KZN is looking to build a mega conference hall on the North Coast with capacity for over 120 000 visitors, MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Michael Mabuyakhulu has revealed. The MEC was speaking at the House and Garden Show, recently held in Durban.

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Mabuyakhulu said KZN had the potential to become the leader of exhibition events in the country and in the SADC region. He said South Africa was the second biggest economy in Africa and the biggest economy in sub-Saharan Africa but that there was currently no streamlined, strategic focus on the issue of exhibitions in the country. “KZN wants to become a strategic player in that regard.”

According to Mabuyakhulu, KZN’s current facilities are not adequate. “We’ve identified some gaps in the facilities we have on offer, not in terms of hotels but in terms of exhibition facilities. Of course, in the ICC you can host some events and exhibitions but it is limited.”

Mabuyakhulu said he had identified Ballito as the ideal site to build a new exhibition hall, as the surrounding area was strategically positioned near King Shaka International Airport and still provided development greenfield. “We have a vision that, by 2030 we should be able to attract the necessary strategic investment, allowing us to build the biggest exhibition hall, which could accommodate 120 000 people.”

According to Mabuyakhulu, a conference hall of this size will be able to position KZN as a leader in exhibitions in the SADC area. It will also allow the province to make the Tourism Indaba a permanent feature in KZN and grow the event into the biggest tourism exhibition for the entire African continent.