Century City Conference Centre: A Catalyst for Climate Change

When Century City Conference Centre was built, the developers already had sustainability at the top of their minds. “Because of the number of delegates we host per month, which averages 6,000 people, we have a massive impact on the environment,” explains Kim Weber, the company’s Group Commercial Manager.

To mitigate this impact, the building features effluent water and plumbing solutions and solar panels, and Century City Conference Centre follows various green principles. The company also boasts a 25 percent waste-to-landfill ratio and is working towards getting it to zero.

While they were entering the WTMA Responsible Tourism Awards for the work they had done around protecting the environment, Century City Conference Centre realised they needed to start being more intentional about measuring this impact. “The process of entry has forced us to reflect and do some soul searching,” Kim says.

Because of this, the company brought in a sustainable data company to help measure its impact. They also brought a sustainability practitioner into the organisation, based on-site, which is helping them improve their impact. “Now we can consolidate and report sustainable data across the financial, culture, community and environmental perspective and we can become more intentional about how we direct our efforts across all four,” she adds.

Becoming More Intentional

Century City Conference Centre is still a small, independent company, with no big brand or infrastructure to support them. “Getting the right manpower and knowledge on board has been a challenge. We’ve had to do most of it ourselves,” Kim explains.

But going it alone wasn’t sustainable either, so they started partnering with experts who could help them improve their impact. “Many of us have hybrid roles making it hard to prioritise sustainability, so we brought an intern from Stellenbosch University who had just completed her studies in ESG solutions. She’s since grown with the company solving for both the manpower and knowledge challenges we were facing.”

They also realised that there was still a gap in how Century City Conference Centre was supporting communities and local culture. “Community, Culture and the environment go hand-in-hand,” Kim says. “We’re working with the Artists Gallery in Cape Town. This is a gallery owned by South African Artists from whom we have procured various works to display in the Centre, creating a living art gallery’’

The company also supports numerous non-profit organisations (NPOs) and other great causes. “One of the causes we’re really passionate about is supporting individuals and families affected by quadriplegia,” she adds.

Transparency in Responsible Tourism

Century City Conference Centre won Silver in the Climate category at the WTMA Responsible Tourism Awards, which Kim explains has been a catalyst for the company. “This Award presents an opportunity for industry players to hold each other accountable for our impact. It also encourages more organisations to be transparent around their sustainability efforts,” Kim says. “If a small company like us can make a consistent impact, so can the bigger players in the industry.”

Many companies are keeping their initiatives and data in this space close to their chest because they believe it will give them a competitive advantage, she adds, but if we can all work together for the greater good and learn to leverage each other to evolve the industry, we can collectively make a real climate change.

She adds that the tourism and hospitality industry is one of the biggest job creators (after mining and manufacturing) in South Africa. “The opportunities are yours to take. I started as a housekeeper, scrubbing tiles with toothbrushes, and now I’m the Head of Commercial for a company with impact.”

Kim concludes that every single action has an impact. “Don’t strive for perfection, strive for improvement. Century City Conference Centre shows that small gains can often result in big long-term wins.”