The switch-on of the Festive Lights in Cape Town on 29 November marked the beginning of a one-week countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Final Draw on 4 December. But inferring that preparations for the Final Draw only took one week, is like saying Rome was built in a day. The amalgamated team (amassed from work streams covering everything from transport, protocol, safety and security to Host City decorations and communications) had its first joint Final Draw meeting as far back as August of last year, with weekly meetings escalating to fever pitch as the City accommodated the constantly changing plans that seem to go hand-in-hand with an organization like FIFA.

The preparations behind what looked like a streamlined week of happenings leading up to the Final Draw – from the switch-on of the Festive Lights, through various media events hosted by both the City and the Province, to the live broadcast on the evening of the 4th to hundreds of millions of viewers across the globe and the public street party in Long Street – was metaphorically described by Lesley de Reuck, the City’s 2010 Operations Director, as: “A swan. On the surface of the water it seems to be gliding gracefully but beneath the surface, it’s paddling frantically!”

Inside the CTICC, the Cape Town Partnership’s 2010 Project Coordinator, Carola Koblitz, formed part of the Host City Media Desk, and notes of the experience: “The thing I found most fascinating was how merciless the international press are when it comes to FIFA, and a highlight of the week was watching Sepp Blatter and his senior management handle a barrage of difficult if not vicious questioning from the press at the daily media briefings inside the CTICC.”

“However, in spite of their critical approach to FIFA, the same international media were incredible kind to South Africa and in particular to Cape Town – the majority of whom have not only been covering FIFA events for decades but have also been to Cape Town before. They were thus more than qualified to compare our current level of World Cup readiness to other countries at the time of Final Draw. Their comments about Cape Town, the stadium and the many visible upgrades taking place were full of praise. Mishaps during the week were few and incongruous and even the German journalist who joked that he had a bomb in his laptop bag did Cape Town a favour when the international press experienced first-hand how swiftly our security teams handled a potential risk situation!”

As much of a success was the public street party on 4 December, held in Long Street. Even though the expected crowd of 15 000 blossomed into 55 000, the event was well-managed, much enjoyed and incidents kept to a minimum. Almost all retailers that stayed open for business (and not only in the designated party zone but throughout the Central City) reported that they experienced the best retail ‘day’ they ever had – boding extremely well for business in the Central City during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and in particular the eight match days in Cape Town. The Cape Town Partnership, in conjunction with the Central City Improvement District and the City of Cape Town, will soon be embarking on a Central City-wide information campaign to ensure all stakeholders have their questions answered (and fears allayed)!

Related posts:

1. Long street party venue for Final Draw
2. Final Draw just days to go!
3. The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw
4. Loop Street Building Sets Green Pace
5. Countdown to 2010