THE City’s decision to host one of the biggest advertising awards, the Loeries Awards is already yielding good results, says Andrew Human, CEO of the Loeries.
An economic impact study conducted by an independent company, Grant Thornton, has revealed that the City raked in R117 million within its first year of hosting the Loeries Awards. This was revealed by Human during the Loeries meeting that was held in Westville last week. The aim of meeting was to share information with local business and people who might be interested in participating during the Loeries Creative Week.
The Loeries Awards and Loeries Creative Week takes place at the International Convention Centre from 15 to 16 Augus. Last year more than 4000 delegates attended the awards.
“The City of Durban is looking forward to being the host city to one of the most powerful and influential creative gatherings in the brand communications industry,” said Phillip Sithole, Head of Durban Tourism.
He added that the awards will culminate into one of the best platforms to showcase the City’s rich diversity and natural beauty while also presenting the opportunity to uplift the local creative industry and empower emerging talent in the city.
“We anticipate that the influx of the creative experts and leaders from the continent will also increase the global advertising and filming opportunities for the destination marketing of the city. This year we intend to showcase of City’s unique culture and lifestyle by extending some of the experiences into our Township Tourism nodes, as the buzz word in tourism now is: keep it authentic, organic and real,” said Sithole.
EThekwini Municipality Speaker, Councillor, Logie Naidoo, said at a time when economic growth and unemployment are major challenges, the City was excited to see its innovative ways yielding the desired results. Events like the Loeries, he said, have proved to be a significant boost to the economy.
“This R117 million economic boost was generated through accommodation, meals, and transport. The Loeries didn’t only create 500 jobs for locals, but also exposed over 150 tertiary students to the advertising industry. About 39 traders also benefited through the I Heart Loeries Market. This is in line with our mandate of creating jobs and ending poverty,” said Naidoo.
