The Cape Town leg of the Future Pavilion roadshow was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre this week.
Brought to South Africa by LoginPT, a business platform that brings together over 100 European companies, the aim of the event was to showcase a variety of Portuguese products, solutions and services to the South African technology sector; as well as marketing Portugal as a technology-centred marketplace for new businesses in South Africa and across Africa.
Cape Town was selected as part of the roadshow because of its burgeoning technology economy, according to LoginPT. Some of the innovative technology on display in the Future Pavilion dome included advanced video mapping technology, medium-scale holograms and an app-controlled aquatic drone.
Speaking at the opening of the pavilion on behalf of Cape Town mayor, Patricia de Lille, mayoral committee member, Gareth Bloor, expressed his hope that this kind of exhibition would open up partnerships between South Africa and Portugal, particularly in the IT sector.
"This platform is an incubator for new ideas and products. There are some really innovative solutions coming out of Portugal within the IT space. This platform showcases an opportunities for our local companies here in Cape Town to really get a sense of how we can expand our local businesses to international markets."
This sentiment was also highlighted by Nils Flaaten, CEO of Wesgro. "Looking at the technology on display here, I don't think Cape Town is that far behind. I really think you have come to the right city," he said. This kind of partnership is about making Cape Town and South Africa into a "living laboratory," noted Flaaten, adding this is achieved when the products and services of the developed world combine with the goods and services of the developing world to address real needs.
"South Africa is also uniquely positioned to help international organisations enter into Africa. And this all comes down to partnerships," highlighted Flaaten. "While competition commonly leads to a situation where there is a winner and a loser, collaborative competition is about working together to promote new businesses, new partnerships and entrepreneurship."
The Cape Town event is the penultimate stop on a roadshow that has already visited four cities.
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