Tourism SMMEs and students cross pollinate skills

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The partnership stems from the Love Cape Town Marketing Incubator developed by Cape Town Tourism, a one-day workshop to help SMMEs understand more about how to market their business taking their financial constraints into consideration. The Incubator involves an overview of basic marketing principles, and access to Cape Town Tourism’s marketing managers, who apply their knowledge and offer advice to the individual businesses to accelerate their branding and marketing potential, through speed dating sessions.

“This marketing incubator puts into practice what many are discussing when it comes to skills development; it’s a practical approach to ensure that current and future generations of tourism professionals have access to top-level knowledge in a working environment. Tourism is a hands-on industry, so it’s fitting that tourism specialists are working face-to-face with business owners to offer best-practice tips and proven steps to enhance what their businesses have to offer," says James Vos, mayoral committee member for economic opportunities and asset management

“Not all of us have the means to go to university, and it’s well-known that SMMEs face multiple challenges in developing a business and keeping it sustainable. The incubator helps our SMMEs through their journey, and gives them the credibility and stamp of approval from one of Cape Town’s most respected tertiary educational institutions," says Leigh Dawber, marketing executive, Cape Town Tourism

The incubator has been developed into a lesson plan so that students can have access to these current marketing methods and material, whilst using real-life businesses to apply their skills in practice.

Parallel learning

Directly connecting the students and the SMMEs, provides another parallel learning opportunity, where the fourth-year technology tourism and events management students use these SMME businesses for their end-year marketing plans.

The partnership also covers internships, guest lectures and orientation activations.