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GainingEdge announces new partner for Africa Citing its interest in contributing to the growth of the association and meetings industry in Africa, GainingEdge chief executive officer, Jon Sivertson, has announced Thulani Nzima has been engaged as the organisation’s new African Partner.
“A
frica is relatively new to the industry,” Mr Sivertson said. “The development of its civil society is key to Africa’s continuing economic transformation. We want to be part of making that happen.” Mr Sivertson said GainingEdge wanted a strong partner to lead its efforts in Africa. “We feel really lucky to have someone of Thulani’s calibre joining the company,” he said. “He’s one of the most experienced and respected people in the industry there. He’s a leader, he’s well connected, and he’s the right person to guide our efforts in that important and emerging part of the world.”
Mr Nzima, who is based in Johannesburg, has a broad convention and tourism industry background spanning almost 30 years, including senior executive roles with South African Airways. More recently he served as chief executive officer of South African Tourism and oversaw the establishment of Africa’s first national convention bureau, the South African National Convention Bureau, a project supported by GainingEdge. “Working together in the past gave me a chance to know them. I saw what they could offer and the difference they could make,” Mr Nzima said. “GainingEdge showed a real commitment to Africa when they helped to establish the
Thulani Nzima, the organisation’s new African Partner.
African Society of Association Executives four years ago. They are still providing pro bono strategic support to that, because they believe it will make a big difference for Africa.” Mr Nzima said he feels Africa’s potential has been constrained by the lack of a fully developed association community and the need to support emerging convention bureaus that can facilitate more regional and international meetings to help African professionals to develop their global networks. “South Africa is doing well,” he said, “but we need to build the benefits of this industry throughout the continent. I’m excited by this collaboration. We’re looking to help all parts of Africa to do big things. We’re looking to make a major impact.”
SA Investment Conference digitally powered by Flock The South African Investment Conference, which this year achieved R363 billion pledged investment funding from more than 70 entities, relied on Flock for the second consecutive year to keep its over delegates informed and engaged.
T
he conference, which took place in Johannesburg last week (5– 7 November), attracted 1 500 delegates from across the globe. Thanks to Flock, they experienced first-hand the power of local technology at work. The technology – a mobile phone app that integrates with a seamless event management platform – provided them with the information they needed to plan their visit to the city as well as details of the conference. www.businesseventsafrica.com
In addition to event information including the programme, speaker biographies, delegate and sponsor lists and partners and exhibitor lists, the app included details of investment case studies, media releases, hotels and shuttles, information about Johannesburg should the delegate want to explore the city further. There were also live feeds of conference and exhibition activities, and photographs. According to founder Mike Lysko, the app played a major role in bringing the 1 500 delegates together, allowing them to enjoy a seamless event experience and focus on creating the meaningful connections that would ensure its successful conclusion – that of identifying opportunities for investment and securing the funds to make those a reality.
Mike Lysko with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Assisting the South Africa Investment Conference for the second consecutive year is a significant feather in Flock’s cap,” he said. “As a home-grown company, we are exceptionally proud to work with the organisers, and thrilled to prove – once again – that our technology is both robust and flexible, the ideal choice for event organisers regardless of size. “In particular, the live Q&A functionality was particularly popular and no doubt contributed to the high user engagement levels and over 41 000 views on various devices that were experienced over the two days,” he said.
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