Short-term training stories

We have chosen two short-term training experiences from the year in review, highlighting the ongoing commitment of the CTICC to providing learning opportunities that broaden people‘s horizons.

Olivia Bruce: Cultivating a sustainable brand in a global context
Head of Marketing – Commercial department

Olivia has been at the CTICC for most of our first two decades and has risen through the ranks to be Head of Marketing today. Working at the CTICC has profoundly shaped her perspective on the broader impact our meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) sector can have on the world around us. Working with industry colleagues has cemented that vision.

She attended the 61st International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) congress, held in Krakow, Poland, from 6 – 9 November 2022. Here, she received an award on behalf of the CTICC for our long-standing membership in ICCA – since we opened our doors in 2003.

The CTICC‘s former managing director, Dirk Elzinga, acknowledged and expressed his delight and pride that Olivia was the one who accepted the award. This was because during his tenure, Olivia began her journey with us and the CTICC joined ICCA, so it was a full circle moment for us all.

The overarching message of this trade association conference for an industry that was hit very hard by the pandemic was, tellingly, ‘Together We Can‘. The three most important things she learned from the event focused on:

• Embracing technology and digitization, including the rise of ‘hybrid worlds‘ such as holographic displays and other immersive experiences;
• Distinctive brand differentiation, which links to a number of factors – country branding, diversity and inclusion, venue offering, wellness policies, legacy practices and sustainability commitments;
• Environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles as a core component of a brand by embracing planet, people and integrity in a regenerative context that promises genuine sustainability for the sector over time.

The CTICC is already making great strides in these areas, reinforcing Olivia‘s belief in the CTICC‘s and the sector‘s brand and sustainability commitments.

Our Sustainable ethos not only inspires me to drive more events to the venue but also reinforces my belief in the power of purpose-driven work.

Concludes Olivia.

Alex Gird: Going green for a vital environment
Maintenance Manager – Operations department

Alex Gird has been with the CTICC since 2012. He attended a Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) seminar from 2 – 4 November 2022. GBCSA advocates for all buildings to be designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable manner and to this end, they offer certifications and training to their members.

The CTICC has been a member of GBCSA for several years and has received a 4-star Green Star Building accreditation for CTICC 2 from the governing body.

For Alex, the seminar was a “reality check” in terms of carbon emissions. To ensure a sustainable future, these emissions need to be reduced and a mindset shift is needed when designing buildings and driving transformation. It is not just about the three Rs anymore – reducing, recycling, reusing. There is now a fourth R: regenerating… Energy, in particular, so that we reduce to a minimum the resources we use and hopefully generate extra as well – all to tackle climate change. And that affects both building design and energy conservation in equal measure. So, the seminar gave him some valuable tools to upskill himself and improve overall sustainability in our business, he says.

Alex is a key member of our Nurture Our World (NOW) team and plans to share his learnings with the rest of NOW so that we can continue leaving lasting, positive impressions on our environment.