EVENT GREENING FORUM

Nomaswazi Tinus, African Mamas Crafts.

Where there is a woman, there is magic – Ntozake Shange.

By Lynn McLeod, secretariat of EGF.

Most people who know the Event Greening Forum (EGF) know the members of the management committee very well — our chair, Greg McManus; vice chair, Morwesi Ramonyai and treasurer, Justin Hawes.

At our recent Annual General Meeting we elected some new faces to the management committee. As they are women, it seems only appropriate to introduce them following Women’s Month in August. We have also added several sub-committees to ensure that the work of the EGF carries on unabated into the future. The first person we wish to introduce is Lethabo Kgotse, our first intern. Lethabo is a tourism management graduate of the University of Johannesburg and was one of the students attending the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum Africa at Meetings Africa 2019. In addition to her top academic marks, Lethabo makes time to volunteer for two NGOs. While she’s with us, Ms Kgotse is primarily focusing on improving our Green Database, so you have probably heard from her. She is also handling all the EGF’s social media and participates in the implementation of our marketing initiatives.

Lethabo Kgotse, EGF Intern.

Nomaswazi Tinus has been appointed chair of the membership/subsidised members sub-committee. In fact, Ms Tinus has been in this position for most of 2020, but there was very little she could achieve in the circumstances prevailing over the past year.

Ms Tinus is the founder and director of African Mamas Crafts — a social enterprise based in Johannesburg but operating across three different provinces in South Africa to create urban-rural linkages and support rural livelihoods. Her background and experience are in the fields of cartography (mapping), geographic information systems (GIS) and geography — with almost 20 years’ experience in the property and telecommunications sectors. She is passionate about sustainable and inclusive community development.

African Mamas Crafts celebrates the beauty and creativity of African women who use their gifts and skill of their hands – passed down from generation to generation – to provide for their families by crafting beautiful handmade products.

The brand exudes the warmth, generosity, strength and resilience of African women who over the years have done so much with so little. We focus on recognising assets people already have – and hence the slogan “What is in your hands?”

Geraldene Parmasser, Technology Partners.

The two newest members of the management committee are Geraldene Parmassar of Technology Partners and Chantal Croaster of the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

Ms Parmassar entered the business events industry in 2019 and worked at The Forum. She has experience in project management and has worked on major shows such as the Turbine Art Fair. In her time at The Forum, Ms Parmassar worked on events such as bridal open days, weddings, and conferences.

Prior to entering the events space, Ms Parmassar spent 11 years working in education and corporate governance for the Engineering Council of South Africa. During her tenure she was also involved from a MICE frame, and worked on events such as golf days, university accreditation visits, and council inauguration ceremonies.

In 2020, Ms Parmassar joined Technology Partners as their general manager. Technology Partners is a service provider to the business events industry with a core focus on sustainability. Ms Parmassar serves on the EGF’s management committee, as well as the membership / BEE sub-committees. With her experience in education, she has been appointed as chair of the education and training sub-Committee.

Chantal Croaster, Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Chantal Croaster has been working in the hospitality and events industry for just over 20 years, fourteen of which were spent at the CTICC. She currently heads up the conference and exhibition services division at the CTICC.

Some of her career highlights are being awarded with the Manager of the Year title in 2012 and Team of the Year Award in 2013. In addition, Ms Croaster has also been privileged to attend the AIPC Academy in Brussels in 2013. Although her base qualification was in Tourism Management, the biggest achievement would have been to successfully complete a post graduate diploma with the UCT Graduate School of Business in 2015.

Ms Croaster has been elected to serve on the management committee of the EGF and is a member of both the marketing and finance sub-committees.

Her key focus will be to investigate what possibilities there are to change the conference and exhibition landscape in South Africa by introducing more sustainable solutions to the market.

The quote by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: “You deserve to take up space” is what motivates and drives all decisions she makes. It is important for women to take up their space and to make their presence known.

We welcome them all to the EGF Management Committee and look forward to them infusing new energy and vitality into the Forum.

About the EGF

The Event Greening Forum (EGF) is a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainability within the business events sector. It does this by hosting educational sessions for industry and lobbying government in an effort to implement sustainability principles into the daily operations of the events industry. The EGF was established through dedication and support of eight industry associations who are recognised as founding members. The founding members are key industry associations working together to promote South Africa as a destination for various types of events.

Want to know more?

If you would like to know more about event greening, visit wwweventgreening.co.za where you can browse the free resources, sign up to the monthly newsletter, or contact them directly with any queries.

Lynn Mcleod

Contact: Lynn Mcleod

T: 082 891 5883 E: lynn@eventgreening.co.za