The upcoming Solar & Storage Live Cape Town 2025, taking place from Wednesday, 15 to Thursday, 16 October at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), presents a timely opportunity for sports leaders and marketing professionals to be part of the country's renewable energy transition, says the agency.

 

Sports' Energy Dilemma

For many clubs across South Africa, the challenge isn't always about keeping the lights on but about keeping the game going. Facilities that host multiple sporting codes, from rugby and soccer to hockey and cricket, often rely on heavy energy loads for floodlights, refrigeration, broadcasting, and security systems. When energy reliability falters, so too does the fan experience, operations and revenue, adds the agency.

Drawing from our small scale sports facility management engagements for community based sports structures, we have seen how these challenges manifest. The facility we once worked with could have benefited immensely from a solar-powered system with robust energy storage. It wasn't only about reducing costs, it was about ensuring reliability and sustainability for every sports code that used the space, year after year, says the agency.

Yet, championing that shift toward renewable energy proves difficult. The barriers were not technological but cultural: a lack of understanding of solar's long-term value, short-sighted budgeting and internal politics that often turned progressive ideas into boardroom stalemates. Ego, tradition and administrative rigidity remain the silent power drains of South African sport, adds the agency.

A Strategic Opportunity for Marketing Leaders 

For marketing managers within clubs and federations, Solar & Storage Live Cape Town offers far more than a conversation about infrastructure. It is a platform to reimagine how sustainability can be embedded into brand narratives, sponsorship portfolios and community impact strategies, says the agency.

Clean energy companies from solar tech brands to green financiers are actively seeking meaningful visibility and partnerships. The sports arena provides exactly that: a passionate audience, a national platform and a credible story of change, adds the agency.

Marketing leaders who attend can explore collaborations that go beyond the scoreboard:

  • Sponsorship Diversification: Partner with solar or energy storage brands that align with your club's values and sustainability vision.
  • Brand Storytelling: Develop campaigns that showcase your club's commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility.
  • Community Outreach: Integrate renewable energy solutions into grassroots sport facilities, positioning your brand as a true agent of upliftment.

Where Sport Meets Innovation

The two-day event brings together energy innovators, policymakers, financiers and sustainability champions. Attendees can gain practical insights into funding models, regulatory frameworks, and implementation strategies that can transform how sporting institutions operate and communicate their purpose, says the agency.

Workshops like Powering Hospitality and Powering SMEs offer clear parallels for sports organisations, demonstrating how sectors with similar infrastructure needs are adopting solar and storage technologies to future-proof their operations, adds the agency.

Our Call to Action

Iconology believes that South African sport is at a crossroads, between tradition and transformation. The question is not whether renewable energy fits into sport, but whether sport can afford to stay out of the conversation, says the agency.

As an organisation who has witnessed both the potential and resistance within sports facility management, Iconology strongly advocates that marketing managers, operations executives and facility partners attend Solar & Storage Live Cape Town 2025.

Iconology confirms the event details as follow:

  • Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC)
  • Date: Wednesday, 15 to Thursday, 16 October

Individuals can register here.

For more information, visit www.terrapinn.com. You can also follow Iconology on LinkedIn.

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