Upcoming SETE Gala Dinner Celebrates the Achievements of the SA Olympic Team

The upcoming Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) Gala Dinner (12September), malady which is to kick off the SETE exhibition (12–14 September) andconference (12-13 September), healing has also been chosen by SASCOC (South AfricanSports Confederation and Olympic Committee) to celebrate the hugelysuccessful South African Olympic Team.

A night of glitz and glamour isguaranteed, with multiple-SAMAwinner Lira set to entertain a star-studdedcrowd that will include Durban-born Olympic gold and silver medalist Chad leClos. The Gala Dinner will take place at the ICC Durban, and is hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism (KZNDEDT),EThekwini Municipality and Durban Tourism.With ticket sales to
the event set to go live on Wednesday 22 August 2012,members of the public will be able to join sponsors, dignitaries, and theirOlympic heroes in expressing their gratitude to our Olympic athletes whoflew the South African flag high at the London Olympics.

An evening dedicated to promoting South African Culture will see welcomes
from KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development Tourism Mike Mabuyakhulu and Mayor of Durban James Nxumalo, as well as from a selection of athletes andsports celebrities. Autograph and photo opportunities for guests withathletes and personalities will also take place, allowing local, nationaland international businesses, sports fanatics, sponsors and supporters achance to rub shoulders and share in the athletes’ experiences in London.

James Seymour (CEO of the Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau, which was responsible for bidding for SETE 2012 – 2014 and acting as the KZN DEDTimplementing agency for this event) said that “we are looking forward toshowcasing and congratulating the achievements of our London 2012 Olympic athletes at the SETE 2012 Gala Dinner. By sponsoring the SETE event, KZNDEDT hopes to raise the level of awareness amongst sport and eventorganisers of the wide range of sporting facilities that exist in Durban,and the rest of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as of the successful track recordthat this region has in terms of hosting significantevents.SETE is able tosuccessfully expose major sport and event buyers and organisers to thesporting facilities and sport sponsoring and support agencies in SouthAfrica.”

Sugen Pillay, Director forBusiness Development at TEPG and SETE ConferenceDirector, said: “we are looking forward to welcoming home our Olympic athletes, especially gold medalist Chad Le Clos, to the SETE Opening Dinner.

“These athletes have become brand ambassadors for South Africa and will definitely contribute positively to promoting our country as a sports tourism destination – something that SETE is striving to achieve. The evening promises to be a memorable one that will showcase South African culture through world class entertainment, also providing an opportunity to network with industry leaders.”

Both the SETE conference and exhibition (12-14 September) are intended topromote the country as a popular sports and events destination by facilitating relationships between South Africa’s tourism, sport and event industries. To this end, the SETE exhibition will feature an estimated 100 exhibitors as well as over 50 international hosted buyers (IHB’s), whilst the conference programme will include presentations and panel discussionsanchored by keynote speakers who are all specialists within their respectivefields.

A feature of the SETE conference thatis sure to generatesignificant interest will be the National Sports Tourism Steering committee’s presentation of its 17 year strategy.

Shaping and advancing South Africa’sdevelopment as a sports tourism destination, this plan will identify the keyinternational events that South Africa should bid for, as well as thedomestic events that need governmental support, in order to grow the country’s sports tourism industry.To book your SETE 2012 Gala Dinner ticket, or for more information, visitwww.sportsandevents.co.za