WHILE most of the country is focused on the World Cup, the Ekurhuleni municipality is looking to capitalise on the business spin-offs of the event.

The Ekurhuleni 2010 Business Lobby Lounge at Emperor's Palace is attracting big businesses who are exploring opportunities to invest and partner with local entrepreneurs.

This week, the leaders of 30 businesses from Thailand, all listed on the Thailand Stock Exchange, met Ekurhuleni businesses looking for potential partnerships.

Martin Wolter-Grossmann, marketing officer in the Office of Commercial Affairs of the Royal Thai Embassy, said the delegation was keen to invest in the country in fields like banking, automotive and parts manufacturing, food processing and healthcare.

"The delegation is here to seek investment opportunities.

"They plan to get an overview of economic opportunities. Hopefully, this meeting between local and Thai businesspeople will be mutually beneficial," he said.

A member of Ekurhuleni's mayoral committee for economic development, councillor Abdul Mogale, told the delegation that the municipality offered an environment that was conducive to investment as it had the right logistical infrastructure that lessened the cost of doing business.

"The success of this meeting will be determined by how many deals come out of this meeting," Mogale said.

The Thai group were the second from the East, after a Korean delegation visited the area recently.

"Three more foreign big businesses will be linked with local businesses on the sidelines of the 2010 Fifa World Cup," said Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.