DURBAN will host 40 international buyers of outsourced services from 2 to 5 February as part of its Smart City initiative. DURBAN will host 40 international buyers of outsourced services from 2 to 5 February as part of its Smart City initiative.

The buyers attending the South African Outsourcing Forum (SAOF) 2006 are from the UK, US and Europe. They will spend three days in Durban in one-on-one meetings with local suppliers of outsourced services as guests of Trade and Investment Kwazulu-Natal, KZNonSource and the DTI.

SAOF 2006 was initiated by South African Contact Centre Community (SACCCOM), the national outsourcing industry body set up by the DTI to ensure that SA is well-positioned to attract international outsourcing business.

The event will consist of a series of pre-arranged meetings between international buyers and local suppliers. A seminar runs simultaneous to these meetings.

Among the buyer delegates participating in the event are senior representatives of Delhaize Group, Ineas Insurance, ValueSource Technologies, Laurus, Banca Intesa, Galeries Lafayette, Heritable Bank, Regent, Morgan Stanley International and HSBC.