I salute you, Godfrey King for being a true leader

I salute you, Godfrey King for being a true leader

We are in a world of much unpredictability.

No matter how much planning we do, things don’t always work out the way we imagine.

Our publisher, Godfrey King’s passing on 23 August, has left me feeling devastated.

He was without a doubt a true leader in all aspects of his life. He started the magazine 39 years ago and saw the potential the business events industry would have on our country. He was one of the founders of SAACI (Southern Africa Association for the Conference Industry) and understood the importance of such associations.

Godfrey was passionate about our industry and was always looking at ways to assist the industry partners. He was a visionary and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

I am very sad that I am not able to give him a call and ask his advice. He was my mentor, and if it wasn’t for him I would never have entered this amazing industry.

Godfrey was such a gentleman and never did things in haste. He taught me about the importance of relationships in this industry. He had the most amazing industry knowledge and was able to back it up with the history and the untold background story. I could listen to him for days, and still his stories would be endless.

When I started with Contact Publications, Godfrey always said we are not bystanders of this industry, but we are part and parcel of this sector. We look after our industry, and if our industry partners do well, we do well. This is something that has always stayed with me.

Over the years, this has become even clearer. We are not just colleagues, we, collectively, make this sector and we all have a part to play, no matter how big or small that part is. We are a family and the relationships we make daily are a testament to this.

I have so much to say about Godfrey but one thing I wish I had told him was that he was my hero and that every day, when I go about doing my daily work I always think – ‘what would Godfrey have done’ because I then know I’m on the right track.

I have much gratitude for all he taught me. I also feel much sadness, but at this same time happiness that he is now at peace and that his suffering is over and he has gone to meet his most beloved Creator.

To our amazing leader, I salute you, Godfrey King! You will always be missed but never forgotten.

Irene