETA interventions is not only positive for the country but life changing for the beneficiaries," concluded Tsotetsi.

The conference's aims and objectives are to assess the progress in implementing the resolutions adopted in the SETE 2013 conference, understand the skills and employment needs of the events tourism industry, the global and national trends associated with the sponsorship of events, the priorities of government in supporting events, the role that the media plays in supporting events and the challenges and opportunities to support youth development in the events tourism industry.

For more, go to www.sportsandevents.co.za.