Cape Town 2008

A successful 11th TCI Annual Global Conference, Cape Town 2008! The organizing committee would like to thank all the participants very much for taking active part and contributing to the success of the event.
With 400 participants coming from 54 countries and more than 70 speakers, we can say that the 11th edition of TCI Annual Global Conference was a great success and has contributed once again to highlight the role of cluster practitioners and economic development on the world map of competitiveness and innovation. Apart from the quality of the sessions and speakers, Cape Town offered a good opportunity for people to meet with colleagues, policymakers, researchers, business entrepreneurs, cluster managers and facilitators and engage in lively discussions in a superb atmosphere.

"CLUSTERS: Meeting the challenge of globalisation"
Cape Town, South Africa. 29-31 October 2008


Cape Town welcomed TCIs with open arms. The local team headed by TCI Director, Nigel Gwynne-Evans lined up a fabulous itinerary: a one-week programme beginning with cluster tours, the best chance to learn from 5 successful cluster initiatives in hig-tech, agri-processing, manufacturing, engineering, creative industries and services; the Clusters 101 course, a half-day introduction to clusters by cluster experts; the regional approach to competitiveness with regional sessions on India, Latin-America and PACF-Pan African Competitiveness Forum; and the Academic Summit that this year ran for two days alongside the main programme. 54 countries were represented and there were presentations from more than 70 speakers, including many well known and highly respected specialists involved in clusters and economic development. And of course, the social functions provided a wonderful African and Cape-Town experience that none of us will forget.