Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Affairs, Jabu Moleketi and Blue IQ CEO, Pradeep Maharaj recently announced plans for Blue IQ's business outreach programme, Blue IQ Means Business Week 2003. The week, scheduled for 20-24 October 2003 at the Sandton Convention Centre, is aimed at encouraging collaboration between government and business to drive Gauteng's economy forward.

Speaking at the event Moleketi said, "As newly created infrastructure in Newtown, Constitution Hill and other projects near completion, Blue IQ Means Business Week 2003 will mark the commercialisation phase of Blue IQ." During this Week Blue IQ will present in detail the many investment opportunities to local and international business available in its 11 projects.

He said, "This is the phase during which Public Private Partnerships (PPP) become the main drivers of progress towards achieving Blue IQ's main objective of substantially growing the Gross Geographic Product (GGP), which will ultimately lead to job and wealth creation."

Blue IQ Means Business Week 2003 will be focused mainly around three strategic programmes, the Blue IQ Smart Industry Expo, Blue IQ Smart Partnerships Conference, and Blue IQ Smart Young Minds Challenge. Key to the Business Week is the Smart Industry Expo - a three-day, industry targeted exhibition which will showcase domestic and foreign businesses operating in the Blue IQ focus economic sectors - smart industries, high value-added manufacturing and tourism.

Scheduled for 22-24 October 2003, the exhibition will provide marketing platforms for small and large businesses in specialist interest pavilions created to attract quality buying decision-makers seeking new markets, products, services and solutions. Targeted companies include those operating in bio-technology, electronics, financial and auxiliary services, ICT, and energy technology and renewable energy, logistics and supply chain management, materials handling, machine tools, process control and automation, and tourism services.

In line with Blue IQ's partnership approach and to ensure the success of the expo, Blue IQ has partnered with local business-to-business exhibition specialist, Reed Exhibitions SA.

"We are particularly excited to be working with Blue IQ on such an important and high-level event that will result in working partnerships. We are honoured that Blue IQ chose us as a partner for this exhibition," said Reed Exhibitions SA MD, Jo Melville.

Blue IQ is a programme of the Gauteng Provincial Government to invest more than R3,5 bn in strategic economic infrastructure to kick-start 11 major projects in smart industries, high value-added manufacturing and tourism sector.

For more information contact Pradeep Maharaj, Blue IQ, 011 355 8704/5, pradeepm@gpg.gov.za