Cape Town applies to join best cities alliance

CAPE Town has applied to join BestCities.net, a global alliance of convention bureaux that aims to deliver the world's best service experience for meeting planners, by adhering to guaranteed levels of service at the highest possible standard in the industry. BestCities.net, which Cape Town hopes to join, is currently composed of five of the world's premier meeting destinations - Boston (USA), Copenhagen (Denmark), Edinburgh (Scotland), Melbourne (Australia), and Vancouver (Canada). If accepted into the global alliance, Cape Town will become the sixth partner to commit to assured levels of service as a convention bureau. "Cape Town has long been a popular destination for conference, exhibition and incentive organisers, and with the scheduled opening of the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in August next year, we expect its popularity to increase exponentially," says Rick Taylor, chief executive officer of Cape Metropolitan Tourism. "We see BestCities.net, with its global linkages and web presence, as an excellent forum for making meeting planners aware that Cape Town is committed to guaranteeing a consistent standard of service excellence and is able to accommodate all possible meeting needs. "Meeting decision-makers are risk adverse. Joining the BestCities.net alliance removes any uncertainty and provides an assurance that their experience in Cape Town will be a good one," added Taylor. The Best Cities Alliance has established the industry's first global Client Service Charter which guarantees member convention bureaux service levels built around five key attributes: reliability, assurance, innovation, empathy, and responsiveness. (Miguel de Sousa)