Durban ICC, Durban ICC offers the largest flat floor, column free multi-purpose event space in Africa. Incorporating the Durban ICC Arena and Durban Exhibition Centre, the complex offers 112,000m² of flexible exhibition and meeting spaceOpened by former president, Nelson Mandela in 1997, the Durban ICC was South Africa’s first International Convention Centre and has played a pioneering role in attracting international events to our shores since its inception. The Durban ICC took the coveted award for being Africa’s leading convention venue for a second time in 2021, after winning in 2020, and was also adjudged South Africa’s Best Convention Centre 2021 at the World MICE Awards. The Durban ICC offers the largest flat floor, column free multi-purpose event space in Africa. Incorporating the Durban ICC Arena and Durban Exhibition Centre, the complex offers 112,000m² of flexible exhibition and meeting space. The Durban ICC is also committed to upholding the highest international standards of service delivery. In addition to its five-star grading from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, the Centre has also been awarded a Gold Certification from the AIPC Quality Standards programme, which is the highest level of certification in this international accreditation in the conventions industry. Demonstrating its commitment to quality, the Durban ICC is five-star graded by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa and maintains its ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO22000 and ISO45001 certifications ensuring the highest international standards in Quality Management, Environmental Responsibility, Food Safety and Health and Safety. The Durban ICC is only convention centre in the country to hold all four of these certifications. The Durban ICC Arena offers full technical capacity for live broadcasts as well as house lighting suitable for TV production filming. The Centre houses four onsite generators which can fully power the centre in the event of power disruptions. The on-site business centre offers an internet cafe, as well as banking and foreign exchange facilities and medical services. The Durban ICC delivers a 5-star events experience that exceeds our clients’ expectations, in an innovative, sustainable and proudly multi-cultural African way Little wonder then, that the Durban ICC is recognised as Africa’s leading convention centre.The Durban ICC has made an immense contribution to both the provincial and national economies since its foundation. In spite of the challenging economic environment, the Durban ICC has managed to show a profit consecutively in the last seven financial periods. Rakharebe said, “I believe our continued success is a result of a concerted effort between our staff, our strategic partners in the City and Province and the loyal support of our clients. This, coupled with diligent management and sound financial controls at all levels of the organisation all help to contribute to the overall success of the Durban ICC. In addition, Rakharebe is well aware of the challenges of a being a woman leader in the often male dominated world of business. She commented, “As a woman, you are gifted; you are a natural lifegiver and whatever you give life to will increase and grow. So whatever challenges you face as a woman, you know how to manoeuvre, whether it’s leading a company or propelling a cause. I believe a woman influences everything she touches.” Empowering others to achieve their highest performance by instilling confidence in all of her team is an important part of Rakharebe’s daily activities. “I believe I have an ability to get the best out of people, enabling them to perform at their optimum. My staff tells me that I lead with love and respect. By loving and respecting my staff I hope to bring the best out of them, which ultimately benefits the organisation,” said Rakharebe. “But the most important thing in remaining Africa’s Leading Convention Centre is that we exceed our clients’ expectations and provide an exceptional experience for each and every event we host,” said Rakharebe. She continued, “I am proud that we had the opportunity to host the Africa’s Travel Indaba, the Sustainable Living Exhibition and the African Renaissance Concert in May. Looking ahead, I am also excited about some of our upcoming events, including the AfricaBio Convention, the World Conference on Drowning Prevention and the United Cities and Local Government Congress 2019.” Rakharebe strongly believes that the Durban ICC has an important role to play in promoting sustainable economic growth for eThekwini including job creation. Rakharebe commented, “I would like to see meaningful enterprise development for SMMEs taking place at a grass-roots level. The Durban ICC has always recognised that the growth of the South African economy is largely dependent on the extent to which historically disadvantaged South Africans participate meaningfully in its growth. However, in order to grow it is also necessary to facilitate a positive future business development environment to attract both domestic and international investment in Durban and South Africa.” “Whilst we celebrate all the good strides we have made in business, we must be mindful that there is still a lot more that needs to be done.” concluded Rakharebe.The Durban ICC has made an immense contribution to both the provincial and national economies since its foundation. In spite of the challenging economic environment, the Durban ICC has managed to show a profit consecutively in the last seven financial periods. Rakharebe said, “I believe our continued success is a result of a concerted effort between our staff, our strategic partners in the City and Province and the loyal support of our clients. This, coupled with diligent management and sound financial controls at all levels of the organisation all help to contribute to the overall success of the Durban ICC. In addition, Rakharebe is well aware of the challenges of a being a woman leader in the often male dominated world of business. She commented, “As a woman, you are gifted; you are a natural lifegiver and whatever you give life to will increase and grow. So whatever challenges you face as a woman, you know how to manoeuvre, whether it’s leading a company or propelling a cause. I believe a woman influences everything she touches.” Empowering others to achieve their highest performance by instilling confidence in all of her team is an important part of Rakharebe’s daily activities. “I believe I have an ability to get the best out of people, enabling them to perform at their optimum. My staff tells me that I lead with love and respect. By loving and respecting my staff I hope to bring the best out of them, which ultimately benefits the organisation,” said Rakharebe. “But the most important thing in remaining Africa’s Leading Convention Centre is that we exceed our clients’ expectations and provide an exceptional experience for each and every event we host,” said Rakharebe. She continued, “I am proud that we had the opportunity to host the Africa’s Travel Indaba, the Sustainable Living Exhibition and the African Renaissance Concert in May. Looking ahead, I am also excited about some of our upcoming events, including the AfricaBio Convention, the World Conference on Drowning Prevention and the United Cities and Local Government Congress 2019.” Rakharebe strongly believes that the Durban ICC has an important role to play in promoting sustainable economic growth for eThekwini including job creation. Rakharebe commented, “I would like to see meaningful enterprise development for SMMEs taking place at a grass-roots level. The Durban ICC has always recognised that the growth of the South African economy is largely dependent on the extent to which historically disadvantaged South Africans participate meaningfully in its growth. However, in order to grow it is also necessary to facilitate a positive future business development environment to attract both domestic and international investment in Durban and South Africa.” “Whilst we celebrate all the good strides we have made in business, we must be mindful that there is still a lot more that needs to be done.” concluded Rakharebe.