13 minute read
Marriott International appoints new leaders for Sub-Saharan Africa region
In line with its growth plans for the region, Marriott International has announced new leadership for Sub-Saharan Africa that will provide an integrated and streamlined support structure for their managed hotels portfolio.
The team will be based primarily in Cape Town, South Africa and will offer an agile and efficient support model to its operations across the region.
Marriott has established a significant presence in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 100 managed and franchised properties across the region. Focusing on the managed portfolio, the new team will provide enhanced operational support, drive efficiencies and help deliver the company’s growth strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Volker Heiden takes on the role of area vice president Sub-Saharan Africa and will oversee operations of all managed properties across the region. A 23-year veteran with Marriott International, Mr Heiden has held senior finance positions in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Prior to joining Marriott International in South Africa in 2017, Mr Heiden served as vice president of finance for Marriott’s Caribbean and Latin American region, based in Plantation, Florida.
“Sub-Saharan Africa is a region that comes with fantastic business and tourism opportunities and I am delighted to be leading a highly skilled and motivated team that will offer extensive support to our operations across a number of markets. I look forward to working closely with our hotel leaders and continue our fundamental efforts of delivering exceptional guest experiences, whilst having a strong focus and support structure for the exciting growth plan of our portfolio across the market.” Mr Heiden said.
To support Mr Heiden and the new structure, Sean Maher has been appointed market vice president for South Africa.
Mr Maher is a 32-year veteran with Protea Hotels and Marriott International. Sixteen of those years were spent as general manager of five different Protea Hotels, before a short stint as regional general manager in Johannesburg. Maher was then appointed to the Protea Board of Directors in 2008, before being appointed to his role as senior regional director for Protea.
Mr Heiden’s team will also consist of direct reports across various functions including, finance, operations, revenue strategy, sales & distribution, human resources and marketing, digital & loyalty.
“Marriott International has significantly developed its footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa and we continue to embrace the exciting opportunities in the market. We are delighted to have the support of these incredible leaders as we focus on driving efficiencies and provide support
to our hotels and partners in the region. We are more than confident that the team will continue to strengthen our position across Sub-Saharan Africa”, commented Phil Andreopoulos, Marriott’s chief operating officer for owner and franchise services EMEA, who also overlooks Sub-Saharan Africa.
Recognising the importance of their large and growing franchised portfolio – making up more than 40 per cent of their footprint in the region – Marriott International has expanded the responsibilities of the franchise owner support and services teams to oversee the franchise operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The teams are primarily based in Europe, with additional members on the ground in South Africa to provide dedicated support to its franchise operations in the region.
Volker Heiden, Area vice president Sub-Saharan Africa
Sean Maher, Market vice president for South Africa
REAL WORLD, WE CAN DO ONLINE
The skilled and highly specialised team behind Chat’r TV – John Arvanitakis, Lorin Bowen and William Price, have over 60 years of combined experience in the eventing, exhibition, conference, brand engagement, communications and digital online industry, having managed some of South Africa’s top events and online and social media platforms.
THE CASE STUDY
Our NAME is important to us. It keeps us focused, true to our vision and tells what we do. We inspire change, we are communication catalysts, we inform and communicate, energise and persuade. Close the deal. Connect with your audience and deliver your message with power, ease and authenticity. PRONOUNCED – “chatter” (noun) – informal talk “he was full of amusing chatter”. (verb) – talk informally about matters, “she was chattering about her holiday”.
The OtherSIDE
John Arvanitakis, founding director and chief executive officer of Chat’r Xperience offered some insight into how Chat’r TV was born, and the The OtherSIDE webinar series.
When South Africa went into lockdown in March, and all in-person events and exhibitions were banned, we had to think quickly about how to restructure or pivot our business from an in-person event and exhibition stand design and build company into an online version of ourselves – and so the idea of Chat’r TV was born.
Chat’r TV is a division of Chat’r Xperience in conjunction with Lorin Bowen Business Events and #HACKTOURISM as a joint venture.
WE CAN DO ONLINE
We did not want to create an entirely new company as Chat’r already has a name and brand equity in the events, business events and exhibition space. We wanted to capitalise on this, but we also needed to differentiate it from our in-person business.
We fully believe that in-person events will return. We firmly believe that this is the real business of Chat’r and that once the world is a safer place, either with the coronavirus under control or when vaccines have been developed, we will once again return to the world of in-person events with a virtual element; which is what we believe our clients will want to do.
The event space is about networking and people getting together and being in the same room – human nature is all about the connection and the sensory aspects of the real world.
The online space is very much a way to get the industry to stay alive during this pandemic, but it will certainly not replace the real world of in-person events. So with that in mind, and with the insight that we could use our experience in the real world, we decided to launch Chat’r TV to offer our clients our normal services in a different way.
The future of our industry is going to include some virtual elements going forward as it is an easy way to increase exposure to in-person events and exhibitions. They will also allow people who cannot travel to attend events which they may not have done in the past. This hybrid type of event will definitely be with us for the foreseeable future once the industry is allowed to open up again.
SO WHAT DOES CHAT’R TV DO? We do online meetings, webinars, 3D trade shows with gamification, conferences, product launches, award ceremonies, music events, gala events, team-building events, training workshops, round table meetings, live streaming discussions, town halls, and congresses. Anything that was possible in the real world, we can do online! We offer the use of our Green Screen studios for any and all types of events. We have three studios with LED green screens of varying capacities and sizes in Johannesburg. We also have a dedicated sound studio for those who wish to upscale their normal webinar presentation with a professional producer and technical engineer hosting the webinar on your behalf. We also have two green screen studios available in Cape Town.
While everyone was in lockdown, we wanted to give something back
BRAND ENGAGEMENT
We’re brand engagement experts. We get how important your investment is, and as your chosen communication partners, we develop an obsession with your brand – in the best possible way. With creativity at the heart of your investment, we set out to evoke a thrilling, inspiring, and exciting experience for your consumers and delegates. We like to call it COI – Chatter on Investment. In reality, that’s what you pay for, and we give you the best value for your money by ensuring that the entire conversation revolves around your brand – before, during, and after the event.
SIX EPISODE SERIES
ATTENDEES SPECIAL EDITION EPISODES
AUTHENTIC BRAND EXPERIENCES
Through our combined skills we offer our clients authentic brand experiences executed by a team with a vast amount of knowledge, ensuring smooth project management and implementation of all events and conferences irrespective of size.
We have done it all!
to the industry that had supported us for many years. Our team at Chat’r are passionate about the business events and tourism industry. Considering that this sector was hardest hit by the lockdown and has only recently under level 2 been able
This is our in-house webinar platform. It was used to create
The OtherSIDE – A Covid-19 Webinar Survival Series For Tourism, Business Events & Hospitality. Over 200 live attendees per episode and in some cases over 300.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Tourism, Business Events and Hospitality sector who needed to upskill themselves and remain relevant on social media and destination marketing for the new ‘normal’. This included: B&Bs, guesthouses, lodges, boutique hotels, wedding, conference and exhibition venues and organisers, professional conference and event organisers, tourist guides and tourist attractions.
to partially open up, albeit with strict health and safety protocols, we wanted to provide the tourism, business events and hospitality industry with something tangible to assist them to stay relevant even during the hard lock down.
We at Chat’r TV decided to produce our own in-house series of webinars and offer them free of charge to attendees as our way of giving back and showing solidarity with the industry. And so, the idea behind Chat’r Box was born. OUR FOUR OBJECTIVES: 1. Six staggered sessions packed with supreme digital savvy, delivered by our global marketing sages. 2. Allow our panel of specialists to help attendees develop a vision and a plan towards a bright and exciting post-Covid-19 future.
We were also asked to add on special topics, and so the idea behind our Special Edition episodes was born. We have now hosted a total of six episodes with two more in the original series still to go.
BRAND AWARENESS
We wanted to offer our target audience a way to keep busy and to use social media as a way to market their products so when the sector opened up again they had a presence and remained top
of mind in their client’s radar.
3. Receive straight forward, to-thepoint, practical advice on turning your social media and digital marketing efforts into confirmed business when the lockdown lifts. 4. Start implementing the best online marketing practices immediately, using the latest and most successful tools that each platform has to offer
WE KICKED OFF OUR FIRST EPISODE ON 4 MAY This is a recap of the series so far:
Episode 1 The Scene Setter: Leveraging Lockdown. Past the pandemic, how can tourism, business events and hospitality sectors use social media to explore the sector’s resilience in the Covid-19 era. Our keynote speakers are Jan Hutton, general
We have online recordings of all the episodes on our YouTube platform as well as reviews on the episodes by various attendees, so you can get some feedback.
https://bit.ly/3jm5C4V
marketing, Destination NSW; William Price, digital maverick and destination social media expert, and Lizzy van Niekerk, digital specialist.
Episode 2 Reinvent Your Business using Social Media to be Rediscovered During Lockdown. Presenters include Prakash Patel, Brent Spilkin and Mqondisi Gumede.
Episode 3 Reorganise Your Social Media Content and Get Your Content To Work Harder For You During Lockdown – How To Benefit From Influencers and How To Work With Them. Our expert presenter is Rob Forbes, 5fm presenter and one of SA’s top influencers.
Episode 4 Building Online Communities – Brand and Reputation Management Using Social Media. In this episode we are joined by Koketso Sachane, seasoned During lockdown it was said that the typical person spent an average of 8.5 hours a day online. At Chat’r we wanted to ensure that the tourism and business events sector got its fair share of this online time and that the individual products were able to achieve maximum exposure for themselves. PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE
The OtherSIDE series provides the sector with access to top professionals in various fields of expertise. It also includes international speakers with insights into global standards and best international practice of what the international traveller is looking for in a destination. There are useful tips on how products should position themselves to convert browsing into actual bookings.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Our expert presenters and speakers offer
journalist and well-known broadcaster, communicator and creative. He shares his expertise and top tips and tricks on how to manage your brand and reputation online. He is joined by Lizzy van Niekerk, who again shares her incredible knowledge and vast experience in online community management with the attendees.
Episodes 5 & 6 Still to come. Episode 5 will cover Social Media Campaigns and How To Make Them Work. Episode 6 will tie all five previous episodes together and showcase how all these elements come together to ensure a successful social media strategy.
Special Edition Episode The Power of Export Tourism During Covid-19 and Beyond specifically addresses the issues around inbound tourism and destination marketing, and the issue of airlift into South Africa. Our expert presenters for this episode include Margie Whitehouse, chief tourism officer Wesgro; Robert More, founder and chief executive officer of More Family Collection and Monika Iuel, chief executive officer
THE BENEFITS
of Southern Africa Private Safaris.
tips and tricks to the industry to offer a great competitive advantage and how to manage their online platforms and communities to make them relevant and attractive to their clients.
DESTINATION: SOUTH AFRICA
Now that some restrictions have been lifted under level 2, frustrated tourists are dreaming about where they will travel to next. At Chat’r we want to ensure that our sector and destination remains top of mind, not only to local travellers but international travellers too.
Furthermore we want to ensure that those interested in hosting congresses and exhibitions in South Africa know that our products compete with the best globally. South Africa, once the borders are open, will offer one of the safest destinations due to our wideopen spaces and less dense cities, compared with some international destinations, and can compete with the best that the world has to offer.
Special Edition Episode In this episode we showcase our online Chat’r TV offerings to the broader events, business events and exhibition and conference industry. We highlight the features of our Green Screen Studios and the Virtual Online Exhibition and Event Platform, which is a complete virtual experience, built on a gaming platform.
CHAT’R
WE GET STUFF DONE
John Arvanitakis +27 (0)83 415 2774 john@chatr.co.za
Lorin Bowen +27 (0)82 433 8687 lorin@chatr.co.za
William Price +27 (0)81 273 6456 william@chatr.co.za
Offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban
@Chat’rTV @chatrxp @chatrxp chatr.co.za
This unique selling point, or differentiating factor, should be an element that South African businesses in the hospitality and events space capitalise on once international travel is opened up. In the interim, products should also make their offering appealing to the domestic and local market and offer value for money packages that will entise South African’s to travel locally and support small business.
ONLINE PRESENCE
