Forty top-class venues | Exhibitions

JOHANNESBURG has many world-class conference venues. The four biggest, which can each host thousands of delegates, are: the Sandton Convention Centre, next door to Africa's top-class shopping and business centre; Gallagher Estate, between Johannesburg and Pretoria; the Dome, the fourth largest such structure in the world; and the Expo Centre, which is the city's biggest venue and is not far from Soweto.

Sandton Convention Centre
The Sandton Convention Centre, in the suburb of the same name, was the venue of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. The centre is close to many of the city's top hotels and is within a block or two of the Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square shopping malls, which are considered the best in Africa. They contain banks, travel agencies, shops and restaurants. The suburb also hosts the headquarters of many of the city's top businesses.

The centre is in the middle of a busy business area, but parking is not a problem. Accessed controlled basement parking to the centre is available. There is also parking available in Nelson Mandela Square and the Sandton City. From here you are able to access the Sandton Convention centre via the skywalk. Sandton can also be approached along a number of arterial roads and the route and signposts to the suburb make it easy to get there.

The centre itself is used for conventions, exhibitions and special events, and caters for the disabled. The convention level of the centre, which accommodates 3 500 people, offers flexible seating configuration. The multipurpose pavilion, which can host more than 4 000 people, can handle large conferences, concerts, sports events and special functions.

There are two exhibition areas - of more than 5 000 square metres each - and 15 meeting rooms.

Address: 2196 Maude Street, Sandown
PO Box 782 553, Sandton, 2146
Tel: 011 779 0000
Fax: 011 779 0001
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Website: www.saconvention.co.za

Gallagher Estate
If you want to get away from the hurly-burly and meet in the country, Gallagher Estate in Midrand is the place. The venue, halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, is perfect for hosting delegates from both cities. It can be reached from a number of different roads and major highways, and is accessible to airports.

The estate, a wonderfully peaceful place, has 19 multi-purpose venues and secure parking for 5 000 vehicles. You have a wide choice of hotels nearby.

Gallagher Estate can host up to 8 000 convention delegates. Among the major venues is the auditorium, which provides raked seating for up to 414 people, and the ballroom, which can accommodate 500 people for a dinner/dance or 1 500 people for a seated convention.

An on-site Halaal kitchen facility, approved by the National Independent Halaal Trust, provides full Halaal catering for entire functions and any number of guests.

There are five large exhibition halls - for exhibitions, concerts and trade shows - as well as other smaller areas.

Address: 19 Richards Drive, Midrand
PO Box 3915, Midrand, 1685
Tel: 011 266 3000
Fax: 011 266 3205
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Website: www.gallagher.co.za

The Coca-Cola dome
The Coca-Cola dome is southern Africa's most definitive multi-purpose indoor entertainment arena. Situated in Northgate, the Coca-Cola dome is unmatched in its perfect combination of capacity with capability, hosting a variety of different events from consumer and trade exhibitions to international and local concerts to corporate banquets and launches to large conventions, as well as indoor sporting events.

The Coca-Cola dome has hosted large consumer exhibitions such as the annual Star Getaway Show, 94.7 Homemakers Expo and the Gardenex and Growtech exhibitions. The venue is also home to small and large trade exhibitions, namely the Friendly Trade Expo and the Sign, Display and Digital Print Expo.

The large main arena covers 11 049 square metres of uninterrupted space; the mezzanine level offers an additional 2 500 square metres of space.

As the epic concert venue of Southern Africa, with a maximum capacity of 19 100 standing and 13 000 seated, the venue has played host to every major international artist touring indoors, who have visited our shores in the past few years. Acts that have rocked, rattled and hummed the Dome to its foundations include Diana Ross, Bryan Adams, Enrique Iglesias, Live, Savage Garden, Sting as well as Lord of the Dance and David Copperfield.

It's easy to get to the Coca-Cola dome - a 35-minute drive from the Johannesburg International Airport and a 15-minute trip from Lanseria International Airport. There is an excellent choice of accommodation nearby – from luxurious hotels and guesthouses to homely bed-and-breakfast establishments.

The Coca-Cola dome is truly a technologically advanced venue with a state of the art Automative Building Management System operating the venue to bring the safety and comfort of patrons to the fore.

Address: Corner Olievenhout Avenue and Northumberland Road, North Riding
PO Box 540, North Riding, 2162
Tel: 011 794 5800
Fax: 011 794 5808
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Website: www.coca-coladome.co.za

Expo Centre, Nasrec
Southwest of Johannesburg - near the Gold Reef City Casino, the Apartheid Museum and Soweto - is Nasrec's Expo Centre.

The massive exhibition facilities offer 42 000 square metres of undercover space. The centre is also quite self-sufficient: it has its own banks, post office, telecommunication services and secure parking for up to 20 000 vehicles.

The main arena can accommodate an impressive 20 000 people. Another venue, the Black Eagle, can be divided into three sections. The Bateleur, which is slightly larger, easily divides into two. It can seat 1 000 delegates cinema-style. The Expo Centre is within easy reach of restaurants and fast-food outlets.

The centre hosts a number of huge events annually - including the largest consumer exhibition in the southern hemisphere, the Rand Show.

Address: Expo Centre, Corner Rand Show and Nasrec Roads, Nasrec
Private Bag X07, Bertsham, 2013
Tel: 011 494 1920/5616
Fax: 011 494 1005
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Website: www.expocentre.co.za