P R O O F O F C O N C E P T: S A A C I
THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING Activity within the business events industry may be limited by lockdown restrictions but, with two proof of concept hybrid events under its belt, it is showcasing incredible innovation.
O
n Wednesday, 22 July 2020, the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) organised the Proof of Concept event in collaboration with the South African Events Council and in association with the Events Safety Council. The hybrid event took place in five major city centres across South Africa, as well as online, with the aim of demonstrating to the industry that events can be safely held during lockdown while observing all social distancing protocols. “The work we undertook in preparation for SAACI’s recently held Proof of Concept event provided the opportunity for us to work with various disaster management teams around
28 • MEETINGS l SEPT/OCT 2020
the country on how we delivered the event,” explains Glenton de Kock, CEO of SAACI. The in-person elements were hosted at Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani in Durban, the Focus Rooms in Johannesburg, Running Waters Exclusive Venue in Port Elizabeth, and the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria. Live-streaming was managed overall by Magnetic Storm and supported by Multi-Media in Cape Town, while Selbys assisted in Durban; AV Active stepped in to support Johannesburg, with Magnetic Storm driving the entirety of Port Elizabeth’s digital component and EPH Group supporting Pretoria.
ABIDING BY REGULATIONS The Proof of Concept event saw just over 500 people in attendance, with 250 people attending in-person and a further 305 attendees streaming the event online. “We are very cognisant of the fact that the pandemic is only now really on the rise in South Africa and it is not business as usual. We have a deep commitment to putting the well-being of our clients and guests before any of our own business imperatives and take a long-term view in monitoring and controlling the situation in our facilities,” notes Bronwen Cadle de Ponte, GM at the CSIR ICC. One of the key takeaways from the Proof of Concept event was that hybridised events are significantly more sustainable, as this reduces the event’s carbon footprint enormously. This also ties into the costs associated with hosting an event; by going hybrid, both the costs and carbon footprint contributors associated with venue hire, travel, accommodation, catering and other waste such as printed matter are immediately slashed. Additionally, digital and hybrid events can increase accessibility and reach, with geography no longer being a barrier for those who are not able to attend physically. Event technology is also increasing in popularity, with the use of online registrations and apps eliminating the need for brochures and programmes.
www.theplanner.guru
