Opportunities for entrepreneurs abound before, during and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup™

Considering the positive economic impact on the host countries during the Sydney Olympics and Germany’s football World Cup, South Africa is likely to experience a great boom as a result of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Already, construction and tourism are benefiting from the build-up to the event, with infrastructure development projects and new accommodation establishments constantly springing up.

During the event itself, at least 400 000 additional visitors are expected to visit the country. But the question of the number of visitors is something we will only know once the event has happened. Gary Bailey, former Manchester United goal keeper, who will be a speaker at the next Biznetwork event on 21 November, explains that the mystery of the numbers relates to fan parks visitors, rather than ticket-holders. “In Germany, it was anticipated that 800 000 people would attend but, in fact, over two million were actually there.” A further unknown relating to visitor numbers concerns fans from Africa. Irrespective of this, there can be no doubt that the event will attract substantial numbers of tourists, far more than South Africa has ever seen.

“The opportunities for new business growth and expansion of existing firms are the biggest we have ever seen in this country, and many people will be able to benefit from this,” explains Shaun Edmeston, CEO of Biznetwork. “Biznetwork will host networking functions throughout South Africa on 21 November for anyone interested in participating in business opportunities arising from the World Cup event. Speakers include Brian Joffe, CE of Bidvest, and Thabiso Tlelai, CEO of the Don Suite Hotels.”

Bailey cautions that people should not invest extensively in projects that aren’t likely to be sustainable beyond the event. While full accreditation by FIFA-appointed organisations, such as MATCH (for accommodation establishments), will generally go to larger, established businesses that are clearly sustainable, there are still opportunities for the smaller entrepreneur to offer a service and make some money, especially during the four weeks of the event itself. These types of projects would not involve major investment, but will provide much-needed services to visitors.

According to Bailey, it might be a good idea to sell your home to a company for the duration of the event as they’ll use it for corporate hospitality and you’ll earn a tidy sum.. Bailey also suggests that home owners close to one another, such as in one street, join forces to provide accommodation for football fans from one country. “Offer some Japanese food for Japanese fans living in your suburb, decorate the streets appropriately – make them feel at home in your home.”

Bailey also believes that the smaller entrepreneur can make good profits from the domestic market by pricing services realistically for this market. In addition, people wanting to offer accommodation should analyse the accommodation market in the towns where matches will be played. Polokwane and Rustenberg, for instance, are game venues that have little existing accommodation available, so this will create an opportunity for local home owners to make money by offering rooms in their homes to football visitors.

Industries where the need for services will be most pressing include transport, food and construction. “And that’s not just the big building projects,” explains Bailey. “Fan parks will be fenced in, so there will be plenty of work for fencing contractors.” Smaller security businesses and private individuals who own motor cars and want to provide taxi services will find themselves with plenty of work, too.

“All in all, we know that there are so many ways in which South Africans can benefit from this event,” says Edmeston. “Biznetwork aims to help you find the best opportunity for yourself, put you in touch with other entrepreneurs and give you the advice you may be looking for in order to get your 2010 project off the ground.” Bookings for the event on 21 November can be made by visiting the Biznetwork website, http://www.biznetwork.co.za/.