CPUT continues to build strategic partnerships with other international academic institutions, and recently hosted a group of students and staff members from the Johnson and Wales University (JWU) at the Cape Town Hotel School.

JWU is a leading tourism, sport and hospitality education provider in America and its students have been visiting CPUT each year since 2009. This provides them with an incredible opportunity to broaden their understanding of the developing nations in Africa, and the different challenges and opportunities that are provided in our country.

The lecturers of the different institutions usually exchange case study notes and ideas and discuss research collaboration opportunities.

“It (the visit) provides an opportunity for CPUT staff and students to discover and learn more about the courses, curriculum and current issues within the tourism, sport and hospitality sector globally,” says CPUT’s Brendon Knott, a senior lecturer in Sport Management. 

Knott shared some of his research which he conducted during the FIFA World Cup in 2010 with the visitors. The JWU group which visited the university in 2010 assisted him with data collection in the fan parks.

Sean Daly, an Assistant Prof at JWU, says they are looking forward to growing their relationship with CPUT and exploring other areas of colloboration.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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“It’s important that CPUT continues to support innovative researchers. This firmly establishes our university as a knowledge resource - not only for our students but for industry and our nation. “ So says Brendon Knott, Senior Lecturer in the Sport Management Department, who was recently invited to present his research before the Tourism Portfolio Committee in Parliament. Knott was joined by CPUT colleague Prof Kamilla Swart of the Centre for Tourism Research in Africa (CETRA) who also presented at the Tourism Summit.

“Being invited to this summit helped to raise awareness for CPUT’s research profile and specifically links us with applied research that is useful for policy and decision-makers.
It was also an opportunity to showcase some of the relevant and cutting-edge research that CPUT is producing. Prof Swart and I were welcomed and accepted by the Committee and our presentations appeared to be valued”, said Knott.

His presentation was based on his current PhD, which focuses on the nation-branding legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for South Africa. Undertaken through the University of Bournemouth in the United Kingdom, the first part of his fieldwork surveyed 561 international visitors in Cape Town and Durban during last year’s World Cup. Knott wanted to find out what their perceptions of the South African brand were before they arrived in the country, and then, having experienced South Africa first-hand, if and how these perceptions changed. His findings were quite significant, says Knott.  “Many visitors did not have clear perceptions before they came, but now were very positive about certain aspects, such as the natural beauty of the country and the friendliness of South Africans. Most visitors even rated the country as a safe place to visit; where safety was a major concern prior to the event.”

Knott gave the Committee recommendations on the use of future mega-events, and smaller home-grown events which could be used to leverage the nation-branding impact of the 2010 event for the country. He also highlighted the need for greater collaboration and co-ordination between government departments in sharing the responsibility for nation-branding.

When asked what kind of initiatives and partnerships his department currently has with industry, Knott said: “I represented the department in a few group research projects (mostly through CETRA) that helped the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Government with their preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I also attended the Provincial 2010 Technical Committee meetings leading up to the event. Apart from this, the Sport Management Department has strong links with sports federations, including provincial rugby and cricket bodies, football associations and other sport development organisations”.

Knott believes as long as the research focus is current and relevant for industry, then prestigious invitations to speak at and advise Parliament will continue to happen.

By: Thando J. Moiloa

Written by CPUT News
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As the Fifa 2010 World Cup ™ draws closer, CPUT staff and students will get the chance to show their soccer spirit by participating in the University’s multi-campus Football Frenzy campaign.

The campaign, a joint initiative between the Sport Management, Student Affairs and Marketing and Communication Departments, was launched on 5 February on Mowbray Campus, with over sixty energetic staff and students participating in a mass Diski dance.

The dance, developed by South African Tourism as a way of building fellowship among local and international soccer fans, pays tribute to the special flare found in local football. The steps incorporate football-style moves such as the ‘Header’, ‘Juggle’ and ‘Table Mountain’.

The Diski dance has been performed in international locations from London’s Trafalgar Square to Hong Kong’s Times Square, as well as at local landmarks, such as the top of Table Mountain.

Mowbray-based Sport Management Lecturer Brendon Knott, one of the Football Frenzy campaign coordinators, was among the CPUT Diski participants. His campaign team, which includes coordinators representing Bellville, Cape Town, Wellington and Granger Bay, will roll out similar football support events on other campuses over the course of the World Cup run-up period.

Knott said CPUT’s initiative was part of the Western Cape’s campaign to engage all citizens in the province around the 2010 World Cup.

“It also aims to promote a sense of national pride and broaden knowledge and awareness of the event and sport in general,” he said.

Knott added the campaign will additionally benefit the University by promoting health awareness and physical activity and will provide opportunities for teambuilding and cohesion among staff and students, as well as between campuses.

He also noted that some of the events will be co-ordinated by Sport Management students, who will use the opportunity to practise some of the organisational skills they will need use in their future careers.

A major part of the campaign is the weekly Football Friday Frenzy, in which staff and students are encouraged to come to campus dressed in soccer supporters’ gear. Specially designed Football Frenzy T-shirts will be available from campaign coordinators from the beginning of next month.

On 1 March 2010, Student Affairs will hold a CPUT Football Frenzy Market and Fun Day on Cape Town campus. The event will tie in with there being 100 days to go until the start of the World Cup and will include food stalls, activities and a concert by guest artists.

For enquires about Football Frenzy activities, contact one of the campaign coordinators:

• Cape Town: Anette Grobler (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Quinton Summers (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
• Bellville: Catherine Cloete (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Mastura Jardine (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Shela Lekalakala (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
• Mowbray: Brendon Knott (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Jacob Moroe (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
• Wellington: Tyrone Africa (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Etienne Joubert (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
• Granger Bay: Luke van Rensburg (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

By Ilana Abratt

Written by CPUT News

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The 2014 FIFA World Cup may be over, but for a team of global researchers, their work has just begun.

Prof Kamilla Swart from the Tourism and Events Management Department and Brendon Knott from the Sport Management Department, form part of a team of researchers who are studying the economic impact of the soccer event as well as spectator behavior during the tournament.

The CPUT researchers, along with the rest of the research team, spent two weeks in Rio de Janeiro where they fielded surveys among spectators and conducted interviews with representatives of national and local organizers.

The questionnaires were available in Portuguese, English, French, German, Spanish, Korean, Italian, Russian, Arabic and Farsi and more than 6 000 were completed.

The data was collected in match precincts and public viewing areas in five designated host cities, namely Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Allegre and Salvador.

“Given that the 2014 World Cup was hosted by another emerging country, Brazil, this research study has important implications for several stakeholder groups including FIFA and future World Cup host cities and sponsors,” says Prof Kamilla Swart, who in 2010 led a similar study when South Africa hosted this event.

Currently the study is led by Prof Holger Preuss, a sport economist from Johaness Gutenberg-Universtat, Germany who led the 2006 World Cup impact study.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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CPUT proudly hosted the 5th International Conference on Events this week which saw participants draw on their expertise to re-imagine events post-Covid-19.

The hybrid event delved into a variety of contemporary global issues in events and festivals, combining academic discipline with professional practice. 

Some of the topics included: event sector revival, events and urban public space post Covid-19 and the future of event research and publishing. 

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo, welcomed participants and said Covid-19 could be blamed for many things, including the near-collapse of the eventing and hospitality industries, but it has also “forced us out of our complacency”.

“After all, it is unlikely that any events or conference prior to the pandemic would have factored in a virtual component, as they all do these days.”

He said he was pleased that CPUT academics had been at the forefront of trying to rescue small business and tourism in this city, ahead of the lucrative summer season, by crafting a Neighbourhood Experience Development Training Manual.

“This manual will assist businesses in tailoring their offerings to COVID cautious travellers. I have no doubt that many more academic solutions like this will be forthcoming after ICE 2021.”

Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais said that at a time when we are faced with so much adversity, it was encouraging to be part of engagement of this nature.  

Conference Chair and Associate Professor: Sport Management, Brendon Knott said the conference was an opportunity to showcase the University’s academic expertise, innovation and industry engagement within the fields of sport, event, tourism and hospitality management specifically.

As Conference Chair, he put together a local organising committee to work with the international ICE committee. This team included Esti Venske from the Tourism and Event Management Department and a former CPUT Event Management student as a professional event coordinator. Prof Simeon Davies, Head of the Sport Management Department, served on the Scientific Committee for the conference and other CPUT academics serve on the abstract review committee.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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