THE 2008 edition of the longest running beauty contest in history, the Miss World Pageant, will be hosted by the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on December 13.
The conference centre has secured the right to stage the event after political unrest on Russia’s border with Georgia forced organisers to move the pageant, which was to be held in Kiev on October 4.
“This is fantastic news for the Sandton Convention Centre and the city of Johannesburg,” says Mati Nyazema, executive director of Sandton Convention Centre. “Not only are we able to offer a world-class venue that can compete with similar facilities anywhere in the world, we have the tourism infrastructure to support the staging of this large and significant event.
Announcing the selection of Johannesburg as the host city, Julia Morley, chairman of Miss World Limited, said she had been impressed by the city’s bid. "The speed with which they implemented their proposal and their professionalism demonstrates that we can stage a successful Miss World in Johannesburg."
The 58th annual Miss World contest will mark the 6th time that this gala event has been held in South Africa. The pageant took place at Sun City from 1992 to 1995 and in 2001.
Other forthcoming events to be hosted at the SCC include the African Diaspora Summit in October and Soccerex, a four-day networking conference for rights holders and suppliers involved in international soccer, in November.
