Cape Town is known for the many industrious informal artisans who display their works on the busy streets of town each day or spend hours at local flea markets to sell their products.
These entrepreneurs show a talent for creating the types of products that foreign visitors to Cape Town are after. Sadly, they are not always able to grow their businesses, either because of a lack of finances or of opportunities in which to present their creations in a professional environment.
Recognising the limitations these craftspeople face, the Cape Point Concession and Tourvest Destination Retail are embarking on an initiative geared to change this. Together, these organisations will be hosting a competition to provide opportunities for people with creative talent to market their goods.
“This is a good opportunity to showcase some of the talented artisans whose work often doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. As an organisation, we are committed to helping the wider local communities by making a difference to the lives of less fortunate individuals,” Fatima Anter, Marketing Project Specialist of Cape Point, says.
Participants will enter an item they have designed and made. The items entered into the competition can be anything, be it souvenirs, homeware and costume jewellery, to children’s toys, wood carvings, photographic prints, and more.
Competition entrants will stand a chance of winning cash prizes and the golden opportunity to sell their products through Cape Point gift stores. This will help to increase their sales, as Cape Point is visited daily by hundreds of foreign travellers and locals.
Cape Point will be displaying images of all the products on its social media pages, where Cape Point followers will be able to vote for their favourites. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges, and the public votes will be taken into account as well. This competition will run over a one-month period from February 22 to March 22.
“As one of the key tourist destinations in South Africa, Cape Point offers our visitors a unique opportunity to experience, explore and shop in an extraordinary environment. As an organisation, Tourvest Destination Retail supports local communities through employment opportunities and is always on the lookout to discover new artisans who have the potential to supply our shops in the Park and beyond,” Allison Graham, CEO of Tourvest Destination Retail, says.
Once the winners are announced, Tourvest Destination Retail and Cape Point will assist the artisans with the development of their products for commercial success (including guidance with packaging and payment of deposits on orders).
COMPETITION RULES:
- Each participant can submit only one product
2. There will be no entries accepted after the competition end-date
3. Each participant must use the hashtag provided to enter the competition: #CapePointCreates
4. Participants who do not have access to social media should call the organisers at the following number, and the necessary arrangements will be made with the prospective entrant: +27 (0) 21 462 3303.
Picture: Supplied