The Event August 2011

R22.80 August 2011 www.theevent.co.za

pg6

pg08

pg 14

BIG CHANGES AT THE LOERIES AWARDS

Andrew Human

THE Loerie Awards’ CEO Andrew Human has been involved with the International Andy Awards, the One Show, the Art Directors Club Annual Awards and the London International Advertising Awards so it’s safe to assume that he knows what he’s doing when it comes to putting together an awards show.

T

HIS year’s Loerie Awards take place from 16-18 September 2011 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), a big change from the Good Hope Centre which gave organisers carte blanche in terms of décor and design. “The challenge with the Good Hope Centre was that it was a big empty shell,” explains Andrew. “It required a lot of production work just to get the chairs inside and a lot of work to get the venue up to standard.”

This year’s Loerie Awards will take place inside the CTICC auditorium, which features plush seats and a readymade stage. “It’s really first class. Ticket holders will walk into a first class environment that is of a five-star standard,” he says.

The problem with the CTICC is capacity. The auditorium can only hold 1 500 people

while the Good Hope Centre can hold 2 500, almost 1000 more. “This is the problem we had to face. There are no auditoriums in South Africa large enough to suit our needs,” says Andrew.

For this reason, this year’s Loeries ceremony will include a live simulcast. On the Saturday night of festival weekend, a live feed will be screened at Nu Metro cinemas at the V&A Waterfront, and on Sunday at The Fez Nightclub, where the official Loeries party will

be hosted. Despite the fact that planning for the Loeries started in January, all other venues within the CTICC were already booked, which is why the organising team had to look elsewhere for innovative screening venues.

But despite the fairly drastic changes, Andrew insists that his team will be raising the bar this year. “We want the awards to be more about the awards, and not just a party.

For this reason it will be strictly two hours and focus on the

winning work. We want people to be inspired by the winning brands that use creativity and innovation in their businesses.

The awards will be a showcase of this creative work.”

Andrew says that this year’s structure is a step up and that includes the legendary party.

“The after party will be bigger and better. The agencies have agreed to only host their individual parties on the Saturday night so that the official Sunday night after party at The Fez can take dominance. We

have a lot planned.”

There won’t be a Long Street party this year as all the festivities will be centred around The Fez, but Andrew does mention a Marie Claire party for VIPs and Gold winners. “I feel it’s important for the ad world and the fashion industry to meet, but I can’t say any more about this now.”

Once again The Grand Daddy Hotel in Long Street will serve as the base for registration. The Student Portfolio Day will take place next door at the Slave Church Museum. For the second year in a row Cape Town Creative Week will run in the days prior to the Loeries. There will also be activities planned along the Camps Bay strip which will be accessible via the red Cape Town tourist buses that will be commandeered for the festival weekend.

Andrew hints at other innovative uses of transport which may include ferries on the canal linking the CTICC and the V&A Waterfront.

This year’s Loerie Awards are being produced by Funk, the South African project management company behind the MTV Africa Music Awards.

For more information visit www.theloerieawards.co.za.

Sally Fink

CAROL WEAVING ON THE FORMULA BEHIND EVENTS

“

Carol Weaving

OPINION CAROL Weaving, managing director of the Thebe Exhibitions and Projects Group, was recently named Top Performing Businesswoman of the Year

2

at the African Access National Business Awards.

She spoke to The Event aboiut the the correlation between exhibitor numbers and visitor numbers when planning for a exhibition.

AT the outset I should say that the exhibition business is probably one of the most complex and dynamic businesses around,” says Carol.

She explains that successful exhibitions depend on a number of factors – among others the emphasis placed on the exhibition in the company’s marketing strategy, actual business conducted by exhibitors, effective measuring tools and, to a lesser extent, visitor numbers.

For example, a show of 150 exhibitors or less will attract around 5 000 visitors and under, while a show with 200 to 300 exhibitors can attract double the number of visitors, ie.

10 000 visitors.

“There is often a correlation between exhibitor numbers and visitor numbers, especially when exhibitors have marketed their presence at the exhibition among existing and potential clients. This complements more generic marketing done by the exhibition organiser and mostly applies to consumer exhibitions,” she says.

Carol says that often the correlation between exhibitor numbers and visitor numbers is less in the case of trade events.

“At any point an industry – for instance media technology – has a certain number of potential exhibitors and no more,

while the potential visitor base is huge. The opposite could also be true, depending on the actual industry. Relatively few visitors to a show does not necessarily mean bad business for exhibitors, especially when the right buyer pool was targeted through marketing.”

She’s clear that planning for consumer, trade and B2B shows is definitely very different. “Exhibits at trade and B2B shows are often more state-of-the-art and sophisticated, to meet the expectations of informed industry buyers. The accessibility of venues also plays a role as consumer shows mostly involve far more visitors.”

“They also differ hugely in terms of marketing. Here the exhibition organiser relies on market research, media preference, buyer patterns, competitors’ offerings and, of course, available budget!

For instance, marketing to consumers often involves radio and television and is more costly. This does not mean that marketing in a specific industry is less challenging, as industries have different marketing channels that need to be understood by the marketer.”

Whatever the nature of the exhibition – consumer, trade or B2B, Carol believes it is crucial for the exhibition organiser to understand the specific industry, who the role players are,

where the potential exhibitor base lies and who to market to.

“Although the marketplace is a lot more sophisticated today than ever before, the basic principles of marketing have not changed – matching the right product or service to the right buyer or consumer.”

“The secret lies in seeing and understanding the big picture,” she says.

The African Access Nationtook place in Johannesburg in July. Presented by Topco Media, candidates competed in 20 categories.

“I am proud and honoured to receive this prestigious award,” says Carol. “The empowerment of women is even more critical in today’s business world. I thank my team who continue to inspire and support me.”

Carol, described by peers in the industry to be at the cutting edge of the meetings and exhibitions industry in Africa, leads one of the continent’s most successful exhibition and events organisations. She is also former chairperson of the Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa.

Sally Fink

WHY SPONSORS ARE NOT BANKS? OPINION SPONSORSHIP plays a major role in sports business and has helped the sports industry weather the global economic recession. But just what role does sponsorship play in the events industry?

S

PONSORSHIP can take an event to new heights and add that much needed “wow” factor. An increased budget can affect everything from catering to delegate capacity and even choice of venue. But of course, sponsorship isn’t just a matter of accepting money to do with what you want. It’s important to remember that sponsors are not financial backers but also partners. Scott McCune, Coca-Cola’s vice president, Global Partnerships and Experiential Marketing said, “We used to be seen as a big red bank. That bank is closed. We can put money into something, but we are really looking for shared value.”

Sponsorship can take many forms. The most common type is financial, but sponsorship can also come in the form of AV equipment, transport or venue hire for example. When planning an event one of the first things to consider is who to target as a potential sponsor. Sending blind proposals will achieve nothing.

Companies want to know that event organisers understand the metrics involved in putting to-

gether an event that will be beneficial to all parties, and need to understand why the event is the right platform for them.

Johannesburg Expo Centre CEO Craig Newman explains that sponsorship is about targeting people. “Expos and trade fairs provide a platform for specific captive audiences. This is more so with regards to trade fairs.”

Craig explains that through exhibitions and events, the organiser offers sponsors captive markets, databases, information relative to audience patterns, demographics and research opportunities. “They also allow for the sponsors to capitalise on unique promotional opportunities and be creative in ways in which they broadcast their message.”

Craig believes the thinking behind business partnerships is about access to target markets. “Sponsors need opportunities to leverage their brands or products. These opportunities have to illustrate a direct route for return on investment for the sponsor and the event.

For sponsorship to be sustained, there has to be a “win win” situation, clearly illustrated.”

Sponsors want to gain value out of their involvement with an event and it’s important to be clear about what sponsors will receive in return. Each partner must be clear about the scope, responsibilities and benefits of

its participation and these must all form part of the sponsorship agreement.

Event organisers must understand what is required to work with sponsors for the duration of the event. There should be structured cost-sharing agreements and release clauses to reduce risk and lay out a clear framework for engagement.

When compiling a proposal for potential sponsors it’s essential to be clear about what the sponsor will receive in return.

Offered benefits can include, among other things, displaying the sponsor’s banner at the event; mentioning the sponsor’s name during proceedings; displaying the sponsor’s logo on the podium; including the sponsor’s logo in all formal communication both printed and electronic; inclusion of the sponsor’s logo on event website; clothing printed with the sponsor’s logo and exclusivity.

Setting sponsorship levels is a good way of securing a wide range of sponsorship offerings.

Event organisers can create sponsorship levels such as platinum, gold, silver or bronze depending on what each level provides, whether it’s monetary, equipment or other services.

Lastly, organisers must ensure that every requirement in the sponsorship agreement has been addressed and that sponsors are achieving the best return on their investment. Agreements

Craig Newman

should include clear mechanisms for the resolution of issues.

“As an exhibition, conference and events venue, Expo Centre leverages its brand by taking part in specific industry related events, as well as corporate so-

cial golf days as we see this as our target market. We also engage in various CSI projects wherever possible,” says Craig.

Sally Fink

3

IS INCENTIVE TRAVEL IN CRISIS? Cultural tourism is seein as one of South Africa’s biggest attractions

BUSINESS TOURISM AT a Society of Incentive Travel Executives (Site) seminar held at the Pavilion Conference Centre on 13 July 2011, local members of the association discussed the slump that the South African incentive travel industry is currently experiencing.

O

N 18 July 2011 Tony Romer-Lee (CEO of The Collection by Liz McGrath) wrote an open letter to

4

the South African tourism industry where he claims that it’s never been so bad.

“There is no doubt that South Africa provides a vast array of experiences that are difficult to match anywhere in the World.

Compared to a destination such as Australia, South Africa wins hands down in every facet of tourism: quality, service, value, diversity, history, culture, natural adventure, food and wine… So why is it that this year Australia expects to attract six

million ‘overseas leisure visitors’ and South Africa only one million?,” he says.

The global economic recession has had a marked effect on travel and tourism, and incentive travel is by no means exempt from this. Incentive travel - fully paid trips offered by companies to staff as a reward for performance - is perceived as expensive. The New York Times recently published an article criticising an American company for its lav-

ish spending on an incentive trip shortly after it applied for a government bail out.

The effects of the recession are still apparant, but in South Africa many believe the slump has more to do with the World Cup than anything else. The Site seminar aimed to investigate this and was facilitated

by Tes Proos, president-elect for Site South Africa, and Site international board member David Sand.

Some of the major causes of the current slump were highlighted as: •High prices •A drop in service levels •High airport taxes •The exchange rate •Undercutting •World Cup hangover •Competing destinations It was unanimous that one major issue that needs urgent attention is undercutting. Accomodation providers have resorted to drastically cutting their prices in order to attract business. Smaller DMCs and PCOs are also guilty of undercutting and it’s affecting larger companies and their suppliers. Undercutting is a short term solution that can have devastating effects on the smaller establishments.

But it doesn’t look like government has picked up on the problem. According to minister of tourism Marthinus van Schalk-

wyk, tourism is booming, and is one of the country’s largest economic generators.

At the Site conference held in South Africa last year outgoing South African Tourism (SAT) CEO Thandiwe JanuaryMcLean echoed Marthinus’s statements. “Our aim is to increase the business tourism volume as well as create a more balanced geographic spread,” she said. But during her speech, she only mentioned the various congresses and conventions that her department helped to secure rather than the organisation’s successes in the incentive travel arena.

Site member Peter-John Mitrovich from Springbok Atlas believes that business tourism to South Africa does not necessarily receive the same financial injection as leisure tourism.

“It will be one of Site’s goals to better understand from SAT how much of annual marketing budget is segmented towards business tourism. Site’s aim with understanding the funding better will be to try and provide some trade guidance or comment on how some of these funds should be applied towards new emerging markets in view of the concern of depleting demand from traditional incentive markets due to multiple economic factors or trends,” he says.

But despite this Peter cau-

tioned the attending PCOs and DMCs not to panic, reminding them to think back to the past where incidents like the outbreak of SARS and 9/11 had a major influence on inbound travel to South Africa. He illustrated that circumstances change and advised companies to weather the current storm like they have done in the past.

Daryl Keywood from Walters DMC echoed his sentiments.

“We need not only to look at the local situation but also the global motivational travel reward picture. No doubt incentive travel into South Africa is feeling the pinch, but we have only relatively recently begun to see what the rest of the world has been experiencing for some time. When the recession kicked in during 2007 spend on incentive travel dropped worldwide. For long haul destinations such as South Africa to which incentive programmes are often planned a year or more in advance, this change took some time to filter through. We were then caught up in the euphoria of the Soccer World Cup and so for my company it was only post July 2010 that we saw any real drop off in business. I do however think that the hotels and other service providers experienced a similar business pattern to ours.”

Daryl believes the indus-

try is slowly starting to recover.

“We are unfortunately experiencing a slump in incentive groups, however having spent five weeks overseas at trade shows and visiting clients during the past few months I can report that incentive travel is recovering. The major source markets of Europe and the USA are seeing more incentive programmes travelling and the clients are once again looking at long haul destinations.”

“The tide is turning and I’m certain we will see improvement over the coming 12 months,” concludes Daryl.

Tes also agrees that the grass is beginning to become greener. “Things are looking better for 2012. I think the major thing for many of us is weathering the storm until the business turns early 2012. However – I still think we need to address some of the critical points such as airline taxes. I lost three UK groups for early 2012 due to high airfares. I am sending out a mail to all Site members to try and get an indication of how many groups we lost to other destinations this past year.”

“We also need to investigate the question of South Africa no longer being the perceived ‘value for money’ destination.

The weakening international currencies are not helping. At least, we have seen most hotels holding rates

for 2011 and by the looks of things, many will do so for 2012, which I think, is a move in the right direction,” she says.

The seminar ended on a postive note with David outlinining some of the possible resolutions that need to be actioned in order for incentive travel to see some much welcome growth including a call to meet with SAT to discuss the situation. “We need to call for a formal meeting with SAT to discuss outcomes of meeting and research conducted in the value of lost business for this half of 2011. Further research must be commissioned. I suggest a forum to discuss the issue regarding taxes and levies and the ACSA issue,” says David.

He continued, “We must attempt to get the hotel GMs forum to invite a small delegation of the Site board to feedback on service, educational offerings to hotel staff on Incentive requirements and chat about the pricing discussions that were had at our event.”

He also recommended that the delegation meet with airline association representatives regarding high airport taxes that are making South Africa as a destination expensive.

Tony’s letter sums it up like this: “What is needed now is for the The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) to be given the space and au-

Tony Romer-Lee

tonomy, reporting regularly to the minister of tourism and to the industry, to move ahead and unite the national tourism effort. Without a single, focused driving force this industry will continue to flounder and underperform and more businesses will close, more people will be out of work. Surely the

government and more importantly the people of SA do not want this…”

Do you have any thoughts or suggestions about the state of the incentive travel industry? Visit our website www. theevent.co.za and let us know your opinions.

Sally Fink

5

LOERIES LIVE EVENT FINALISTS international media as well as global exposure for the casino.

Scotland from Home

AWARDS THE finalists for the Loerie awards have been announced, including the best Live Events.

Volkswagen Sedan Showcase BLUE Moon Corporate Communications conceptualised Volkswagen’s Sedan Showcase by utilising a purpose built, 37-meter long set for a 40-minute HD presentation. The audience was then invited to test drive the vehicles.

A total of 11 656 test drives were conducted nationally. Later that same evening, the 2010 Grand Prix Awards took place in the same venue. The show culminat-

ed in an epic finale with a local children’s choir, Tamara Dey with a swing band, The Parlotones and The Soweto Gospel Choir – together. An exclusive performance by the SA cast of Mama Mia topped the evening off.

The Walking Dead IRELAND/Davenport called on the services of event management company At Vogue Communications to launch Top TV’s new show The Walking Dead.

The Team conceptualised a Zombie Walk where members of the public lurch around Johannesburg made up as corpses, putting the wind up unknowing

pedestrians. The event scored At Vogue Communications a Gold at last years PRISA Prism Awards.

Silverstar Casino Card Stacker TO celebrate Silverstar Casino’s third birthday King James RSVP brought out Cardstacker extraordinairé and multiple Guinness World Record Holder, Bryan Berg. Performing in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, Bryan spent ten days in a perspex box building a 3 metre high number 3 as well as replicating the Silverstar Casino using 63 000 freestanding playing cards.

The event generated millions of rands worth of free national and

Benchmark Symposium Live MATT Advertising and Sisters Act Event Management put together an event for Sanlam’s annual conference which took on the guise of a “live” TV Show.

The brief was to raise Sanlam’s annual Benchmark Symposium to a new level and to reiterate Sanlam as thought leaders in the industry.

Benchmark Symposium Live had all the elements of an authentic live television set from a custom designed stage set to host the show, cameras, dolly on tracks, autocue, floor manager, production crew, live hair and make-up and ‘on air’ signage.

SABC’s Morning Live anchor Leanne Manas added further credibility to the show.

Breast Cancer Awareness PUBLICIS put together an internal campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month for SanofiAventis staff. Customised T-shirts had to be worn on ‘Pink Friday’ where male and female staff attended an informative lunch to learn more about Breast Cancer.

The Breast Cancer Month was used as a 31 day activation, encouraging staff to do something meaningful for change.

Edgars Shoe Affair THE Jupiter Drawing Room invited some of South Africa’s

top fashion photographers and stylist duos to create bespoke artworks, bringing to life their interpretation of a woman’s love affair with shoes. The original prints of each of these bespoke artworks were auctioned off to the highest bidder on the night of the event and all proceeds went to the SOS Children’s villages. The campaign was shortlisted at the WGSN Global Fashion Awards.

Scotland From Home THE Jupiter Drawing Room together with 2.0 Media conceptualised and implemented TV spoofs for Brandhouse to showcase the company’s various whisky brands. The campaign was also linked to the FNB Whiskey Festival. A secondhand caravan was purchased, and host Bruce Campbell set up camp in the CTICC exhibition hall.

MINI Countryman Launch THE VWV Group invited media, bloggers, target customers and three of their friends to take a day off work and join MINI for a getaway to the country. The experience demonstrated the added drive capabilities of the first ever four door MINI. The day started with a welcome breakfast and reveal at Constitution Hill. Guests drove to a private country house to enjoy a picnic lunch. They then returned to Randlords in Braamfontein for a cocktail party with a performance by Goldfish.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS GENERAL INDUSTRY IF you have any news highlights to share please visit our web portal www.theevent.co.za and load your own stories for consideration in next month’s edition.

Two appointments at SAT SOUTH African Tourism (SAT) have appointed Neesha Padayachy to the position of global manager: product and Sadiq Dindar to the position of global manager: trade relations.

Neesha’s appointment was effective from July, while Sadiq will join the SAT team on 1 September 2011.

“These appointments are an indication of the extent to which

South African Tourism prioritises its relationship with the global and domestic travel and tourism trade; its commitment to building mutual partnerships with the trade to grow arrivals to South Africa; and its determination to be a partner for profitability with everyone who sells South Africa,” said Roshene Singh, chief marketing officer at SAT. EXSA tip-off line to prevent crime EXSA will implement a countrywide tip-off line to prevent crime in industry.

A dedicated 0800 number will be run independently by Deloitte (with a free fax and email address). Trained operators will respond to calls in English, Afri-

kaans, Zulu, Sotho or Xhosa, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

“This initiative is designed to make a measurable difference to incidents of crimes in our companies and in our industry. A vital part of the strategy will be the design and distribution of stickers (inside vehicles, on tool-boxes etc) and posters (venues, warehouses, canteens) which need to be designed specifically for the exhibition industry,” says an EXSA spokesperson.

Expo Solutions awarded AAD contract EXPO Solutions have been appointed the official contractor for Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2012. This will be the fifth

consecutive AAD that Expo Solutions has been involved with.

Leona Redelinghuys, exhibition director for AAD 2012, says, “It gives me great comfort to know that I am going to be working with a great team that knows and understands the event through years of experience. It also gives me pleasure in knowing that our exhibitors will be dealing with the same infrastructure management team that they recognise and trust to deliver.”

Thebe to manage stadium THEBE Exhibitions and Projects Group have been contracted to handle the commercial management of the Moses Ma-

bhida Stadium in Durban, on behalf of BKS. “This spectacular facility, which is just a stone’s throw from the Durban beach front, offers unlimited possibilities for the staging of major concerts, sporting events, conferences as well as exhibitions. Thebe is already in the process of securing some fantastic line-ups and has appointed Grant Medcalf, the general manager of the Coca-Cola dome, as the new commercial manager of the Stadium. His relocation to Durban has led to Cynthia Penprase being appointed acting general manger of thedome,” says managing director Carol Weaving.

Sally Fink Silverstar Casino Launch

MINI Countryman Launch

6

7

MARKEX RETURNS TO CAPE TOWN

Markex World of Events

EXHIBITIONS AFTER a successful leg in Johanesburg that attracted 9 700 visitors and corporate buyers, Specialised Exhibitions are bringing their marketing and promotions expo, Markex, to Cape Town.

M

ARKEX Cape is a bi-annual event although it skipped last year because of the Soccer World Cup. The 2008 event attracted 3 379 visitors. Organisers are expecting 3 600 visitors

this year as well as 130 exhibitors, a notable increase.

Exhibition director Lynn Chamier explains that Markex Cape is an inimitable showcase of marketing, promotions and events products and services. “For the first time Markex and World of Events Cape will feature a new ‘Trade Only’ section, ensuring enhanced targeting of visitors for exclusively trade exhibitors. Visitors wishing to gain access to this area will be required to preregister with a pin code, which can be obtained from one of

the companies exhibiting in the Trade Only area,” she says.

Markex and World of Events is an important industry resource.

In 2008, the top business activities listed by visitors were suppliers, promotion and promotional gift companies, event management companies and advertising agencies, indicating the targeted nature of the audience.

“We’re also thrilled to bring the AdVantage Village to Cape Town for the first time. This vibrant and busy area is a popular component of the show in Johannesburg and we trust you’ll

enjoy the showcase of creative talent by ad agencies, PR companies, marketing consultants or design houses,” says Lynn.

There will also be a Student Day on 25 August 2011.

Exhibitors are as keen about the Cape Town leg of the show as they were of the Joburg event.

“Our aim is to raise awareness of our presence in the Cape market, as well as to network with potential users of our services and offerings. We believe Markex Cape Town to be a forum that will draw marketing people to our showcase, and be a meeting of minds and ideas that will benefit all who participate into the future,” says Andrew Keymer, 3D Cape director.

Justin Hawes from Scan Display says, “We will be exhibiting at Markex Cape in August, in part because of the success of Markex Johannebsburg, but also because there has not been a show in Cape Town for a while. We want to continue to grow our presence in the Western Cape, as it is an important segment of South Africa’s marketing industry.”

John Binns from John Binns Marketing says his main objective is to highlight the fact that there is an active and representative body for marketing practitioners in South Africa with representation in Cape Town.

He also plans to interact with the broader marketing community

such as advertising, PR, and Direct Mail.

Lauren Weaver from Vic Bay Leisure Wear says, “The South African clothing industry has taken one knock after another leading to many job losses and factory closures. Markex provides a platform whereby we get an opportunity to meet many marketing people in a short time under one roof. This allows us to promote our garments as Proudly Made in South Africa amongst mostly imported products.”

Richard Jermyn from Creatives says, “We exhibited at Markex in Johannesburg last year for the first time and had an amazing response. This year we decided to make a real statement and had a 56 square meter stand which we custom designed to give people a feel for our creativity. We will be using the same stand in Cape Town.

Rather than try exhibit our entire business, we took carefully selected elements which we have chosen to highlight. We also made use of technology, encouraging customers to use our website as a resource - all our products and prices are online.”

Markex and World of Events takes place from 23 -25 August 2011 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town. For more information visit www.markexcape.co.za.

Sally Fink

the sustainability of our industry will come under even more pressure by 2014, when one of our key competitors will have the benefit of the FIFA World Cup.” “We are also looking at the African business and leisure travel market with new eyes and investing over R60-million this year on our marketing efforts on the African continent, identifying in particular significant potential for travel and high tourism spend in South Africa from tourists in Africa air markets such as Nigeria, Angola, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

tion of Southern Africa (RETOSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly enhance tourism trade communications in the Southern Africa region.

In terms of the agreement, RETOSA member states, which include Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mazambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe will contribute editorial content pertaining to their countries tourism trade for publication in the Tourism Tattler magazine, which will now become the Official Trade Journal of both SATSA and RETOSA.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS GENERAL INDUSTRY IF you have any news highlights to share please visit our web portal www.theevent.co.za and load your own stories for consideration in next month’s edition.

SAT calls for unity SOUTH African Tourism (SAT) board chairperson Jabu Mabuza has issued a statement in response to industry’s growing concerns over the current economic climate. “We’re very conscious that business in the travel and tourism industry is taking strain at the moment, as is the case in most parts of the world. We’ve noted the recent Tourism Business Index registering a performance index of 74.5 in the sec-

ond quarter of 2011, lower than expected.”

He lists some of the causes of the slump as South Africa’s strong currency, changing travel patterns, including the increasing tendency of tourists to buy more affordable accommodation and other tourism-related products, increasing unemployment in most First World countries and high fuel prices. “The domestic market has also been weaker than anticipated, which exacerbates the impact of lower occupancies on the very substantial increase in room inventory that happened in the run up to the World Cup.” Jabu believes that it is now even more critical for the tourism industry to band together.

“But in these challenging times, it is now even more important for us as the entire tourism sector to work even harder as a cohesive, co-ordinated collective to analyse and react to tourism trends and aggressively promote our destination locally and internationally as a value-for-money destination, given tourism’s significant contribution to our country’s economy and sustainable job creation. Adverse economic conditions in many of our target markets are not expected to significantly improve over the next 2–3 years and unless we succeed in aggressively promoting our value-for-money tourism product offering internationally in the face of an increasingly competitive international tourism environment,

SATSA and RETOSA join forces THE Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) and the Regional Tourism Organisa-

Sally Fink Scan Display at Markex

8

9

DIARISE

EVENT LISTINGS

AUGUST

SA Entrepreneurship Conference 28 August, Lowveld National Botanical Gardens, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 5-12 August, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria

James Blunt 28 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Presentation Skills 17-18 August, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg

Old Mutual Roadshow 28-29 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

SATSA NG 19 August, Cape Town

September

Markex Cape Town 23-25 August, CTICC, Cape Town

SAACI Western Cape Branch Committee Meeting 1 September, Cape Town, Western Cape

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 25 August–2 September, North West University, Potchefstroom

Soweto Wine Festival 1-3 September, The Arena, University of Johannesburg, Soweto, Gauteng

Reputation Management 26 August, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg

Cape Homemakers Expo 1-4 September, CTICC, Cape Town

GeoSynthesis 2011 28 August - 2 September, CTICC, Cape Town HISA 2011 29-30 August, Birchwood Conference Centre

Sustainable City Exhibition 2 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal John Cleese will bring his unique comedic perspective to audiences across South Africa as part of his Alimony Tour in October 2011

August SEPTEMBER SAACI Western Cape Branch Committee Meeting 1 September, Cape Town Effective media release writing 1 September, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg Sustainable City Exhibition 2-4 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Effective Public Relations Planning 6 September, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg FEDHASA Cape Board Meeting 8 September, Cape Town Creative writing for the media 9-11 September, Free State Professional editing and proofreading 12-13 September, Free State

Robertson Slow 5-7 August, Robertson Wine Valley, Western Cape The Wine Show 5-7 August, Coca Cola dome, JHB Baba Indaba 5-8 August, CTICC, CPT Decorex Joburg 5-9 August, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, Johannesburg South African Handmade Collection 5-9 August, Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 5-12 August, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, Gauteng Durban International Fair 5-14 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal STOP Fashion Show 6 August, Val De Vie Polo Club, Paarl, Western Cape

4th Annual E-Tourism Africa Summit 2011 15-16 September, CTICC, Cape Town

Hermanus Food and Wine Festival 6-8 August, Wine Village, Hermanus, Western Cape

The Loerie Awards 2011 16-18 September, Cape Town

The Used 8 August, Grand Arena, Grand West, Cape Town, Western Cape

HASA 2011 21-22 September, CTICC, Cape Town

Women on the Move with excellence 9 August, Boschendal, Cape Town Bells Night of the Stars Rugby Dinner 9 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

10

Best of Cannes International Ad Awards 12-13 August, Cricket Pavilion, Kearsney College, Kwazulu-Natal

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Hot Water 21 August, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Nando’s Comedy Festival 9-14 August, The Artscape Theatre

Markex Cape 23-25 August, CTICC, Western Cape

National Boat Show 12-14 August, Coca-Cola Dome

Sexpo 23-29 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

The Green Expo 12-14 August, CTICC, Cape Town Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Zebra & Giraffe 14 August, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town Night of 100 Stars 15 August, Sunzone, Suncoast, Durban, Kwazulu-Natal SA Coal Conference 16-18 August, Graceland Casino, Secunda, Mpumalanga Shop SA 17 August, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress 17-19 August, Durban ICC, Kwa-Zulu Natal Eskom Expo for Young Scientists 19 Aug, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Idols - Top 8 Concert 19 Aug, Mosaiek Lifestyle, Roodepoort, Gauteng Swan Lake 19-26 August, Artscape Opera House, Cape Town

Sign Africa 24 August, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg South African Automotive Week Conference 25-26 August, East London, East London The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 25 August- 2 September, North West University, Potchefstroom Standard Bank Joy of Jazz 25-27 August, Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, Gauteng African Jazz Pioneers 26 August, Dinaledi, Mary Fitzgerald Square, Johannesburg, Gauteng Creative Class Awards 26 August, City Hall, Pietermaritzburg Rising Stars Careers Expo 26 August, Bensonvale College Hall, Eastern Cape The Baby Expo MamaMagic 26-28 August, ICC Durban, KZN Dr Myles Munroe`s Women in leadership 27 August, IDC Auditorium, Johannesburg

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Louise Carver 3-4 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town Franschhoek Uncorked 3-4 September, Franschhoek Shoprite Checkers Conference 4-8 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Institute of Retirement Funds Conference 5-7 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal IFSEC & Facilities Show Africa 6-8 September, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand Spar Trade Show 8-9 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal RMB WineX 8-9 September, CTICC, Cape Town SAPSOL 9-11 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Wedding Expo 10-11 September, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg Hike by the light - Klapmutskop 11 September- 10 December, Delvera wine farm, Western Cape Afriwater 13-15 September, Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec Design in Hospitality 15-16 Sepetember, Turbine Hall, Newtown

DIARISE Business & Franchise Opportunities Expo (BOFE) 15-18 September, the Coca-Cola dome, Johannesburg

SEPTEMBER (CONT’D)

Loerie Awards 16-18 September, CTICC, Cape Town

SA Principals Association Conference 22-24 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

SA Shoe Expo 16-18 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

SMME Fair 23-25 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Wrestlerish 18 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town Coal Energy Africa 19-21 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

12th International Housing & Home Warranty Conference 24-28 September, CTICC, Cape Town

Hydropower 19-23 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

How to delegate effectively 30 September, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg

Gideons International in South Africa 21-24 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Open Book Festival 21-25 September, Cape Town SA Principals Association Conference 22-24 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Joburg Art Fair 22-25 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Good Food and Wine Show 22-25 September, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg Khoisan Festival 22-25 September, Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape SMME Fair 23-25 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Captain Stu 25 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town Telkom Business Michael Fridjhon Wine Experience 27-28 August, Hyatt Regency Johannesburg White Mountain Festival 29 September-2 October, White Mountain Lodge, KwaZulu Natal RAGE 30 September-2 October, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg Baba Indaba 30 September- 2 October, Bloemfontein

October Orion Gala Dinner 1 October, Southern Sun Hotel, Grayston, Sandton

OCTOBER Kings of Leon will be performing live at the FNB Stadium on 29 October 2011 and 26 October at the Cape Town Stadium.

Andy Lund and the Mission Men 2 October, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town Reliability and Maintenance Week 3-5 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 3-17 October, Stellenbosch Academy, Stellenbosch

Disabled People International World Assembly 8-14 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Dan Patlansky 9 October, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town FEDHASA National Imvelo Awards 9 October, Johannesburg, Gauteng

Propak Cape 25-27 October, Cape Town Int. Convention Centre, Cape Town John Cleese Alimony Tour 25-29 October, The Teatro at Montecasino Johannesburg from Kings of Leon 26 October, Cape Town Stadium, Western Cape

IMEX America 11-13 October, Las Vegas

Winex 26-28 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

HR Africa Exhibition & Summit 2011 4-6 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Photo and Film Expo 13-16 October, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg

SA Menopause Society Congress 26-30 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Africa Mining and Marine Conference 4-7 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Diwali Fair 13-31 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Black Glamour 27-30 October, the Coca-Cola dome, Johannesburg

Coldplay 5 October, Cape Town Stadium

The Baby Expo MamaMagic 14-16 October, CTICC, Cape Town

Homemakers Fair Expo 6-9 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: McCully Workshop 16 October, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Good Health & Wellness Expo 2011 28-29 October, Docklands Hotel, Durban

IT&CMA and CTW 2011 4-6 October, Bangkok Convention Centre, Thailand

Johannesburg International Motor Show 6-16 October, Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec Look & Feel Good Expo 7-9 October, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg Coldplay 8 October, FNB Stadium Johannesburg Christian Business Expo 8-9 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Viridis Africa 17-18 October, Johannesburg Audio Video & Appliance Expo 2011 20-23 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg John Cleese Alimony Tour 21-22 October , Cape Town International Convention Centre Retirement Expo 21 -23 October, Coca Cola Dome, JHB

Kings of Leon 29 October, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Heather Mac 30 October, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town Consulting Engineers of South Africa Conference 31 October- 2 November, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Compiled by Charl Fourie

SAACI Western Cape Branch Committee Meeting 1 September, Cape Town Effective media release writing 1 September, PRISA ProComm House, 108 Bram Fischer Drive, Ferndale, Randburg Effective Public Relations Planning 6 September, PRISA ProComm House, 108 Bram Fischer Drive, Ferndale, Randburg FEDHASA Cape Board Meeting 8 September, Cape Town Creative writing for the media 9-11 September, Free State Professional editing and proofreading 12-13 September, Free State The Loerie Awards 2011 16-18 September, Cape Town

NOVEMBER The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 7–11 November, DV8 Saatchi & Saatchi, Namibia WTM 7 November, Cape Town, Western Cape Chamber Forum 24 November, TBC EIBTM 29 November - 1 December Barcelona, Spain For more or to add your own: www.theevent.co.za/diarise

11

SAACI CONFERENCE CALLS FOR INNOVATION AND UNITY Nina Freysen Pretoeius

CONFERENCE THE Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) national conference took place from 24-26 July 2011 at the NH Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West.

A

FTER a slow start on Sunday 24 July 2011 the SAACI Annual Conference kicked off with a lively debate entitled ‘Hold your line’ featuring an impressive panel of industry leaders chaired by Dirk Elzinga. This was followed by an introduction by SAACI national chairperson Nina Freysen-Pretorius to the newly formed SAACI forums consisting: Venue, Services, Technical, Exhibitions, Transport, Destination Marketing and Conference and Events. Nina explained that the forums aim to assist members of the association to grow their businesses.

DAY TWO HIGHLIGHTS: The national chair’s opening address DURING her welcome speech Nina pulled no punches. “We

12

need to put our differences aside to create a common goal,” she said, referring not only to the historical rivalry between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, but also members of industry vying for the same business. “We don’t understand the importance of working as a collective. As much as we are competing with each other we are also being watched by international clients and buyers.

We need to up our game. Our products and services need to be more competitively priced.”

She also mentioned the newly established forums and the establishment of a national convention bureau. “Concern has been raised within our membership that the structure, role and management of such a national bureau needs to be clarified in consultation with existing provincial bodies and the industry. How will allocated funds be used and how will we benefit from it?”

She even called into question the new events bill . “The SA police have taken upon themselves to be project managers of events and conferences. We

cannot allow this to affect our business. This will have a very negative impact on our sector.”

Alan Winde lauds Cape Town THE minister of finance, economic development and tourism spoke excitedly about Cape Town’s shortlisting for the World Design Capital in 2014.

“We need to be more innovative and aggressive and we have to up our game. Most importantly we have to start to position ourselves in the global economy. “ Alan advised that this drive is only achievable if industry is committed to its own growth.

“Government has to listen to allow you to do what you do best. We find ourselves in a very difficult time. SA has core markets, and we have to change, go out and find new markets. Those industry players that are aggressive cause prices to go down and that stimulates the market.”

He said government’s commitment going forward involves two big marketing opportunities. The first was the Asian markets. We will be attending ITB

Asia. But we need to go there with a united focused marketing face to change our offering.

It’s competitive out there.”

The minister also mentioned a brand new marketing initiative called Red Tape to Red Carpet. “This is a strategic option to promote growth. It is based in business. Business decides what red tape is, and then presents its findings to government to be dealt with at local and national level. The aim is to make it easier to do business, to get ahead of the game.”

The Minister of Tourism’s response to Nina’s comments “I BELIEVE in an industry led sector and resist over-involvement of government in the tourism sector. Once there is over-involvement of government the industry will be difficult. Private sector tourism strategy. There must be a partnership between private sector and government.

It is difficult when the structure represents industry. Rather say to government: listen to us. We will respond to the Tourism Business Company. We must challenge each other. This is how

we move forward.”

The minsiter then spoke about his target for 2020. “I want us to achieve these targets together. Deregulate – get airlines flying into this country, doesn’t matter if they fly on SAA, we just want them here.

That’s our broader focus: to get as many people here. It doesn’t matter what airline they fly here on. We have doubled the amount of airlines flying into SA. Our National Tourism Strategy represents our commitment to strategic planning. Our targets are achievable.”

The minister expressed his desire to see 15 million tourists come to SA in 2020, and spend to increase from R109 billion to R499 billion by 2020. “This consolidates our strategic outlook on the business tourism sector. The new National Convention Bureau will make a huge impact in attracting meetings and conferences into SA. It will be driven under the auspices of SAT because it has to be private sector led.”

He also spoke about the legacy of the World Cup. “There’s life after World Cup. We haven’t experienced the same slump that other countries experienced after the event, because we planned well. But a dip is inevitable. We are doing much better than the global average, and much better than our competitors.”

Matthew Lester on the credit crunch THE associate professor from Rhodes spoke about global recovery and how Europe sees us and how we see Europe. “The global economy is not looking so good. The US deficit is 1,1 trillion dollars. When the Dollar weakens the emerging market currency strengthens.

When the Dollar weakens oil goes through the roof. Consumer confidence takes a dip. Recovery takes time.”

He explained that customers want the cheapest solution they can find. “Change is not about doing more, its about taking a different look at things.”

He warned that change is coming. “Youtube is fast becoming a training channel. The world is still recovering. Marketing is the answer.”

An Inside look at the bidding process NEXT up was a panel consisting of SAT’s Timothy Scholtz, Western Cape Convention Bureau’s Calvyn Gilfillen, Kwazulu Natal Convention Bureau’s James Seymour and Joburg Tourism’s Lindiwe Kwele Tim stressed the importance of collaborating and working together and said a National Convention Bureau is imminent.

Calvyn echoed the need for such an organisation. “In business tourism you can’t go without associations and partners. Then the Bureau can’t do its job.”

James said, “The role of the National Convention Bureau is to promote the country on an impartial level as well as promote all venues. “Bidding is a complex process that needs the support of the trade. ROI doesn’t only refer to economic results but all image and capacity building. Each bid should be approached as a unique process. Bidding is also about building the image of the association. Bidding is not about the egos of destinations. Its about relationship building.”

Menu planning ONE of the most overlooked aspects of conference planning is menu. Maryke van Zyl from Woolworths spoke about how something as simple as food choice can transform a delegate’s experience of an event.

She explained that a healthy balanced meal can sustain and stimulate the delegate throughout the day. She explained that light, low fat and low GI foods can battle the slump periods (usually after lunch)and keep delegates vitalised and awake.

Developing sustainable cities THE last talk of the day was delivered by Tourism Vancouver’s Walt Judas who gave a keynote address. Vancouver has long been recognised as Canada’s premier travel and mega event destinations (it hosted the Paralympic Winter Games last year) and is a prime example of a city embracing sustainability and green thinking. “Vancouver has long aimed to become the world’s greenest city by 2020. The city has outlined ten goals to achieve this: clean air;

Marthinus van Schalkwyk

green economy, lighter footprint, green buildings, clean water, climate leadership, zero waste, and local food.”

DAY THREE HIGHLIGHTS

and experience to produce an event. Stadium and venue owners have to apply for safety certificate. Public liability insurance is compulsory. Accountability is a key factor. “

The risky business of event safety and security.

PATRICK Ronan gave a strategic overview of Saferty at Sports and Recreational events act. “SA is a desirious destination for mega events and it’s government policy to attract these events,” he said. “The Act protects the public to ensure their safety.”

The Bill was debated and unanimously passed by national assembly in 2010. The Act was promulgated on 2 August 2010.

In the past, several challenges faced the SAPS such as multiple events on the same day which stretches resources “The Act ensures that event organisers take responsibility for event safety and security delivery and that the minimum safety and security measures are in place at events.”

“Event organisers have to have capacity, resources

Social media and eventing HIPPO Communications Beryl Eichenberger and Lynne Smit explained how using social media can bridge the divide between a conference and the public.

“You need an integrated strategy,” says Beryl. “You have to add social media to the mix to have an integrated platform.

Use social media to cover all bases and talk one on one with your client base.”

Lynn gave some practical figures. “Social media is like putting a drop in the ocean and the message spreads and spreads.

The message stays there.” 39% of urban South Africans and 27% of rural users browse the internet on their phones. At least 6 million South Africans have internet access on their phones.

African Facebook users stand at 17 million. Twitter and Youtube rank among most visited

websites in African countries In Africa 10 million people use mxit, 3.8 million use Facebook and 800 000 use Twitter.

That’s 13.8% of the population.

Her most valuable advice was, “Social media is not a shout channel. It’s a conversation,” and “Don’t run a conference without a hashtag.”

Creating event experiences.

CEO of CTICC Rashied Toefy spoke about a subject very close to his heart. “We are the conference industry and we don’t use everything at our disposal,” he says. “Can we face up and go where the world is going? There is a widespread unexamined assumption that the core purpose of a conference is to transfer knowledge. I call this Death by Powerpoint.”

He explained a growing trend internationally is Pecha Kucha, which features 20 slides of 20 seconds each to communicate information. “We are up against ipads, Blackberries, laptops etc. I’ve seen heads down not looking at the speaker at conferene. Webinars and vertical meetings could mean

end of meetings if event organisers don’t realise the value of experience.”

He used the World Economic Forum (WEC) as an example. “Its about the total experience economy. At the WEC anyone can get any content at any time. It was very interactive. Why don’t we do it at our conferences?”

He believes the future of conferences is about the experience. “People want to sit in comfort tuning into a lecture.

Meetings should be like that too.

Its about the experience. Meeting architrecture. Look at space, mentor protégé sessions, I have a passion for making meetings work differently. How do we instill this passion our clients? No one dimensional conversations.

We should be saying, when you come to Africa your conference must be different.”

He advised event organisers and PCOs to look at how they utilse spaces, and to think more out the box.”

Sally Fink

13

THE BUSINESS OF MOVING MADAME ZINGARA Photography © Jess Novotna

Madame Zingara Theatre of Dreams

GENERAL INDUSTRY MADAME Zingara was an 80-seater restaurant in Cape Town’s city centre that burnt down in 2006. Instead of rebuild-

14

ing, the owner transformed it into a travelling dinner theatre.

T

HE idea for Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams struck when owner Richard Griffin

attended the Glastonbury performing arts festival in England.

At the time, he was trying to figure out what to do about the 60 staff members who had lost their jobs as a result of the fire and when he came across a tented theatre he knew he had found the answer.

He tracked down the manufacturers of antique Spiegel mirror tents, had one shipped to Cape Town, and created a dinner cirque featuring a staff of 80, including performers.

The show grew to become one of the most sought after dining experiences in the city and has since travelled to Johannesburg, Durban and the United Kingdom.

Naturally, moving a tented dinner theatre across the country every few months is a logistical nightmare. The tent, named Victoria, weighs 40 tonnes and requires a team of ten to get her down over a period of two days. To dismantle and rig the tent requires a Belgium rigging crew to fly to South Africa for the move - which has to be done in three parts. Each piece of the tent has to be dismantled and packed into separate cranes and then loaded into eight super links (containers). Once all is packed and moved to the next city it takes three non-stop days to set it all up again.

Unit manager Warren Andresen, who started out as a

waiter at the show, explains that an 80 tonne crane is required to move the containers around the kitchen tent, which is always erected first. “Every piece is pre-organised for unpacking; the kitchen tent and floor of the site is marked out.

Laying the 24 tonnes of stone give the tent that ‘lived in’ look.

To top it all off, each time Victoria settles in a new city, a fresh coat of paint is added to fit the new show theme.”

Warren goes on to explain that the team works with a modular system that clips together to form the frame. The poles are then attached to the frame, followed by the canvas, floorboards and cladding. “With systems in place it’s very easy to get the tent up and down. We take out the various components as they have been packed in. It’s only when someone grabs the wrong part that things start to go wrong,” he says. For this reason, he usually ropes in some of the waiting and kitchen staff, as they are more familiar with the tent than hired labourers.

A common issue that can arise is zoning. In 2008 the show had to be moved to Cape Town’s Foreshore and has since been moved to Century City.

Another hiccup that can crop up is space. During its initial Johannesburg leg, an open field across the street from Monte Casino had to be levelled in

order to accommodate Victoria. The trip to England held its own problems. Warren wasn’t allowed through customs, so a production company had to be hired on the other side to handle logistics.

The travelling dinner theatre remains in a city for three months before moving on to the next and accommodates between 400-450 guests per night.

After each leg the show is changed slightly by director Valentina Love (with input by Richard) to ensure that guests don’t experience déjà vu from having seen the same show before.

Madame Zingara will celebrate its tenth anniversary in Cape Town from 1 September 2011.

“In celebration we are planning the most incredible show yet,” says Richard. “We’re bringing back some of the crowd favourites from South Africa and across the globe, all with fantastic new acts. It will be a show filled with warm, fond memories of the magical love affair audiences have enjoyed with Madame Zingara over the years.”

As part of the anniversary celebrations and for the first time in the history of Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams, the tent will also be open for New Year’s Eve. For more information visit www.madamezingara.com.

Sally Fink

CREATIVE THINKING ESSENTIAL FOR EXHIBITION SUCCESS SUPPLIER PROFILE A WELL designed and eye catching exhibition stand is a sure-fire way to create a stellar impression among visitors and hosted buyers. A little bit of extra time spent on creative thinking and design is well worth the time and effort.

A

S an exhibitor there is nothing worse than watching visitor after visitor and buyer after buyer pass your stand without even bothering to pick up a brochure as they pass.

Sadly, a bare shell scheme consisting of a table and chairs and a bowl of mints is not going to draw visitors to your stand. In order to draw attention, exhibitors have to start thinking out of the box when it comes to stand design. Even in a corporate environment you need to communicate that your brand is unique and different from your competitors through your exhibiting environment.

First impressions are everything. A well designed exhibition stand is a potential client’s first look at your company.

The team behind stand design company Amaquondo see themselves as creative thinkers.

The company has been around for ten years and specialises in custom designed stands and shell schemes with custom elements as well as conference de-

sign and event management.

Owner Mike Upham understands the competitive nature of the exhibition world, and insists on innovation and creative design right from the concept stage to the end product.

“We push our designs to the max but always keep within simple design rules,” says Mike. “A design can be extreme but it must work. The eye must feel at ease when looking at the creation. We don’t follow trends or fashions. We make our own unique design keeping things fresh and innovative.”

His work speaks for itself.

Amaquondo’s exhibition stand for NH Hotels won first place at this year’s Meetings Africa stand awards and the commissions keep coming.

“We recently supplied a Sea Harvest stand which was constructed in Brussels for the largest sea food show in the world, the European Seafood Exposition.

The stand was 12m by 4m and consisted of an office, kitchen and bar area.

“Our client wanted to show off our beautiful country so we included an 8M by 2.5M collage which was designed by Chaz Art. The stand followed smooth curves and flowing lines, using the company’s simple colours.

Once the design was finished Amaquondo truly made Sea Harvest and South Africa stand out at the show,” he says.

Sea Harvest stand

Creativity is often overlooked in the business tourism and events industry, but without wow factor, some ideas will fail to launch. Nowhere is this more important than at exhibitions and trade shows where hundreds of stands vie for the same target audience. Eye catching stands will often receive the most foot traffic.

“Amaquondo is based on being different to the rest. Our stands make a statement. We

don’t follow what everyone else is doing. Our bottom line is getting the most out of our client’s budget so they keep coming back for more.”

Mike insists that he can provide a custom designed stand within a shell scheme budget.

“It really bothers me how much companies charge for a shell scheme stand when it can be included in the design process.

We challenge our clients to let us design a custom stand within

their shell scheme budget.”

The Amaquondo team all share the same passion for what they do. “We mainly focus on design work but we manufacture as well. All work is done locally,” says Mike.

The team are already hard at work with designs for Meetings Africa, Dive Expo and the forthcoming European Seafood Exposition.

For more information visit www.amaquondo.com.

15

Exhibition Case Studies Sponsored by Complete Exhibitions COMPLETE EXHIBITIONS ENJOY A SUCCESSFUL MARKEX COMPLETE Exhibitions would like to thank the organisers of Markex which took place at Sandton Convention Centre from 7-9 June 2011 for a truly a world class event.

M

ARKEX celebrated 25 years of being South Africa’s premier events, marketing and promotions exhibition and attracted in excess of 10 000 visitors over three days and more than 250 exhibitors.

Complete Exhibitions participated this year to showcase their unique package design stand elements. This on-line stand design module, available on their website, allows clients to explore the design of functional packaged stands.

The client can independently select from a range of various options and configurations including adding graphics, lighting effects, LCD screens, flooring and furniture options. Once all selections are complete, they are then issued immediately with an accurate quote.

Robert Walker, Business Development manager for Com-

plete Exhibitions says, “Markex provides the exhibitor a unique opportunity to showcase what we can do for potential clients. Complete Exhibitions took a strategic decision to build a stand that highlighted our focus towards economically designed stands. In today’s economic climate, companies are looking for creative, cost effective ideas to utilise within their marketing matrix and the package design concept is perfectly suited for this.”

Simon Lace of Complete Exhibitions was enthusiastic about the Markex 2011 offerings, “I found Markex to be an excellent opportunity to spend some quality face to face time with prospective clients. It was a rare occasion to sit and get a feel of exactly what clients want from us as well as us informing possible clients exactly what we do and what we are capable of. It also provided exploratory networking with other suppliers where we could discuss and unearth solutions to current challenges that affect all of us within the industry.”

Complete Exhibition’s Markex stand

“What Markex gives us is the platform from which to engage with our clients as we get to experience the exhibition environment from their perspec-

tive as an exhibitor. This opportunity helps us to come up with innovations that we can then integrate within a product offering, which ultimately ben-

efits the wider exhibitor at all shows,” says Robert.

For more information visit www.compex.co.za.

Sally Fink

pediment to the ability of SMME’s being able to take advantage of this to the fullest. While small business owners acknowledge that they need more staff in order to grow their business, they report that they either can’t find the right people or are too nervous to employ because of the country’s rigorous labour laws.

A practical example is that according to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act any person employed for more than 24 hours a month is entitled to paid leave, paid sick leave and paid family responsibility time.”

Nigel belives there is a balance to be strived for between growth as a result of being able to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, and managing administrative and overhead costs. “It is not surprising that

nearly a quarter (23%) of the Southern African respondents to the UFI survey highlighted internal management challenges (i.e. finance, human resources, staff, training) as a major issue.”

The implementation of the relatively new event (including safety) Regulations are also a growing challenge to SMMEs in this industry being able to take full advantage of the growth opportunities. Obviously safety is paramount in all operations, but challenges arrive when the same regulations and laws, coupled with local (municipal) and venue specific regulations, are interpreted and enforced differently by consultants and from event to event. “For any SMME striving to comply with the different interpretations of ‘the law(s)’, the result is in significant

resources being focused upon safety. Our experience is that for the majority of projects our safety procedures and documentation meet requirements, that the goal posts are constantly moving. As an ‘extreme’ example, earlier this month all our employees and sub-contractors had to undertake a medical prior to the completion of the build-up as a compulsory requirement, in order to prove that everyone was fit for work. We were, on a positive note, allowed to forego the required ‘end of contract’ medical, that would have proved noone had been injured during the project’s implementation.”

“There is surely a balance to be strived for, so that SMMEs in the exhibition sector can generate the job opportunities that the country, and its people need.”

STIMULATING EXHIBITION GROWTH

T

HE latest UFI barometer survey indicated that 52% of SMMEs expect their turnover to increase by more than 10% in the first six months of 2011 when compared with the first six months in 2010, increasing to 78% for the second half of 2011. Exhibition organisers are particularly buoyant in this regard with 86% indicating an increase in turn-over in the first six months this year. Yet this positive outlook is balanced with 75% indicating that the impact of the ‘economic crisis’ on the exhibition business is not yet over. With only 25% of South African respondents believing that it is over, it is not surprising to see that a significant 34% identified the state of the national/regional economy as the single most important issue to be addressed.

Complete Exhibitions has mir-

16

rored these trends. Director Nigel Walker says “At the end of June we were working simultaneously in East London, Durban, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg, whilst in July we were working on concurrent projects in Pretoria, Soweto, Durban, Johannesburg and Sun City. This exponential growth that we have experienced determines that we have staff on-site in several regions at the same time, which places significant challenges on our logistical and operational structures.”

According to the Pastel SME Business Survey, nearly a third (28%) of local SMEs reported labour related issues as the main barrier to business growth in the past year. “Whereas our current business environment is highly indicative of entering a growth phase, labour issues are an im-

Training and education highlights MINISTER DR BLADE NZIMANDE ON THE WAY FORWARD ON 22 July 2011 the Services SETA (SSETA), together with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), invited all stakeholders to attend an information sharing session in Cape Town. The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande addressed delegates on the new SETA landscape and the way forward.

“

WE are all concerned about skills development as a whole,” began the minister during his speech at The Pavilion Conference Centre in Cape Town. “We have learned a few lessons, one of which is that it is critical to have regular interactions with the stakeholders at large. It is mostly due to this interaction with the stakeholders, that most of you got a better understanding of the changes that government is instituting in the skills development sector and that the impasse between the SSETA and the DHET got resolved.”

The minister explained that the road shows aimed to educate stakeholders in the skills development sector of his agenda going forward. His speech focused on the challenges of education and training, changes in the SETAs, the relicensing of SETAs and the way forward.

“While it has always been the intention of the democratic government to create an integrated educational and training system, in the first years of democracy, education - from basic to universities - was located in the Department of Education while training was located in the Department of Labour. This division has taught us a lot and the lessons and challenges experienced were influential in the President’s decision to establish a department of higher learning and training,” he explained.

Naturally the transfer of functions from department to department had its challenges and Minister Nzimande admits that legislation must be changed for the various subsystems in existence.

“It is not easy for an FET graduate to continue into university to obtain a higher qualification. We are also aware that the SDA and some regulations thereto do not make it easy for SETA ETQAs to accredit universities and FET colleges as service providers for training. We cannot have legislations that do not speak to each other and do not promote the goals and objectives of the DHET which are also of the nation as a whole.”

The minister said that poverty and inequality are major challenges to the new growth path that have stemmed from the exclusion of the majority from the labour market. “Skills shortages continue to be one of the major constraints to economic growth and transformation of our economy and labour

market,” he said.

Another challenge is that South Africa continues to have an untransformed labour market. “The production of skilled human resources is a priority for all of us, both for ensuring that we have a skilled and capable workforce that contributes to economic growth as well as for social stability and equity.”

He continued, “SETAs were established as the central mechanism for mediating the relationship between training and social and economic requirements. Skills development has not met many of these expectations.”

The minister believes that it is important for a skills development structure to achieve numerical targets.

“There is an urgent need for SETAs to support programmes that are consistent with economic skills needs and priorities,” said Dr Nzimande. “Implementation has been focused on mass programmes at lower levels that do not enable learners to access opportunities nor enable them to pursue learning and career opportunities. There is celebration of the achievement of the accreditation of large numbers of SMME providers that cannot offer quality education and training.”

The minister’s primary objective is to roll out quality skills provision for economic growth. “It is clear that if we do not meet the objective of quality provision, there is little point in celebrating these achievements,” he said.

He explained that he expects the SETAs to play a central role in interpreting the skills requirements in the context of economic demand. “They (SETAs) are expected to understand the changes in the composition of jobs in the economy and changes in the skills requirements of individual occupations.” He explained that the SETAs must produce credible estimates of skills shortages in their respective sectors, and consequently, they must ensure that the training programmes they fund are intended to alleviate the skills shortges in the economy, are aimed at enhancing productivity and employability of participants and enhancing human resources through improving skills for young job seekers, while simultaneously fulfilling the needs of labour demand.”

The new National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) will guide skills development and will seek to ensure that skills development is better able to cope with developmental challenges in South Africa. “It (NSDS) was purposely developed without targets,” explains Dr Nzimande. “And it purposely seeks to ensure that the SETAs respond to the skills need of their respective sectors and and steer their funding into programmes that will lead to qualifications, open opportunities for the recipients and promote career prograssion.

Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Blade Nzimande

But more so, it is meant to ensure that industry has access to a skilled and capable workforce and skills development supports training of those in the labour market for enhanced productivity.”

Dr Nzimande annoucned his intention in 2009 to re-establish the SETAs. “SETAs are important institutions in the post-school landscape, and if we are to achieve the goals of improving skills development in this country we have to effectively use all the resources available to us.”

Key amongst the minister’s reformation of the SETA landscape are changes within leadership, governance, and strategy in order to meet the objectives of NSDS III. His department has introduced a new mdoel SETA consti-

tution to address a number of issues.

New initiatives include: •Introducting independent chairpersons •Limiting number of board meetings •Reducing size of boards •Ministerial approval •Two Ministerial appointees on board •Standard remuneration for board members •Accountability for duties •Ministerial approval of SETA CEO appointments “It is time we build a single skills development system in this country.

The NSDS III provides a good enough base from which all SETAs have begun their planning. SETAs are expected to implement the strategy and they will be

monitored and evaluated on this,” said Dr Nzimande.

“My interest is to see the SSETA operating in line with the other 20 SETAs making significant changes in its functionality to ensure that we achieve the goals of the NSDS III and contribute to skilling the nation. I believe it is our responsibility to ensure that we work together to transform and strengthen the SETAs in line with the expectations of millions of South Africans who require training of one form or the other, especially our youth.”

Sally Fink

Customer Care customercare@serviceseta.org.za

Bloemfontein Tel: 051 430 6223 Fax: 051 430 8771

Durban Tel: 031 207 1761 Fax: 031 207 1766

Kimberley Tel: 053 833 7447 Fax: 053 833 7452

Polokwane Tel: 015 296 4858 Fax: 015 296 4729

Head Office Tel: 011 276 9600 Fax: 011 276 9623

Cape Town Tel: 021 425 0417 Fax: 021 425 1575

East London Tel: 043 743 5410 Fax: 043 722 9587

Nelspruit Tel: 013 752 2207 Fax: 013 752 6434

Port Elizabeth Tel: 041 582 2033 Fax: 041 582 2040

www.serviceseta.org.za 17

ONE, TWO, THREE, FLOOR

Vinyl flooring

SUPPLIER PROFILE EVENT planning entails looking at the venue and seating layout, catering, marketing, logistics, and even décor, but how much time is spent on flooring?

I

F you think about the amount of mess that accumulates during the build-up stage of large exhibitions it makes sense for event organisers to consider temporary flooring. Even high traffic areas such as registration would benefit from portable flooring to ensure that venue owners don’t bewail the damage done to their expensive

carpeting. But that is only one aspect of flooring. What about outdoor events and large bare areas that need to be covered; exhibition stand floors and outof-the-box dancefloors?

One such mobile flooring supplier, Connecta-Floor, have a range of eco-friendly flooring solutions geared for South African event organisers and have outlets in Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nelspruit (Mpumalanga), Port Elizabeth, Zululand and Lesotho.

Director Chris Holden explains that the mobile flooring supplier was formed three years ago, originally as an extension of Fin-

floor, which has been around in excess of 14 years. “We decided that the focus of the business was so different to Finfloor that it would be better to have it as a stand alone entity.”

Chris explains that the company was designed by the owners of the business and is manufactured in Durban, using 85% locally manufactured components, such as Aluminum framed profiles, MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), 8.3mm High Density Tropical Hardwood Fiberboard impregnated with ‘Aluminum Oxide’ surface finish for high abrasion resistance.

Connecta-Floor are able

to create anything from wood and vinyl flooring for exhibition stands to synthetic grass for outdoor events. Chris explains that the product is beneficial to the events industry as it can be rented/leased for either one day or 24 months, saving the event organiser from having to lay out capital for purchases.

“The floor panels can be used many times over; and the panels are very portable and easy to transport, easy to install, and easy to store,” explains Chris. The panels are even stain resistant, perfect for sit down dinners and networking functions.

“Our panels are available

following its establishment in April.

Board chairman Mike Gcabo says the company is geared to set tourism in the country’s capital city on a new path.

“Tshwane’s time has come and we will market the city as a preferred destination to the world and prove that we are not just a pass-by destination.

While Tshwane is the place where presidents from over the world meet, it should become the place where they, together with other international tourists, remain for a while to see what we have to offer.”

“The company’s primary goal – to market the city – should, therefore, become paramount in everything it does,” he says.

He welcomed the City of Tshwane’s commitment of R2,5 million seed money in the next financial year to set up the company. The city will also provide office space at the visitors’ centre in Hatfield.

“This is certainly a start to get the company operational and sends out a clear message to the private sector in tourism that the city is serious to assist with marketing Tshwane. Financially, we are certainly far from creating effective marketing channels and products, but any process has to start somewhere. The company’s first priority is now to secure additional funding to ensure that effective marketing plans can be further developed.

in three wood finishes, namely Planked Oak, Cherry, and Pearl Teak, as well as Synthetic Grass and vinyl overlay in various colours. They can fit into most areas due to the various sizes available which range from 925 x 925mm and 750 x 750mm to suit exhibitions,” says Chris.

The Connecta-Floor panels are eco-friendly for a number of reasons. The main substrate is made from wood waste; as is the core material of the décor board. Only harvested timber is used and no natural forests are touched. Additionally, the décor boards are E1 rated, which means they have a very low formaldehyde content, and are therefore totally bio-degradable. “No toxic fumes are emitted in the event of a fire, due to the construction of the both the substrate and décor layer,” says Chris.

The flooring was used to great effect at the Durban July event, as well as Decorex. “We are flooring experts, so why not let us take that aggravation away from the organiser/planner and let them focus on the larger picture?” says Chris. “Our flooring gives the strength and stain resistance required in this market.”

For more information visit www.connecta-floor.co.za

Sally Fink

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS GENERAL INDUSTRY IF you have any news highlights to share please visit our web portal www.theevent.co.za and load your own stories for consideration in next month’s edition.

SCC to host ILO Africa meeting IN October, the Sandton Convention Centre will host the 12th African Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which brings together the ILO’s tripartite constituents of government, labour and civic society from 53 African member states to discuss developments in Africa and provide guidance for the work of the ILO in the region.

The last ILO regional meeting was in 2004.

“We are honoured to be the venue of choice for this high level meeting. Approximately 500 delegates from the 53 member states will experience the warmth and hospitality of Johannesburg and the Sandton Convention Centre. We are expecting geads of state, labour ministers and high level government representatives to attend the 4 day meeting”, says Mati Nyazema, executive director of the Sandton Convention Centre.

Tshwane Tourism Company Board meets THE Tshwane Tourism Company’s board held its first meeting in July,

Negotiations with the Gauteng Tourism Authority, as well as with the Dinokeng and Metsweding municipalities that were added to Tshwane after the local elections in May, are on the way.

“Tshwane’s tourism industry is still outperformed by those of other metros and our visitor numbers are still well below the master plan target of 6,9 million by 2012. Current figures indicate that some 3,4 million tourists visit Tshwane every year, compared to more than 6,8 million to Johannesburg and more than four million to eThekwini.

This we aim to rectify, sooner than later,” says Mike.

Sally Fink

Join us facebook.com/theevent.newspaper • PUBLISHER: Film & Event Publishing

• ONLINE CO-ORDINATOR: Charl Fourie (charl@filmeventpublishing.co.za)

• ADDRESS: 57 2nd Avenue, Harfield Village, Claremont,Cape Town

• DESIGNER: Jess Novotná (jess@filmeventpublishing.co.za)

• PHONE: +27 21 674 0646

• SALES: Rhoda Webb (rhoda@theevent.co.za)

• FAX: +27 21 674 6691

• PUBLISHER: Lance Gibbons (lance@filmeventpublishing.co.za)

• HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Dani Jibrail (dani@filmeventpublishing.co.za)

• EDITOR: Sally Fink (sally@filmeventpublishing.co.za)

• OFFICE ADMINISTRATION: Nadia Samsodien (nadia@filmeventpublishing.co.za)

• COPY EDITOR: Kate Hodges (kate@thecallsheet.co.za)

twitter.com/TheEventSA

September booking deadline 31 August 2011 September material deadline 02 September 2011

DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in The Event do not necessarily represent the official viewpoint of the editor or the publisher, while inclusion of adverts/advertising features does not imply endorsement of any business, product or service. Copyright of this material is reserved. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, The Event and/or its employees may not be held liable or responsible for any act or ommission committed by any person, including a juristic person, referred to in this publication. It and they furthermore accept(s) no responsibility for any liability arising out of any reliance that a reader of this publication places on the contents of this publication.

18

EVENTS INDUSTRY CELEBRATES MANDELA DAY GENERAL INDUSTRY

The SCC team in Diepkloof

The CTICC team

SOUTH Africa celebrated former president Nelson Mandela’s birthday on 18 July 2011.

All around the country, companies and individuals devoted 67 minutes to giving back to society. The events industry was no exception.

F

OR Mandela Day Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) partnered with Table Mountain National Parks (TMNP) to offset its local carbon flight footprint to commemorate Nelson Mandela Day. The centre planted 38 shade trees in the lower Tokai plantation forest as part of an environmental heritage project.

According to CTICC, chief executive officer, Rashid Toefy, the decision to offset the centre’s flight carbon footprint through this project speaks directly to the centre’s Nurture Our World (NOW) initiative, which aims to address issues like climate change and the preservation of the environment for future generations.

“The overarching objective of Nelson Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world and to empower communities and it is fitting that we use our 67 minutes to embark on this project” says Rashid.

Paddy Gordon, CEO of TMNP says, “This is an excellent

initiative whereby the convention centre is taking account of their environmental impact and acting where it will make a difference – planting indigenous trees where the people of Cape Town long for the return of shaded routes. The CTICC is the first corporate sponsor of our tree replanting program and we trust that others will follow their admirable gesture.”

On the other side of the country, Sandton Convention Centre (SCC) visited the Inkwenkwezi Primary School in Diepkloof and donated carpets for 15 classrooms.

“We are experiencing a

piercing cold winter, and the learners are suffering while they are trying to concentrate on their lessons,” says karin White: GM sales and marketing SCC. “We refurbished the Ballroom and the Pavilion at the SCC, and since the carpets were still in very good condition, we decided to donate it to the school to ensure that the children are warm and comfortable while they are preparing to be the leaders of tomorrow,” says Karin.

Over and above their visit to Inkwenkwezi Primary School, the SCC team, joined the SAfm and Nelson Mandela Square initiative on Friday, 15 July 2011. The initia-

tive called for members of the public to place non-perishable food into containers placed strategically around the square.

“Giving to those in need is a culture at the Sandton Convention Centre. Each and every one of the SCC team are always willing to help people in need, to ultimately change someone’s future.....one small act at a time,” concludes Karin.

Gearhouse South Africa celebrated in both cities. In Joburg, training manager, Garth Green, approached a ‘Crime Prevention Group’ operating out of Jeppe Police Station, to attend an Educational Day at Gear-

house. “These young people come together with the purpose of educating others regarding crime. Also attending were three students from Athlone Boys High School,” says Garth.

In Cape Town, the Gearhouse Academy students got involved in setting up sponsored technical equipment for the handover of a brand new hostel for the Thembalethu School for the disabled.

“It was both heart rending and an overwhelming experience for the Gearhouse students and staff alike”, said Lisa Smit who conducts the Gearhouse Training Programme in Cape Town.

Sally Fink

19