The Event July 2011

R22.80 July 2011 The Sport issue www.theevent.co.za

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BIG QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED AT SETE SPORTS TOURISM THE Sports & Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) takes place from 27-29 July 2011 at Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The inaugural conference aims to facilitate the growth of South Africa’s sports and tourism industry.

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PORT a serious business. Sport tourism and mega events contribute approximately R6 billion to the South African tourism industry. According to statistics from South African Tourism (SAT), tourist arrivals reached an all-time high of 8.1 million in 2010, with 1,061,687 more tourist arrivals to South Africa than in 2009. This is a growth of 15.1%, driven mainly

by South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup in 2010. South Africa outperformed global tourism which grew by 6.7% in 2010.

It’s pretty obvious that mega sporting events equal big bucks.

The Rugby World Cup is the world’s third largest sporting event that adds anything between £250 million to £1.1 billion in additional economic impact.

It attracts over 350 000 visitors. If ten percent of those visitors had to return, that’s 35 000 people who will come back to the country to spend their money again.

Even countries like Quatar are looking at expanding its sporting interests having successfully host-

Royal Bafokeng Stadium

ed the 2006 Asian Games and the 2009 and 2010 Mens’ Volleyball world club championships.

The purpose of an event like SETE will be to look at ways in which South Africa and its role players can use sport to generate economic benefits, both tangible and intangible.

South Africa built ten stadiums for the FIFA World Cup and these are far from white elephants. Over and above the potential to attract other big sporting events, FNB Stadium

and Cape Town Stadium have been used to great effect as live music venues, notably for the U2 360 tour. Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban has become a popular bungee venue.

Sport events can be used to regenerate neighbourhoods, for example Gauteng benefitted hugely from the construction of the Gautrain. The economic benefit of a sporting event also leads to job creation. Research shows that sports events attract a large fan base and job creation

is boosted when industries create products and services related to the event. The 2010 Winter Olympics had a $10.7 billion impact on the host nation’s economy and created 244 000 jobs.

“It is evident from the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, that sports tourism has the potential to act as a catalyst for, among others, job creation, increases in tourism arrivals and spend and the enhancement of infrastructure. These elements have significant economic spinoff for a

country. One of the goals of SETE is to explore how sports, tourism and the events industry can continue the partnerships we created in 2010 to lead to further benefits for South Africa.” says Sugen Pillay, global manager: Events at SA Tourism There were also social benefits with South Africa experiencing unprecedented national unity and camaraderie and Archbishop Desmond Tutu identified sport as a catalyst for social change.

From a business perspective, the possibilities are endless and can include merchandise sales made off a new player to ticket sales and broadcast deals; sponsorships and brand exposure; tourism growth and tax inflows; the upliftment of infrastructure and skills, and even intangible benefits such as brand, goodwill and national pride.

In South Africa, the price of a team’s brand and the sponsorship associated with it is worth millions. The latest asking price for the country’s national soccer team Bafana Bafana’s brand stands at a reported R41 million.

Sports sponsorship reinforces a brand and profiles it internationally through media exposure, which encourages sales and driving revenues for the business.

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PAGE TWO PIN-UP: THE PAVILION CONFERENCE CENTRE Pavilion Conference Centre

VENUES WITH its V&A Waterfront setting and a capacity for up to 500 guests, The Pavilion is an ideal location for that special event in Cape Town. The venue recently appointed new talent with a new vision for the centre.

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HE Pavilion Conference Centre has appointed hospitality stalwart Johan de Villiers as its new general manager.

Johan brings with him twelve years of experience in the hospitality industry having worked within Sun International and the Legacy Hotels &

Resorts ranging from food and beverage manager to deputy GM and banqueting manager at Sun City.

Johan’s vision for The Pavilion Conference Centre is both ambitious and an example of his passion for business. “I’d like for The Pavilion to be the num-

ber one small to medium sized conference and exhibition location destination in Cape Town with a flair for excellence, service, diversity and originality. Our goal is to adapt within the market as it changes and to streamline our business to fit in with all expectations, requirements and originality”.

The Pavilion’s conference facilities are flexible; in that it offers various sized venues that can be tailor made according to clients’ individual needs.

“We can offer a cocktail party for up to 500 delegates; or a small corporate meeting in our boardroom for ten delegates.

In total we offer five meeting rooms, some of which are interleading for bigger groups.

We also offer an auditorium that can host up to 300 delegates,” explains Johan.

“Using the first and ground floors; we can accommodate up to 60 shell schemes for an exhibition. We pride ourselves in our AV offering with state-ofthe-art equipment to complement our clients’ experience,” he says.

A recent event illustrates the centre’s diversity as a venue.

The Pavilion recently hosted the 2011 Tattoo Convention which was attended by 4 000 visitors. Live tattoo demonstrations took place on the ground floors where 50 shell scheme stands had been erected.

“We believe that The Pavilion Conference Centre has some unique selling points that make us an ideal venue for conferencing,” says Johan.

“High quality AV equipment, flexibility to configure venues to suit client needs, natural light in all venues with panoramic views of the V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain, excellent technology infrastructure and an auditorium that could serve either as a venue for presentations or product launches,” he explains.

BMW SA has just recently sold the BMW Pavilion building in which the conference centre is located. The new owners are Zenprop Property Holdings (PTY), but Johan says that despite the new ownership its business as usual.

The Pavilion Conference Centre is currently running its winter special offering reduced rates for both half day and full day conferences from as little as R225 per person. The centre is also offering a 25 percent discount of the venue hire when booking an evening gala dinner or cocktail evening.

For more information visit www.thepavilion.co.za

Sally Fink

BIG QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED AT SETE CONTINUED SPORTS TOURISM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Businesses that realise the impact of sports on their operations will have the opportunity to leverage from an enhanced profile and an increase in profits, as their brand and sales gets boosted from an increase in tourists,” says Carol Weaving managing director of Thebe Exhibitions and Projects Group.

Apart from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa has hosted international events such as the Cricket World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the Rugby World Cup, to name a few. This has attracted the international media, which has profiled the sport, its sponsors and the country on a global stage.

“This large-scale profiling means that business owners not only have the opportunity to generate sales from tourists in the country, but from international viewers too who want to come visit the country in the future,” says Carol.

The increase in a host country’s profile leads to heightened business activity and additional investment for years to come.

“The reality is that countries are increasingly realising the benefits of hosting major sporting events and the impact of such events on business,” she adds.

Conference topics will encompass all aspects of sports busisness. The legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will feature Laurine Platzky, Deputy Minister of Tourism Tokozile Xasa, Danny Jordaan, Holger Preuss, Qondisa Ngwenya, John Perlman, Pieter Cronjé, and Prof Paul Singh,as speakers.

Sustainability challenges and opportunities will feature Derek Casey, Minister of Sport & Recreation Fikile Mbalula, Sugen Pillay, Brad Jansen, Douglas Michele Turco, Dave Sidenberg as speakers with a second sesson on the topic featuring Urmilla Bob, Scarlett Cornelissen; Gillian Saunders, Bashni Muthaya, James Seymour, Carol Wright, and Charl Durand.

Building Sport Tourism portfolios will feature Dr Deborah Johnson, Elizabeth Kruger, and Ernie Heath, while Sport Tourism Beyond Events will feature case sturdies from Brendon Knott and Kwakye Donkor.

Other panelists include Nanita Ferrone (How to Leverage a Successful Sporting Event), Michael Linley (Measuring Intangible Event Impact), and Serkan Berber (Athletes as Event Tourists).

An exhibition will take place concurrently with the conference. Exhibitors will include sports industry associations, sports marketers and managers, sports bodies, destination man-

agement companies, sponsors, venues, production companies, sporting goods, event and exhibition management companies and tourism authorities to name a few.

Exhibitor Louise Rohner from Upper Eastside Hotel says, “The exhibition is a brilliant platform and opportunity to expose our product to a multitude of likeminded buyers. It is very important for Upper Eastside Hotel, as a new kid on the block to show the sport travel industry that we can cater to a number of diversified needs that many other hotels can equal.”

South Africa’s national ‘Buy Local’ Campaign, Proudly South African initiative will also exhibit. “Buy Local is a tried and tested international method of creating jobs and since South Africa is a sports loving nation it is important that all fan gear of our local and national teams is manufactured in South Africa to contribute to the retention of jobs in the clothing and textile sector in South Africa”, says Dalene Du Preez.

Lisa Hood from Springbok Atlas says, “As a sponsor for this event, we aim to showcase our company as the leading transport provider in the country. Springbok Atlas has a long legacy of involvement in South Africa’s biggest sporting events, including Rugby World Cup 1995, Cricket World Cup 2003, IPL

Dalene Du Preez

2009, British & Irish Lions Tour 1997 and 2007, Confederations Cup 2009 and Soccer World Cup 2010. We proudly stand with our hands on our hearts and state that we were a major contribu-

tor, as a supplier, to the success of all these events, especially the World Cup 2010. “ For more information visit www.sportsandevents.co.za.

Sally Fink

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WHY SPORT MATTERS?

SPORTS TOURISM WHY Sport Matters? is a webbased initiative started by John Siner. The project compiles case studies about the international sport events industry. John visited South Africa and Kenya to pinpoint the effect of sport in those regions.

Why sport matters in the Cape Winelands?

FOR over ten years Origin Wines have taken a percentage of

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their profits to upgrade the living conditions of the less fortunate communities where their employees work. Recently they discovered the unique power that sport can play in their efforts.

In post-Apartheid South Africa, it was still acceptable for employees to be partially compensated with the products they make. In this case, it was wine. As a consequence, it was feared that many of their employees had developed dependency. A 2007 research study at their South

African winery near Stellenbosch revealed astonishing results: 95 percent of their adult workforce was addicted to alcohol.

An immediate rehabilitation initiative was started with a combination of counselling services and the creation of an organised sports club. “We needed to provide the adults with the opportunity to be active during the weekend,” explains Origin Wines director Pierre Smit. “They would literally drink from Friday night until they

had to go back to work again on Monday. Sport on the weekend was the perfect solution.”

Activities, leagues and competitions were organised for both adults and kids for a variety of sports including netball, football, rugby, and other activities like pool and dominoes. Competitions with other towns, training sessions, and leagues began to structure their employees’ lives in a more positive way.

“We were able to take these people from the farm and introduce them into new environments,” says Pierre. “South Africa is a sports mad country and everyone wants to excel on the pitch. But that meant they needed to train and look after themselves. To live healthier lifestyles and more importantly, cut back on the bad habits in their lives, which in this case was drug and alcohol abuse. Sport was able to do this.”

Why sport matters in Nairobi?

VINCENT Ochieng is one of the top triathletes in Kenya. This is remarkable when you consider that he has spent his entire life growing up in poverty. But this is only the beginning of Vincent’s inspiring story.

Vincent is from the massive slum of Kibera in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, one of the largest informal urban settlements in the world. Most residents lack access to basic services like elec-

tricity and running water. Kibera is a mix of different peoples, with limited access to good education and employment.

Racial tensions can run high, and young people are faced by a lifestyle of gangs, drugs and crime.

Thanks to his sporting success, Vincent understands that he is a role model and realised that he can be an agent for change. In 2008, Vincent created the Kibera Sport Development Programme to empower youth through sports and to encourage sportsmanship as a way of life. Each day his organisation runs training sessions for kids that are complemented with education on social issues like HIV/Aids, drug abuse and positive health initiatives.

“We want to change lives, and our foundation provides a way for the youth of this area to spend time in an encouraging way,” says Vincent. “It provides them with something to do and a way out of a life of drugs and crime. At the same time, sport is an important unifying factor. In Kibera we have big problems with segregation and violence amongst the different tribes.

Sport is a great way to unite the community as we are open to all kids and we get together and work as one team.”

For more information visit whysportmatters.com.

Sally Fink

JOEY PATHER ON SPORTS ACCORD SPORTS TOURISM

South African delegates.

IN keeping with our theme of sports tourism, The Event spoke to CTICC COO Joey Pather about his recent trip to London to attend Sports Accord, the meeting place for international sports federations.

How did you find the event?

IT was an excellent conference attended by approximately 1900 members of the international sporting fraternity.

The program was a nice mix of how the bidding process works, Olympic work, sponsorship and the business behind sports events. It was a very good learning experience but even better from a business perspective.

Sporting is not just the Olympics and the World Cup. There is so much more to sports tourism than just hosting games. There’s the bidding process, meetings, conferences etc.

It made very good business sense for us to go down this route. We had to look at how we go about this and decided to change our mindset from our traditional core business, which is conferencing.

As a convention centre we were exposed to the countless indoor sports such as gymnastics, judo, karate, chess, darts, pool etc. that we could host within our exhibition space.

Why Sports Accord?

THE CTICC met with international ski and gymnastics federations with the aim of bringing their conferences to Cape Town. In this way we were exposed to the international sporting fraternity and decided to attend Sports Accord as a delegate.

I had a two-fold approach with Sports Accord. Firstly I looked at the event as an actual conference that can be brought to Cape Town. There’s a gap in 2014 that we can bid for. Secondly, the conference was a link to all the attending sports fraternities.

Who attends Sports Accord?

THE profile of the event is unbelievable. It was opened by the Lord Mayor of London and attended by a host of lords and ladies. The delegate profile includes cities and countries, future hosts of big games, states, federations, the sporting fraternity, associations, major sponsors, finance institutes, and a few convention centres.

The CTICC was one of two

What did you learn that can be applied to business?

WHAT was interesting for me was how they approach the Olympics. The whole event is broken up into different committees – bidding, construction, hosting, legacy etc. In each case the focus is different, and you can

see how they all work from an individual business point of view.

From a design perspective we might even look at something like bleacher seating for our renovations. If it makes business sense then why not?

We can even market the centre as a venue for base camps and media centres of large sporting events. Our improved infrastructure means we can play a bigger part of the process.

We have to make sport events part of our long term plans.

Why should South African members of the events industry attend an event like Sports Accord?

INDUSTRY needs to attend to see what’s out there. Sports business is big business. Why shouldn’t a convention centre have this as their mandate? It makes sense.

South Africa is a long haul sporting destination. Because we hosted the World Cup South Africa is at the top of everybody’s minds. We have the infrastructure, the services, the track record and the venues.

Durban is already pitching itself as a sporting destination.

We’re hosting the Sports and Events Tourism Exchange this month. People want our destination. We have to use everything to our advantage.

Sally Fink

Joey Pather

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LEARN, CONNECT, THRIVE AT SAACI CONFERENCE

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Nina Freysen-Pretorius

CONFERENCES FROM social media to consumer rights, every day will be a school day at the Southern African Association for the

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Conference Industry (SAACI) national conference, taking place from 24-26 July 2011 at the NH Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West (Western Cape).

THE SAACI annual national conference is the best opportunity and platform for all members and industry partners to re-group, share information and work towards professionalising and growing our business,” says Nina Freysen-Pretorius, SAACI national chair. “As always, within the hospitality sector, it is not all work and no play. So be assured, that should you attend the conference, you will be given ample opportunity to informally also discuss business tourism aspects whilst having loads of fun and sample some of the wonderful Cape wines.”

This year’s theme is Learn, Connect, Thrive, and if the programme is anything to go by, there will be lots to learn.

“The programme features some interesting speakers and pertinent and informative topics. A keynote address by Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk will set the ball rolling on Monday morning, 25 July 2011, after which different convention bureaux will reflect on the status of the South African conference industry,” explains conference chair Riedwaan Jacobs.

“Highly relevant topics will be discussed at the conference, including event insurance, recognition of prior learning for event managers, and social media as a market-

ing tool. Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo of the Western Cape Convention and Events Bureau will give tips to Professional Conference Organisers on how to respond to requests for proposals and how to present.”

Conference highlights include a welcome reception on Sunday 24 July 2011 hosted by Warwick Wine Estate followed by a Monday morning networking breakfast hosted by SA Tourism and the gala awards dinner later in the evening.

Topics to be covered at the conference include: •Prof Matthew Lester - Two Years Post the Global Credit Crunch. How is Business Tourism Looking?

•Martin Lewis - Conferences: A Global Outlook •Thembi Kunene - Know what to expect from star graded establishments •Arthur Gillis - Hotels: the Good, the Bad and the Trendy •Services SETA - Recognition of Prior Learning •Maryke van Zyl - The Ins and Outs of Menu Design for Events & Conferences •Sheryl Ozinsky - Responsible Tourism: Fact or Fiction •Gerrit Harjung - ISO 20121 Standard: International Benchmark for Sustainable Events •Gavin Riley - The Risky Business of Safety & Security •Peter Cumberlege - Know Your Rights: Consumer Protec-

tion Act •Desmond Langkilde - Event Insurance: A Necessary Evil?

•Beryl Eichenberger - Social Networking: Who Has the Power?

•Hein Wagner -The Blind Man with a Vision The 2011 Conference will also be green. “At SAACI we take greening and sustainability seriously and are therefore pleased to announce that we are taking measures to reduce the carbon footprint of the SAACI National Conference 2011 in an effort to minimise its impact on the environment,” says Nina.

“A Carbon audit of the conference will be conducted, and the steps taken to reduce the carbon footprint of the conference will be identified and listed. Our aim is to use the SAACI National Conference as an incubator and real life test case on how to reduce the carbon footprint of a conference. These results will be made available to the industry to emulate,” she says.

The SAACI Annual General Meeting will take on 25 July 2011.

For more information visit www.saaciconf2011.co.za

Sally Fink

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS Eastern Cape branch by recruiting new members, being innovative when arranging networking events and raising sponsorships.

SAACI general manager Adene Pringle says the Young Achiever Award has been introduced to recognise a person with a pioneering spirit, but also to encourage involvement of young industry professionals in SAACI. Award winners in SAACI’s other branches – Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Territories – will be made over the course of July.

Regional winners will then compete for the national awards, which will be presented at the annual SAACI banquet during its conference at the NH Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West on 25 July 2011.

Nicole Fowler & Glenn van Eck

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.

SAACI Eastern Cape winners THE Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) have announced the names of its 2011 award winners in its Eastern Cape branch.

The awards, which were

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started in 1997, recognise individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the enrichment and development of SAACI. The Fellowship Award went to Glenn van Eck for his long service and special contribution to SAACI. Glenn, a SAACI national board member and chairman of the Eastern Cape branch, joined the association in 1999 and is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP). Among others,

he was responsible for the upgrading of the SAACI website and was chairman of the association’s 2008 national conference that was held in Grahamstown.

The branch’s Young Achiever Award went to Nicole Fowler, who manages her own, newlyformed event management company. She originally joined SAACI as part of the Springbok Atlas corporate membership and has made a huge contribution towards the growth of the

The Conference Company win tender for COP 17 THE Conference Company has been appointed as project manager to the Strategic Projects Unit of the eThekwini Municipality to assist the City of Durban with logistical arrangements for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 17) to be held in the cityfrom 28 November - 9 December 2011.

CEO of The Conference Company and SAACI National chair Nina Freysen-Pretorius says, “I am totally delighted at the ap-

pointment, and it is a huge privilege to be given the opportunity to work with the City of Durban on this prestigious event. It is a lifetime opportunity being part of a very important Climate Change Convention – outcomes from which will go a long way towards making our planet a safe and clean environment for future generations to inherit”.

For more informnation visit www.cop17durban.com.

New equipment from Gearhouse ROBERT Juliat’s Aramis and the latest Colour Changers, in use on Jesus Christ Superstar, is available for hire from Gearhouse Splitbeam.

The Aramis is a hardworking reliable and versatile spot with a well established track record for dependability and great performance on theatrical touring rigs.

The Splitbeam team already has this high quality product hard at work on Jesus Christ Superstar and believe that this investment will still be paying its dues for many years to come.

“They have remarkably high light output for such a compact unit,” explains operations manager Nasim Bismilla. ““ they are easy to use, so operators love working with them. Their narrow beam angle that makes them perfect for long distance work and they have enough “oomph” to deliver a dramatic effect despite a high ambient light level.”

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INNOVATION A BUZZ WORD AT MARKEX

Markex

INDUSTRY EVENTS THIS year Markex World of Events exhibition celebrated its 25th anniversary as the definitive marketing, promotions and special events exhibition in Southern Africa.

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ILLED as a one-stop shop for products and services in marketing, branding, advertising, corporate clothing, promotional gifts and eventing.

Markex World of Events has out-

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lasted almost every other trade show in the country.

Over 9 700 visitors flocked to Sandton Convention Centre from 7-9 June 2011. Two jampacked halls were filled with new concepts, innovative ideas and novel ways of promoting brands, whether through promotional gifts, branding, exhibition stands, corporate clothing or events.

“With more attractions than ever before, Markex not only brought buyers and sellers of products and services togeth-

er under one roof, it provided value-added benefits to visitors as well,” says exhibition director Lynn Chamier.

Markex was organised by Specialised Exhibitions.

Attractions included the USB Speakers Pavilion, where the likes of marketing expert Geoff Ram and local speakers Justice Malala, Robin Wheeler, Gary Bailey and Debora Patta gave visitors some insight into their respective areas of expertise.

The AdVantage Advertising

Village was a hive of activity, with visitors enjoying the dining area, with displays of creative talent by ad agencies and the adjacent Loerie Awards Travelling Exhibition. A newcomer to the show, the Pendoring Awards, gave visitors the opportunity to see award-winning Afrikaans work.

Some of the innovative ideas seen at the show were a totally green printing solution, with a biodegradable printer, water-based non-toxic inks and renewable bamboo banner frames from Graphicomp; pocket-based communication and branding ideas from Pocket Media (think Unidentified Folding Object); Belgian chocolate embossed with QR codes that can be read by smart phones to read a tag code and link directly to a company’s Twitter, Facebook or website; innovative exhibition stand solutions from a variety of suppliers; and unusual event ideas and outthe-box thinking from event management companies, like the Commonwealth Games concept from Full House Events.

Exhibition and display supplier, Scan Display, showcased its Mo5 product at Markex. Designed by Scan’s German partners MoSysteme, the product won an innovation award presented by AIT (the architecture journals) earlier this year at Euroshop, the biggest international retail trade show.

The Mo5 is the smaller display unit in the Modulbox range. Like the Modulbox, it has a modular structure that opens up to create a functional indoor and outdoor event tool. When closed it folds away into a compact, easy-totransport unit.

In the Trade Only section, wholesalers and resellers of promotional gifts and corporate clothing were able to connect and network in a more exclusive environment, and exhibitors reported an enhanced show experience.

On the whole, it was a good show for exhibitors.

Nicholas Markovitz from Creative Brands: “The show was extremely focused and we saw many visitors who indicated an interest in buying our products.”

Esther Chizhandel: “The volume of traffic was tremendous. I believed that exhibitions were a waste of time, and Markex has changed my perception completely.”

Jennifer van Heusden, On The Box: “We were unexpectedly busy and got two good leads which resulted in quotes on the first day alone.”

Joanne McLeod on behalf of Kids Haven: “Not in our wildest dreams did we expect it so be such a huge success for us.”

Markex comes to Cape Town from 23-25 August 2011 at Cape Town International Convention Centre.

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SAFETY AT EVENTS

GENERAL INDUSTRY THE Safety at Sport and Recreational Events Act (SASREA) is a 54-page piece of legislation put into operation on 2 August 2010.

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XSA (the Exhibition & Event Association of SA) is currently running nationwide workshops which are aimed at dispelling any misgivings about the Act, present the act in manageable pieces, and help organisers and venues comply with its regulations.

At the EXSA workshop in Cape Town from 4-5 April 2011, consultant Patrick Ronan said the Act will prevent disasters during mega events in South Africa; such as the incident in Ellis Park Stadium during 2001 where 43 people died. “It’s the

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policy of government to attract big events to the country but there’s never been legislation to ensure the safety of the people attending those events.

Risk assessments have to factor in the unimaginable – the stampede disasters.”

“It’s a very good Act which is being looked at internationally by other countries”, says EXSA’S Sue Gannon. It’s been put in place for the safety and security of the public, and to ensure that everyone is compliant with the very strict rules and regulations which the Act has laid down.”

Sue explains that every event or exhibition must have a safety officer. “Most organisers hire their own safety officers who do all the paperwork for them,” says Sue. “Bottom line is that each and every event and exhibition has

to be registered with the South African Police at the National Commissioner’s Office in Pretoria at least six months before their event or exhibition. The venues have to have a certificate of compliance and the organisers have to register their event which will then get categorised into a high-, medium- or low risk event.

All parties must have public liability insurance in place.”

Sue says the Act gives the police extraordinary powers, “Which go over all municipal and local government by-laws.

If there is an incident – they will come after you. So all your paperwork has to be in good order and compliant with the Act. The criminal penalties applicable are from 5-20 years imprisonment and massive fines!”

There will shortly be two sets of Regulations in place; one flowing from the regulatory responsibilities of the SAPS and the other flowing from the regulatory responsibilities of the Department for Sport and Recreation.

Wading through a 54-page document is challenging; however it is clearly essential to know your responsibilities; whether you are an event organiser or the hosting venue or stadium.

What is it all about?

IN essence, the Act seeks to regulate the following eight basic key areas: Responsibilities for event safe-

ty and security delivery, risk profiling (categorisation) of events, the establishment of an annual schedule of events to prevent the stretching of public sector security and emergency resourcing, safety certification and grading of stadiums and venues -fixed and temporary infrastructure, Integrated and timeous event safety and security planning between all relevant stakeholders for medium and high risk events; facilitated and headed-up by the South African Police Service (SAPS), minimum safety and security measures at medium and high risk events and event ticketing controls and the creation of offences.

Who is accountable?

THE primary responsibility to ensure that proper safety measures are in place at an event rests; jointly and severally; on a controlling body, an event organiser, or a stadium or venue owner, the National Commissioner of Police and the SAPS authorized member who has been appointed by the National Commissioner of Police.

Event organisers should know: (SECTION 4 of the Act) “Most exhibitions are low risk events,”- Sue Gannon.

Where to start.

THE first step for the organiser is to grade your own event which

must then be sent through for acceptance by the National Commissioner of Police who will categorise its risk. This must be done 6-months prior to the start of the event or 6 months in advance of either commencement of calendar year or sporting season.

EXSA recommends that a Controlling Body of a sporting Code for example such as South African Rugby Union (SARU) should assist affiliate event organisers to collate and submit risk categorisation schedules of all of its affiliates to the National Commissioner.

Low risk events THE organiser must ensure that a safety officer is appointed for the event; prepare a detailed written safety plan, ensure measures to give effect to the written safety and security plan are put in place and the local police station is informed of the event details. The information needed for your safety plan is laid out in great detail in Section 4 (9) of the act and includes factors such as the control of liquor; fire safety, spectator age, venue safety, waste control, and many more.

The event organiser must assume the responsibilities of a stadium owner if the stadium or/ venue owner fails to meet any contracted statutory safety & security responsibilities in respect of the Act such as deployment of private security and safety stew-

ards; placement of public liability insurance for event and the appointment of an event safety officer, etc.

The event organiser must also fully co-operate with and assist SAPS, the ESSPC and the VOC Commander in the carrying out of their respective functions with regards to the Act (see Section 4 (2) of the Act).

Event organisers should know: THE Act makes a clear delineation between the statutory requirements and the role of private security officers and stewards to address circumvention of compliance with the Private Industry Regulation Act, 2001 (Act No.56 of 2001) in certain quarters. The different roles and requirements are laid out in detail in section 1 and 4 and is worth a read. For example stewards may not provide a security service as defined in section 1 of the Private Security Industry Regulation Act, 2001 (Section 4(4) (7)); Venues should know: THE stadium or venue owner must ensure that they are in possession of the relevant stadium or venue safety certificates such as; the existing stadium/venue safety certificates, section 8), new stadium/venue design safety certificates (section 9), or certificates for alterations/extensions to stadiums/venues (section 10).

The owner must comply with

the Local Authority safety and security requirements/conditions set out in the certificate; applicable National & Local Authority building legislation and SABS building design guidelines and applicable Stadium/Venue technical requirements of.

High Risk Events DETAILS for the application and administrative process of a high risk certificate is contained in Section 11. It is important to note that the event organiser must apply for this certificate within 60 days of being notified of high risk event categorisation by the National Commissioner) Current operational challenges: The following challenges, amongst others, are currently being faced by the SAPS, emergency and essential services & other relevant safety and security stakeholders with regards to the the local hosting of events: •The hosting of multiple events in the same area and during the same period – resourcing challenges •Hosting of events without proper/sufficient public liability insurance being in place •Failure/resistance of certain event organisers to accept their responsibility to provide adequate security at events- “It is a SAPS function” type of approach •Safety and security planning for events is often left to a very

late stage •Failure to consistently apply risk profiling criteria to events •Inconsistent application of safety and security measures for different events whose risk profile is similar •Under-budgeting by event organisers i.r.o. public safety & security at events – viewed by some as an unnecessary, profit limiting expense.

•No safety certification for stadiums/venues or temporary structures at stadiums/venues/events; •Whilst there have been improvements - continued use of unregistered/inexperienced and untrained persons/ to provide a security service as provided for the in the Private Security Industry Regulation Act •Silo planning by safety and security role-players at events •Insufficient safety & security resourcing at events •A focus on reactive rather than pro-active safety and security measures at events The above is a brief overview of certain aspects of SASREA. For details visit the various sections of the Act applicable to you. Visit http://www.srsa.gov.za/legislation.asp for more information on the bill.

Sue says it will take a few years for all of this to roll-out across the country and into the rural areas. “The Act also covers all local and rural football matches and school functions; in

fact any event where over 2 000 people are expected,” she says.

“One comment that the Department of Sport and Recreation made was that people can use this Act to make sure that their local municipalities are compliant with the Act and they would therefore need to upgrade local facilities and bring them in line with the requirements of the Act. The municipalities and provinces now have to comply with the Act and make sure their local residents are safe when attending any function, event, or exhibition where over 2000 people will be present.”

EXSA will be holding their next workshops in East London and Port Elizabeth.

Brad Hook, operations director at Montgomery Africa, says the Act provides a comprehensive platform and guideline for the manner in which safety around events should unfold.”Since the act has become familiar as a piece of legislation within the industry, all event organisers have started taking safety as well as security a lot more seriously – there is more focus on self-education in event organising institutions. Whereas in the past, this was simply passed on to the service providers and the organiser in general.”

Brad points out some of the challenges surrounding the implementation of the Act, “The act was born on the dawn of

the Soccer World Cup in 2010, it was developed almost solely to prescribe minimum standards for the safe running of events at stadiums. Some areas of the act do not allow for any latitude when it comes to smaller events and exhibitions which due to their nature are by categorised as “Recreational Events”, many aspects of the act are not fully understood and this creates a lot of misperception, Legal opinion on certain issues is just that, legal ‘opinion’. There are many workshops being run to promote awareness, but the root problem for the exhibitions and events industry is that this act was drafted with football matches in mind – with attendances of 90,000 people. It has a practical application to events of that size, but becomes a bit too bureaucratic when it comes to smaller events and particularly exhibitions. Government has done little to run an effective communication and awareness campaign around the act, fortunately industry association bodies such as EXSA have engaged with government and facilitated some of the education workshops.

Brad says the challenges around the act are many, “however the SASREA is something that needs to be understood and engaged with over a dedicated period of time by each and every event organiser.”

Astrid Stark

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DIARISE

EVENT LISTINGS

JULY

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

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 19–22 July, Concept Interactive, Cape Town

National Boat Show 12-14 August 2011, Coca-Cola Dome The Green Expo 12-14 August, CTICC, Cape Town

JAMMS 20 July, TBC, Cape Town

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Zebra & Giraffe 14 August, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Mediatech Africa 20-22 July, Coca-Cola dome, Northgate, Johannesburg Principles Of Layout And Design Publications 21 July, PRISA ProComm House, Randburg, Johannesburg

SA Coal Conference 16-18 August, Graceland Casino, Secunda, Mpumalanga Shop SA 17 August, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

How To Build A Customer Service Strategy 22 July, PRISA ProComm House, Randburg, Johannesburg

South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress 17-19 August, Durban ICC, Kwa-Zulu Natal

SATSA Western Cape Chapter Meeting 22 July, TBC, Cape Town

Eskom Expo for Young Scientists 19 Aug, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

SAACI National Conference 24–26 July, NH Lord Charles, Somerset West, Western Cape Sports and Events Tourism Exchange 27–29 July, CTICC, Cape Town Essential Media Relations 28 July, PRISA ProComm House, Randburg, Johannesburg FEDHASA Cape Board Meeting 28 July, Cape Town

AUGUST The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 5-12 August, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria Presentation Skills 17 - 18 August, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg SATSA NG 19 August, Cape Town Markex Cape Town 23-25 August, CTICC, Cape Town The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 25 August–2 September, North West University, Potchefstroom Reputation Management 26 August, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg HISA 2011 29-30 August, Birchwood Conference Centre For more information, visit www.theevent.co.za/events

Arno Castens and Louise Carver performed at the YOU Spectacular Celebrity Awards 2010.

The 2011 Awards happen on 16 July in Johannesburg.

July YOU Spectacular Celebrity Awards 2011 16 July, The Emperors Palace, Johannesburg World Federation of the Deaf Congress 17-23 July, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal The Nutcracker 19-20 July, Port Elizabeth Opera House, Port Elizabeth The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 19-22 July, Concept Interactive, Cape Town Mediatech Africa 20-22 July, the Coca-Cola dome, Johannesburg Mine Entra 20-27 July, Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company, Zimbabwe SATSA Western Cape Chapter Meeting 22 July, TBC, Cape Town Delheim Misa Criolla benefit gala 22 July, Delheim wine estate, Western Cape Ramadaan Festival 22-31 July, Good Hope Centre, Cape Town Nando’s Comedy Festival 22-31 July, The Teatro at Montecasino Bollywood Concert 23 July, Durban ICC, Kwa-Zulu Natal

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Jewellex 23-25 July, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Bed on Bricks 24 July, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town SAACI National Conference 24-26 July, NH Lord Charles, Somerset West, W. Cape Institute of People Management Conference 25-26 July, Durban ICC, Kwa-Zulu Natal Lead Without A Title: The New Way to Win in Business and Personally by Robin Sharma 26 July, CTICC, Cape Town Working World Extravaganza East London 27-28 July, Centenary Hall, East London

August Tm2x 3 August, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Artscape Women’s Festival 4-6 August, Artscape Theatre, Cape Town Nando’s Comedy Festival 4-6 August, ICC Durban World Methodist Council 4-8 August, Durban ICC, Kwa-Zulu Natal

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Hot Water 21 August, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town Swan Lake 19-26 August, Artscape Opera House, Cape Town Markex Cape 23-25 August, CTICC, Western Cape Sexpo 23-29 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Sign Africa 24 August, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Baba Indaba 5-8 August, CTICC, CPT

South African Automotive Week Conference 25-26 August, East London, East London

Robertson Slow 5-7 August, Robertson Wine Valley, Western Cape

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

The Wine Show 5-7 August, Coca Cola dome, JHB

Rising Stars Careers Expo 26 August, Bensonvale College Hall, Eastern Cape

Sports & Events Tourism Exchange 27-29 July, CTICC, Cape Town

Decorex Joburg 5-9 August, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, Johannesburg

Critical Care Society of South Africa Congress 27-31 July, Durban ICC, Kwa-Zulu Natal

South African Handmade Collection 5-9 August, Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg

James Blunt 28 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

International Fashion Sale (IFS) 28-31 July, the Coca-Cola dome, Johannesburg

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

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

Hobby-Ex 29-31 July, Pretoria

Durban International Fair 5-14 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

September

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: McCree 31 July, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Bells Night of the Stars Rugby Dinner 9 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

The Baby Expo MamaMagic 26-28 August, ICC Durban, KZN

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

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

James Blunt will be performing live at the ICC Durban on 28 August 2011 in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Cape Homemakers Expo 1-4 September, CTICC, Cape Town Sustainable City Exhibition 2 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Sustainable City Exhibition 2-4 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Effective Public Relations Planning 6 September, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg

Franschhoek Uncorked 3-4 September, Franschhoek Shoprite Checkers Conference 4-8 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

FEDHASA Cape Board Meeting 8 September, Cape Town Creative writing for the media 09 - 11 September, Free State

Institute of Retirement Funds Conference 5-7 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Professional editing and proofreading 12 - 13 September, Free State

IFSEC & Facilities Show Africa 6-8 September, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

RMB WineX 8-9 September, CTICC, Cape Town SAPSOL 09-11 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Wedding Expo 10-11 September, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Wrestlerish 3-4 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town 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 Business & Franchise Opportunities Expo (BOFE) 15-18 September, the Coca-Cola dome, Johannesburg Loerie Awards 16-18 September, CTICC, Cape Town SA Shoe Expo 16-18 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Wrestlerish 18 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

SAACI Western Cape Branch Committee Meeting 1 September, Cape Town Effective media release writing 1 September, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: Louise Carver 3-4 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Spar Trade Show 8-9 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

SEPTEMBER

The Loerie Awards 2011 16-18 September, Cape Town

Coal Energy Africa 19-21 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

RAGE 30 September-2 October, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg

Hydropower 19-23 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Baba Indaba 30 September- 2 October, Bloemfontein

Gideons International in South Africa 21-24 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

October

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

Orion Gala Dinner 1 October, Southern Sun Hotel, Grayston, Sandton 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 IT&CMA and CTW 2011 4-6 October, Bangkok Convention Centre, Thailand HR Africa Exhibition & Summit 2011 4-6 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Africa Mining and Marine Conference 4-7 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal Coldplay 5 October, Cape Town Stadium Homemakers Fair Expo 6-9 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

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 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

SA Principals Association Conference 22-24 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal SMME Fair 23-25 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal How to delegate effectively 30 September, PRISA ProComm House, Ferndale, Randburg

OCTOBER 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

IMEX America 11-13 October, Las Vegas

FEDHASA Cape Board Meeting 8 September, Cape Town

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

Creative writing for the media 9 - 11 September, Free State

Diwali Fair 13-31 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal The Baby Expo MamaMagic 14-16 October, CTICC, Cape Town Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert: McCully Workshop 16 October, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Professional editing and proofreading 12 - 13 September, Free State The Loerie Awards 2011 16-18 September, Cape Town www.thevent.co.za/events

15

USING DRAMA TO HELP THOSE IN NEED Josious Gobe and family

GENERAL INDUSTRY THEATRE can be used to raise money for charity, but what better way to help than to offer essential skills training?

A

FUNDRAISING evening staged last month to raise cash for young drama students confirmed the truth of the old saying: ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’

Drama teachers Rochelle and Steve Hicks needed to raise

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R100,000 to take two township students to New York, so there was only one way to begin. They rang up the stars of several hit musicals and persuaded them to perform for free. Soon they had lined up a cabaret featuring Jonathan Roxmouth and Cito of Jesus Christ Superstar, Angela Killian from Evita, Samantha Peo and Ilse Klink from Chicago, with Harry Sideropoulos as the MC. The Hicks are the founders of Beyond The Stage Door (BTSD), a performance arts school in

Johannesburg. A few weeks ago they also launched dramacome-social awareness classes in Deipsloot, using the arts to help 60 children address issues including bullying, domestic violence, Aids and self esteem.

Every year a few BTSD pupils attend a week long youth theatre workshop in New York, where they work with Broadway actors, directors and choreographers. This year the Hicks wanted two of the Diepsloot youngsters to attend as well, to give them a

real chance of achieving an acting career.

That meant raising money to cover the flights, food, accommodation and spending money of the two boys, Josious Gobe and Louis Munyai.

The Hicks discovered that it takes a lot of work to pull a fundraiser together, especially since neither of them are in the event management business.

“We are both in the entertainment industry, so we used our contacts to get a bunch of really good performers together for a cabaret,” said Rochelle. “We phoned our friends and said ‘will you please give us ten minutes of your time?’ When we told them what the cause was they were great and said they’d be there.”

Next they need a venue, and a parent of a BTSD pupil arranged for them to use the Marco Polo Casino in Sandton for free, as long as they paid for the casino’s catering. “It’s about knowing people who know people,” said Rochelle. “We teach a lot of kids and their parents have various companies that they own or work for.”

The caveat was that the event happened on a Monday - a quiet night for the casino and the only day the actors weren’t performing elsewhere.

Next the couple had to draw up a running order and collate various backing tracks for each artist, so those with other en-

gagements could come and go as quickly as possible. “Once you have the venue and food sorted it’s fairly easy, but my biggest challenge was getting hold of all the artists and their material to put the play list together,” Rochelle said before the event.

But selling 400 tickets at R250 a head proved unexpectedly difficult and sales fell tragically short of the target. Although there was a decent crowd, only 50 people had actually paid, Rochelle said. “It’s all been word of mouth because we didn’t want to spend money on advertising because we wanted to keep all the money for the children.

Steve and I know a few people but we don’t know hundreds, so I spoke to some friends who have a lot of friends on Facebook and asked them to pass it on. I don’t know how the world functioned before Facebook. We sent out 2,000 invites to friends of friends of friends.”

Poor ticket sales meant the evening only raised about R20,000. Thankfully Montecasino, which already provides food and tracksuits for all 60 children attending the Diepsloot drama classes, has also promised to help meet the shortfall.

The next morning Rochelle was disappointed, but not defeated. “We created awareness for the project and that is what is important,” she said.

Lesley Stones

17

WHAT MAKES AN EVENT FLY OR FALL - A CASE STUDY Bryan Hill

CASE STUDY IS there a secret formula to ticket sales? What do event organisers need to know when it comes to visitor number forecasting.

F

EW things can be quite as heartbreaking for an event organiser than opening the doors to your show or exhibition and watching the theatre or the hall floors remain resiliently empty.

You knew the ticket sales

18

were low, but hoped people would come along and pay at the door. Yet the crowds stay away en masse, and the actors, exhibitors or speakers are left addressing an empty space.

Too many shows have ended in that sad scenario recently. Dreamgirls – a fabulous show bursting with local talent – cancelled its Cape Town run and shortened its Joburg season because tickets simply didn’t sell. “Despite being hailed unanimously by leading local

critics and celebrities as “the finest” musical ever staged in South Africa, poor public support resulted in this very hard decision,” said producer Hazel Feldman, the director of Showtime Management.

May also saw the debut of Rocking the Range, a music festival featuring six bands including Lonehill Estate and the Graeme Watkins Project. It was well organised, with several sponsors and a professional sound and lighting system. Yet when I dropped in mid-way though, perhaps 200 people were there. The weather was cold, which certainly didn’t help. But it was poorly advertised, and ticket prices of R110 were eventually slashed via a discount coupon website.

A month later a charity fundraiser featuring several popular performers sold just 50 tickets from a target of 400. Partly due to poor advertising, and partly the price of R250, perhaps.

Obviously there is no guaranteed formula to ensure an audience, but event planners believe there are a few key guidelines that help an event fly, not fail. The most crucial seems to be sticking to well-known brands, because South African audiences are sadly unadventurous.

“If we could know exactly what makes a show work and what doesn’t work we’d all be rich and there wouldn’t be any risk,” says Hazel. “But it’s a very

high-risk business. From a production, presentation and performance point of view Dreamgirls was exceptional, but the brand wasn’t as well known from the movie and the original production as I’d thought it was. If you have a name brand there’s an immediate recognition like the Lloyd Webber musicals and Riverdance, and audiences respond to something they know. We are working with gut feeling and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

You live in hope and market the hell out of a show and pray the audience comes.”

Everyone agrees that publicity is crucial, but still no guarantee of success. Dreamgirls was advertised heavily and the critics raved, yet the tickets didn’t move. “Dreamgirls is one of those enigmas we will be talking about forever,” says Hazel.

Surprisingly, perhaps, Hazel says ticket price really isn’t the key. “I love the old adage ‘if people want to see a show they will see it wherever it is and whatever it costs, and if they don’t want to see a show you can’t give the tickets away.’ It’s as simple as that.”

Location is important too, the industry agrees. Theatre audiences in Cape Town are less willing to give unknown things a try than Jo’burgers, which either makes them more discerning or less adventurous, depending on

your perspective. And Durban seems to be nobody’s favourite.

“I don’t do Durban because the audience in Durban doesn’t give a damn,” Hazel says.

The highly successful mother and baby show Baba Indaba has also pulled out of Durban because of poor audiences, and will move to Bloemfontein instead this year, says show director Natalie Naude.

“We were in Durban for four years and kicked off with a fantastic show, but there were lots of browsers and not enough buyers,” she says. “Then the numbers started diminishing and people weren’t spending and wanted everything for free. The recession hit them very hard. Bloemfontein isn’t going to be as big, but the folk there are going to be spending because they have an average of three children and a good income.” Visitors will also spend because so few exhibitions venture to Bloemfontein that there is almost nothing else to spend on, Natalie says.

Pitching ticket prices correctly for an area is crucial, she believes, so entrance to the Baba Indada in Soweto costs far less than admittance to its sister show in Sandton. Knowledge of the audience should also influence the content.

The Soweto show will attempt to break the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s largest mass breast-feeding event – an

initiative that would never succeed in Sandton.

Natalie says exhibition organisers must draw an audience of buyers, not browsers. Another aim is to keep people in the halls for as long as possible, by ensuring that food and entertainment areas are housed in the same halls, not outside. Another rule is never to lease space to irrelevant or duplicated products just to fill the stands, since the audience won’t return if they can’t find relevant items. Natalie encourages exhibitors to offer show specials, so parents come because they know they can buy essential items more cheaply than in retail outlets.

“Lots of shows don’t let the exhibitors sell and people get irritated by that,” she says.

“People are like sponges and want stuff, so you have to make sure they have the opportunity to purchase.”

One enviable advantage for Baba Indaba is that a constant succession of women fall pregnant each year, so the target audience is never saturated.

Publicist Collett Dawson says venues must be realistic about the type of audience they attract and pitch their events accordingly, Likewise, event planners must chose a venue that doesn’t over-stretch the comfort zone or travelling tolerance of the target market.

The increasing amount of

choice is ironically making many events less successful, says Collett. A few years ago a certain type of show was almost guaranteed to draw the crowds, but that’s vanished now because there are more theatre venues and major concerts to choose from. “A few years ago you could guarantee that some kind of shows would work and others wouldn’t. There was always a classical audience and a revue audience. Now people are so spoilt for choice that they can decide on the day what they feel like seeing,” Collett says. “People don’t plan ahead because there could be five other things happening on that day. That makes planning events in advance so much more high risk,” she says.

“Theatre audiences are also getting smaller, which is a worry, so the producers have to go back to the drawing board and find shows that people will go to. It’s irritating that audiences aren’t growing their taste and it’s frustrating that tried and tested things will come back for the 50th time and do well. People won’t support new things, yet they’ll go and see Phantom of the Opera even if they’ve seen it twice before.”

Collett says well priced tickets and masses of publicity still don’t guarantee an audience because the recession is still biting. “Entertainment is suffering as people are being more strategic

in how they spend their money,” she says.

The Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg is so huge that only spectacular events can put enough bums on seats. General manager Bryan Hill shares the frustration that audiences are so unadventurous. “We are not only a conservative audience, we’re a conservative country,” he says. “Something that works in London or New York doesn’t necessarily fly here because we are not as exposed to the products as international markets. So we are quite careful in what we choose for the Teatro as it has to be a well-known brand for local audiences.”

Familiarity is just one of many criteria, Bryan says. The cost of staging an event compared to the length of time for which it will attract a paying audience is another important calculation. “When it comes to choosing productions there is no exact science. We are in the casino business, but we take as much of a gamble with the theatre,” he says. “We can’t always get it right and the shock with Dreamgirls is that we had been talking about it for four years. We thought the Teatro has a reputation for quality that should make people come whether they know the brand or not and I think we misjudged slightly.”

The availability of local talent is another concern to factor in.

Hazel Feldman

The musical Billy Elliot is playing in London, but Bryan doubts South Africa could field a boy talented enough to play the lead. “That sort of training is a generation down the line,” he says.

He also laments the loss of financial subsidies the Arts Council once provided, since that allowed more risks to be taken.

Now venues are playing safe by staging feel-good entertainment rather than shows that are challenging. “The sad thing is now there’s no market for those things

to exist side by side. You can sit there with only 50 or 60 other people and ask where are the people to appreciate this?”

Bryan agrees that the recession and the plethora of entertainment options are also taking a toll. “We are dealing with a changing economy and balancing ticket prices with how much available spend there is. There is a lot of other entertainment happening that’s sucking the spendable rands out of the market.”

Lesley Stones

19

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS Oasys Green Committee

GENERAL INDSUTRY 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.

Oasys Green Committee launched OASYS Innovations has estab-

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lished a Greening Committee that will drive all aspects of the company’s commitment to becoming a greener, more environmentally friendly company.

Carl Woodland, chief operating officer for Oasys Exhibitions is heading up the committee.

The committee will hold regular meetings and discuss progress on any tasks at hand. Every

department and function of Oasys will be scrutinised in order to establish where more environmentally friendly products and processes can be implemented, including looking at waste management, energy management, water management, air quality management, recycling, chemicals and hazardous materials, as well as transportation.

The Greening Committee is an internal initiative that was put in place by Oasys in order for them to become a greener company. The committee is made up of Oasys staff members and they hold regular meetings that are unfortunately for staff only, as it has to do solely with what Oasys is doing as a company to become greener.

The new committee members were chosen in January 2011.

The combination of the technology and personal service from the dedicated on-site support team guarantees that at least 60 percent of meeting requests are actioned by invitees before the show actually starts.

Joburg in the running for One World “WHILE the jury’s still out on which city will host the global One Young World Summit in 2012, Johannesburg is a frontrunner in the race, confident that it will be bringing this exciting event to Joburg next year,” says Lindiwe Kwele, CEO of the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC).

One Young World (OYW) is a dynamic global platform for young leaders making a substantial difference and tangible impact in their communities. Its purpose is to connect and bring together the youngest, brightest and best minds the world over, to ensure that their con-

cerns, opinions and solutions are heard. While the first OYW Summit was held in London in 2010, this year Zurich will be welcoming 1600 delegates from 194 countries to the 2011 gathering, which takes place over four days in September.

Cape Town shortlisted for World Design Capital THE Mother City has made the final round of the World Design Capital 2014 bid. The city will be competing against Dublin and Bilbao for the title that will be announced in October in Taipei.

Every two years, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) selects a World Design Capital, in recognition of a city’s effective and creative efforts to use design as a tool for progress.

Zayd Minty, Creative Cape Town coordinator, says, “Pitching for the World Design Capital 2014 title provides an opportunity for collective action that could re-invent our city. Our experience of bidding for a major event – the 2010 FIFA World Cup – has taught us the potential for a range of diverse parties to work in concert towards a common goal. Let’s draw on our immense local resources, talent and infrastructure, and position Cape Town as a sustainable, inclusive and creative city to be reckoned with.

SAT CEO resigns JABU Mabuza, the chairperson of the Board of South African Tourism announced that he has with regret accepted the resignation of the CEO, Thandiwe January-McLean, who is leaving the organisation to pursue her own personal interests.

“Thandiwe has been with South African Tourism for a year and a half, and has led the organisation through its most challenging and exciting times. The year 2010 was a momentous year for all in tourism and under her leadership and drive working closely with stakeholders across various sectors. South Africa attracted an all-time high of over 8million foreign tourist arrivals,” says Jabu.

“Together with her team, the CEO always demonstrated professionalism and openness in engaging stakeholders to continue the positive momentum and brand positioning that was leveraged off the success of the tournament. She leaves a legacy of having moved the organisation forward to explore new markets and she firmly placed Africa and the domestic tourism agenda at the forefront of South African Tourism’s marketing efforts, while entrenching its core markets.”

He continued: “The personal touch and warmth of the CEO was always felt with all stakeholders, and particularly her staff, and her immense contri-

bution will be missed.”

Thandiwe will leave South African Tourism at the end of August 2011 at which time Tim Scholtz will be acting CEO until the board has completed its recruitment process.

Loeries Live Events panel THE Loeries have announced the Direct & PR Communication and Live Events, Activations and Sponsorship judging panels for The 33rd Annual Loerie Awards.

The Live Events panel consists of chairman: Matt Shirtcliffe from Shirtcliffe and Co. (Auckland), Caroline Pretorius from VWV, DJ Grant from Blue Moon, Katja Schmidt from Potters Hand, Nelia Blumrick from The Event Production Company, Nick Liatos from M&C Saatchi Abel, Paul Warner from 24 Carrots, Peter Blond from Omage, Roger Tavares from Trinergy, Spero Patricios from Launch Factory and Theo Ferreira from Hello World.

The Loerie Awards will take place from 16-18 September 2011 at the CTICC, Cape Town.

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

The Event editor named among top young South Africans THE Event’s editor Sally Fink was featured as part of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans supplement. Apart from being a journalist, Sally also writes fiction under the moniker S.A.

Partridge, for which she received the honour.

Will Walmart affect retail trade shows?

WALMART’S entry into South Africa is set to have a profound and far-reaching impact on Africa’s retail supply chain.

CNN correspondent Paul Tilsley will interview retail expert Simon Mathers at a networking breakfast at Africa’s Big Seven (AB7) where they will tackle the issue.

“African retailers will be forced to up their game,” says John Thomson, managing director of Exhibition Management Services, organisers of AB7.

“Complacency will become a bad habit of the past, and collaboration in the supply chain will be essential. With Walmart’s lean pricing structures, local retailers will be forced to focus on driving efficiencies and improving their processes, whilst implementing innovative pricing strategies.”

He adds that the networking breakfast with Simon Mathers will equip retailers and their supply chain partners with essential tools and knowledge needed to overcome these challenges and build robust enterprises.

AB7 takes place from 17-19 July 2011 at Gallagher Convention Centre alongside the Southern African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX).

Thandiwe January-McLean

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FRUIT OF THE LOOM LAUNCH AT MARKEX GENERAL INDUSTRY FRUIT of the Loom chose the Johannesburg leg of Markex which took place at the Sandton Convention Centre (SCC) from 7-9 June 2011 as the ideal launch pad for its entry into the South African market.

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HE global activewear brand, which exhibited at the trade show in conjunction with Cape Town-based Bertuzzi SA, its newly appointed South African distributor, was greatly encouraged by the response from visitors.

“The feedback we received at the Markex show in Johannesburg was fantastic and exceeded all our expectations,” says Joanne Lewis, marketing manager of Fruit of the Loom. “We were inundated with enquiries and delighted by visitors’ interest in Fruit of the Loom.”

This is a good sign for a first time exhibitor.

Joanne goes on to explain that the company exhibits at many promotional clothing trade shows throughout Europe including PSI, the largest pan-European trade show for the promotional products market which falls under the company’s mandate.

Fruit of the Loom brings more than 160 years of textile manufacturing expertise to ev-

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ery garment it makes. It is a top activewear brand within the European promotional market, and its Moroccan manufacturing plant (which serves the African market) currently produces more than 2.3 million T-shirts per week. All Fruit of the Loom garments are designed with decoration in mind, and the ‘Fruit’ label is recognised and appreciated worldwide as a symbol of consistent and reliable product quality and value.

Fruit of the Loom’s manufacturing expertise was highlighted in the ‘Guide to Manufacturing’ theme adopted for its exhibition stand at Markex.

Using a combination of educational text, images and materials, the company took visitors on a journey through the various Fruit of the Loom garment manufacturing stages – ‘from raw cotton to finished article’.

Each stage was illustrated and explained using colourful graphic boards, which were complemented by actual textile materials that visitors could look at and handle.

Heinrich Reynecke, owner of Bertuzzi SA, was equally delighted by the positive response from the visitors at Markex. He says, “The show was a fantastic success. South Africa is a hugely important market for Fruit of the Loom and one in which the brand

plans to trade for a long time to come. The fact that senior management from the UK head office travelled to Johannesburg to attend the trade show and launch of the brand is a clear indication of Fruit of the Loom’s commitment to the South African promotional market. Bertuzzi is proud to work with Fruit of the Loom, and together we are determined to make this venture a success. The positive feedback from the show reinforced our belief that Fruit of the Loom will do well in Africa and is here to stay.”

Joanne Lewis echoed Heinrich’s sentiments. She said: “Working with Bertuzzi S.A., we are confident that the Fruit of the Loom clothing range will add real value to the South African imprint market.”

Fruit of the Loom and Bertuzzi S.A. will be presenting promotional clothing buyers with another opportunity to visit their stand and view the Fruit of the Loom product range, when they exhibit at the Cape Town leg of Markex taking place from 23-25 August 2011.

For more information visit www.fruitoftheloom.eu.

Sally Fink

Heinrich Reynecke

IKAPA AN INDUSTRY FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH SUPPLIER PROFILE DESTINATION management company iKapa has a wide mandate that covers tours and travel, luxury coach hire, sports travel, corprorate travel and school tours.

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INCE the company’s humble start in 1994, iKapa International Travel Management Company (ITMC) has grown to become a key player as transport provider as well as a full service Destination Management Company. For over a decade iKapa has been a key transport supplier to a variety of DMC’s, PCO’s and tour operators.

“With the recent and successful completion of the FIFA 2010 World Cup Soccer where we transported over 90 000 fans, we have also seen an increase in providing transport and ground support services to large convention and sporting events,” says ikapa’s Adriaan Fourie.

South African travel group Cullinan Holdings Limited recently acquired a 56 percent stake in Ikapa Tours and Travel (Pty) Ltd from the Don Group.

The Cullinan Group currently comprises well known South African travel brands such as Thompsons Holidays, Thompsons Africa, Pentravel, Thompsons Leisure, Thompsons Corporate, Visions, Planet Africa Tours,

Thompsons Gateway Tours, and national coach operator Hylton Ross Touring and Safaris Cape Town is also set to benefit from this deal through the development of a state-of-the-art coach depot close to the city centre. It will house vehicles belonging to both iKapa and Hylton Ross Tours, a Cullinan subsidiary.

“We have said that we would be pursuing an expansion strategy in 2011 and 2012 – the Ikapa acquisition is in line with this process,” says Michael.

“We are looking to acquire additional MICE businesses in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, as well as in other parts of the world. We believe that our financial and travel expertise, extensive coach operations, strong purchasing power from our tour operator divisions as well as support from our related offices around the world, provides a good basis for Cullinan to add value to MICE businesses through acquisition or partnership”.

He adds that the iKapa acquisition will complement Cullinan’s existing road transportation offering, and position the group as a leading provider of coach and ground transportation to large-scale events.

“As the MATCH-appointed ground transportation operator in the Western Cape for the FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa, Ikapa proved that it has the abil-

ity to successfully provide transportation for any major event in South Africa.

“The combined buying power that this transaction gives us, lays a solid foundation for us to become a leading ground handler for any MICE service provider. Together with Hylton Ross we will have the expertise, infrastructure and experience to provide superior-quality ground handling services for any major events or conference in South Africa.

“We are thus delighted to be

bringing such a proven asset as ikapa into the Cullinan Holdings fold,” says Michael.

Hylton Ross, which in 2010 expanded its footprint nationally from the Western Cape, and Ikapa will continue to be operated and managed as separate coach transportation businesses. iKapa ITMC is in a process of implementing a programme to offset its carbon footprint by supporting a variety of greening and environmental projects.

“We also support various social de-

velopment programmes as part of a growing CSR commitment,” says Adriaan.

“This coming year will see iKapa ITMC attend Meetings Africa, Indaba, WTM, American IMEX to name but a few. We are also due to attend shows in South America, India and Africa as part of our aggressive growth strategy.”

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

Sally Fink

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CHAMPAGNE SPORTS RESORT GETS A MAKEOVER Champagne Sports Resort

VENUES FOLLOWING recent developments, Champagne Sports Resort now boasts 16 conference venues seating up to 1350 delegates.

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THE 40 new hotel rooms and four new luxurious presidential suites enables us to offer a total of 152 hotel rooms and

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91 timeshare chalets of which the majority are three bedrooms (all rooms en-suite),” says Tamlyn Horner. She explains that chalets are subject to availability although with good notice before peak holiday periods they are readily available.

“We are also proud to announce completion of the new Buttress Conference and Ex-

hibition Centre as well as four new boardrooms,” says Tamlyn.

Champagne Sports Resort now offers a total of 16 conference venues including the new state of the art Buttress Centre which seats up to 1350 delegates and banquets up to 850 guests at round tables.

Other venues include the Sentinel Room which seats up to

1000 delegates cinema style and 720 classroom style, the Monks Cowl centre seating up to 550 pax, the Summit Room seating up to 400 delegates and the more intimate venues ranging between 150 delegates down to the private boardrooms seating up to a maximum of 16 people.

“We have also recently completed the Amplett and Turrett conference rooms each seating up to 90 delegates,” she says.

Conference equipment includes the most up to date equipment controlled by Crestron hand held controls through the bigger venues and all standard equipment through the smaller meeting areas. Delegates have internet access in the hotel and the majority of the venues and can utilise the business centre across from the new coffee shop.

“Over the last 18 months at Champagne Sports Resort, we have been building and refurbishing constantly to ensure our venue is suitable and capable of running the bigger conferences and congresses of up to 800 delegates comfortably,” she says.

Tamlyn explains that other recently completed additions to the resort include an extended dining room and largely expanded buffet, a new Wellness Centre and coffee shop with adjoining lounge. “Our new buffet and dining area comfortable feed up to 700 guests with little queuing and

complemented by an outstanding food offering rapidly gaining a reputation in the hospitality industry.” There are now also eight live cooking stations when all buffets are operational for the bigger groups which makes for a memorable dining experience.

The Wellness Centre includes an upmarket salon and well fitted gymnasium. The salon has five treatment rooms, comfortable change rooms and a relaxing rest area with cane loungers which look up at the Champagne and Cathkin peaks. The gym is fully equipped for all forms of exercise including general cardiovascular and weight training.

“Considering that Champagne Sports Resort equally has a great reputation as a prime holiday destination we offer a huge variety of leisure facilities including five swimming pools, five tennis courts, adventure sports putt, basketball, volleyball, bowling greens, kids and teen clubs,” says Tamlyn.

There is now a new Canopy Tours in the valley. Canopy Tours is run by Four Rivers Adventures who also have a teambuilding facility offering archery, quad biking, zip lines and white water rafting for the more adventurous.

They also other team building activities which can be brought on site should this be requested.

For more information visit www.champagnesportsresort. com.

Training and education highlights INTERNSHIPS VS LEARNERSHIPS place to ensure quality and national recognition.

Characteristics of internships include: •Internships may be part of an educational program and carefully monitored and evaluated for academic credit, or they can be part of a learning plan that someone develops individually.

•An important element that distinguishes an internship from a shortterm job or volunteer work is that an intentional “learning agenda” is structured into the experience.

•Learning activities common to most internships include learning objectives, observation, reflection, evaluation and assessment.

•An effort is made to establish a reasonable balance between the interns’s learning goals and the specific work an organisation needs done.

•Internships promote academic, career and/or personal development.

Adapted from materials published by the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE).

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HEN choosing a skills development strategy for your company it is important to look at the different types of work experience initiatives available.

Learnerships: A learnership can be defined as a route to occupational or professional qualification which is Vocational, Education and Training (VET) with a strong emphasis on both workplace experience and a structured learning component.

The purpose of learnerships is to skill the nation which will lead to relevant industry experience; equipping the learners readiness for the workplace. Hence this will contribute to the National Skills Development Strategy – which talks to job creation.

Ultimately this will contribute positively to reducing unemployment and poverty in our country, therefore reducing crime.

A learnership is a good tool which helps an individual to gain the relevant skills and experience to give them better employment opportunities.

Learnerships are derived from the various National Qualification Framework level qualifications that are registered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA – levels 1 – 5).

A learnership is available to both employed learners (18.1) as well as an unemployed (18.2) learner.

The “employed learner 18.1” could benefit by being enrolled on a learnership to avoid loss of income that a

full-time study would cost but still be able to receive a full qualification.

The “unemployed learner – 18.2” could embark on a learnership which will assist them in getting both the theory and practical workplace experience. They would receive a monthly stipend / allowance to assist them in procuring transport and other costs to getting them to the workplace and for training. This intervention would keep them occupied in a working environment for a period of 12 months.

A qualification is broken down in the following credits based on each NQF Level: •A qualification is a planned combination of learning outcomes with a defined purpose to be able to qualify learners with an applied competence.

A qualification is broken down into: •Fundamental - Basic knowledge a learner would need to know in order to be productive in the workplace.

•Core - Knowledge you need to perform the job and be seen as competent.

•Elective - Extensive knowledge on all the unit standards to be able to carry out the roles and responsibilities of that specific choice of qualification that needs to be achieved.

A qualification is registered depending on the NQF Level: Certificate: 120 Credits Diploma: 240 Credits Degree: 360 Credits A bursary is given to an employee when a specific course of study is considered to be beneficial to the employ-

ee’s career developmental plan by the employer which could be beneficial to the employee. The Services SETA would provide the financial assistance to employers who wish to improve the skills of their employees through formal courses of study.

A bursary encourages an individual in career development through further education.

Please note: the process of applying for a bursary is similar to the learnership process.

Internships: AN internship is carefully monitored work or service experience in which a candidate has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what she or he is learning throughout the experience.

One of the biggest challenges of learners who have already obtained a qualification in South Africa currently is to equip them with the practical skills needed in the workplace.

The Services SETA needs to comply with the NSDS target and engage in a process of introducing internships for candidates who have already completed a diploma or any other national qualification but have not yet gathered the necessary practical experience readying for the workplace.

This would include the Services SETA CEO’s interventions to introduce the internship programme to member companies in order to meet the target.

This cannot happen without instilling proper processes and guidelines in

The Services SETA Internships Program THE Services SETA has a project for Interns who completed their training and still lack the workplace experience before they can be employed.

Internships will be implemented where candidates have obtained a SETA Qualification, diploma or any other National qualification where the practical workplace experience is still lacking.The Internship can be funded or not.

The internship can be completed as workplace experience only, monitored by SSETA for quality purposes.

With this option, no additional qualification or unit standards will be allocated to the learner at the end of the practical experience, but SSETA reserves the right to monitor the quality of the workplace experience.

The Services SETA will invite employers to accommodate interns for a period of 6 months.

The internship programme will include specified activities to be completed and evidence to be gathered in a Portfolio of Evidence, for internal assessment after completion of the internship.

Workplace coaches/mentors will assist interns during the workplace experience and the gathering of workplace evidence for their portfolio of evidence (POE).

The interns will be paid a stipend subject to Services SETA’s discretion for a period of six months. It stands as follows: internship value stands at R 18 000 (R 3 000 per month for 6

months).

Employers will be allowed to top up this amount up if they so wish, but this is not compulsory. The payment of the above allowances will be made to the employer and the employer must in turn pay the intern.

If a learner is disabled an additional disability grant of R 1 500 per month is available for 6 months.

The employer shall receive an internship grant of R 1000 per learner for the duration of the internship, payable with each payment of the total grant Please note that if an intern leaves the workplace of the company, the company will only receive a pro rata payment for the months the intern was in the workplace.

Employers will have to complete the funding application form for interns and submit it to the Services SETA. The companies will have to complete the attendance register for the interns on a daily basis for the duration of the six months. The Employers will have to ensure that the interns complete the POE and that they collect the necessary proof of workplace experience.

The Services SETA is in the process of establishing Service Level Agreements with universities, FET and Colleges to provide us with a database of graduates.

The provider where the learner obtained their qualification from signs off to say that the intern is ready for the world of work.

The identification of the intern will however be linked to the allocated position with the employer, i.e.

Secretarial and Admin, and therefore the intern should have an appropriate qualification linked to the position the employer would like the intern to complete his practical experience to.

All interns are restricted to SSETA registered qualifications. Another suggestion is that if interns are placed in a department e.g. Human Resources, they should be exposed to all sections within Human Resources. In other words the employer should provide this opportunity that the interns rotate within the Human Resource Department where at all possible.

All the above is subjected to Services SETA’s discretion.

With the Services SETA conducting this programme they will be providing the interns active learning environment and an opportunity to acquire skills to make them employable.

For more information visit www. serviceseta.org.za 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 25

IT & CMA CELEBRATES TEN YEARS Opening Ceremony 2010

TECHNOLOGY Leading international MiCe bureaus and suppliers from all parts of the world have agreed to exhibit at iT&CMa and CTW 2011 from 4-6 October 2011.

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T&CMA and CTW will celebrate its 10th year in Thailand in 2011. Event organisers along with destination partner TCEB will be pulling out all stops to commemorate this milestone.

Akapol Sorasuchart, president of TCEB said, “We are confident that Thailand will continue

to appeal as a MICE and tourist destination. Bangkok will always be a dynamic and exciting MICE city with new facilities to use and activities to do. The other cities in Thailand are also continuously developing and improving MICE facilities and bettering access to cultural, historical and entertainment attractions. IT&CMA and CTW is our long standing partner in our efforts to promote Thailand as a MICE destination and we will continue to support this partnership into 2011. Delegates to IT&CMA and CTW 2011 can expect to experience more of

Thailand’s hospitality and enjoy all the diverse features that we have to offer.”

The 2010 event was considered a great success, with smore than 13,000 business appointments which took place between 304 Exhibiting companies and 483 MICE buyers and corporate travel managers over three days. “This figure does not include the other business leads and opportunities that our delegates realised during the many official networking functions” added Darren Ng, managing director of event organiser, TTG

Asia Media.

MICE organisations already on board for the 2011 event include returning exhibitors Brunei Tourism Development Department, Dusit International, Egyptian Tourism Office, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, Ministry of Culture & Tourism Republic of Indonesia, Laguna Phuket, Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Seoul Tourism Board, Silversea Cruises and Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). Hard Rock Hotels and Starwood Hotels and Resorts will be participating at IT&CMA and CTW 2011 for the first-time.

The reasons exhibitors give for returning to IT&CMA and CTW include the leads and exposure they get from the event being in addition to the chance to interact with a high quality and quantity of attending international buyers. Christine Kim of JW Marriott Seoul said of the 2010 event, “I was able to extend our contacts from all over the world.

I am also satisfied with the opportunity to promote our properties.” Feedback following the 2010 event showed that more than 90 percent of exhibitors believed they would receive orders in the next 12 months, and more than half of them expect their orders to range from $250,000 to above $500,000.

95 percent of buyers and corporate travel managers have indicated an interest in

participating in the 2011 event.

International buyer Jacob Abraham Van Hal of S.T. Tours (1996) European Branch was pleased that his schedule was “packed with full appointments on both days” while Leah Villarta of Robert Bosch Inc commented added “… the event has surpassed my expectations!

I’ve renewed contacts and it’s really a perfect way for networking and learning the latest industry trends and news.”

IT&CMA and CTW 2011 will be held from 4-6 October 2011 at Bangkok Convention Center, CentralWorld, Bangkok. Incentive Travel and Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) will bring together MICE suppliers and buyers in a 3-day exhibition showcase coupled with intensive business appointments. Exhibition features include products, services and solutions relating to meetings, incentives, conventions and events. The Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia Pacific is a conference driven by corporate travel and entertainment content. Influencers, planners and decision-makers of corporate travel functions in their organisation attend the annual conference to keep themselves abreast of the latest trends and knowledge. Sessions are led by prolific industry veterans. 2011 will see the 19th and 14th installment of IT&CMA and CTW respectively.

August booking deadline 20 July 2011 August material deadline 22 July 2011 • PUBLISHER: Film & Event Publishing • ADDRESS: 57 2nd Avenue, Harfield Village, Claremont,Cape Town • PHONE: +27 21 674 0646

• FAX: +27 21 674 6691

• PUBLISHER: Lance Gibbons (lance@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • EDITOR: Sally Fink (sally@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • COPY EDITOR: Kate Hodges (kate@thecallsheet.co.za) • INHOUSE JOURNALIST: Siya Ngcobo (siya@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • DESIGNER: Jess Novotná (jess@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • SALES EXECUTIVE: Ilana Bernstein (ilana@theevent.co.za) • HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Dani Jibrail (dani@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • OFFICE ADMINISTRATION: Nadia Samsodien (nadia@filmeventpublishing.co.za) 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.

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THEBE HELMS BOFE EXPO PREVIEWS THE Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo (BOFE) takes place from 15-18 September 2011 at the Coca-Cola dome.

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HEBE Exhibitions and Projects has reunited with the Eskom Foundation for the 2011 Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo (BOFE) sponsored by Standard Bank, in a partnership that will provide opportunities to aspiring entrepreneurs and small-tomedium enterprise owners.

“Entrepreneurs and the country’s small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) are the true catalysts of economic growth.

There is no denying the importance of the role that they play in our economy,” says Carol Weaving, managing director of Thebe Exhibitions and Projects.

The 2010 event saw an outstanding turnout of visitors and the 2011 expo is expected to raise the bar, targeting over 10 000 guests who will be looking for leading business, investment, and franchising opportunities.

Haylene Liberty, CEO of the Eskom Foundation, says 2011 marks the tenth year of collaboration with the Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo. “We have run alongside the expo for the past decade, but we officially became partners of Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo in 2010 in a well matched Private/Public Partnership.”

Now in its third year, Eskom Foundation presents the 2011 Eskom Business Investment competition (BIC), which aims to recognise, honour, reward and develop small business owners. It is open to small-to-medium sized, black-owned enterprises in South Africa in the agricultural, manufacturing, and trade/services sectors. The 27 Finalists - one from each sector representing their province - exhibit at BOFE as part of their prize.

“In terms of the foundation’s strategy, the support provided to small-to-medium businesses through the enterprise development programme, the Eskom Contractor Academy and BIC, not only assists with their

growth, but helps create further employment opportunities,” explains Haylene.

She adds that at the same time, it creates an increasing pool of SME and black, womenowned (BWO) suppliers from which Eskom and other large corporate players can draw when procuring goods and services. “Actually, sourcing goods and services at this level makes for good corporate citizenship in itself,” says Haylene.

Research from the 2010 Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo revealed that 72 percent of its attendees were interested in buying a business, while 62 percent of the visitors who attended the show have funds readily available to invest.

“South Africa has already proved to be resilient during a wave of recessions globally. By nurturing entrepreneurs and business owners, the country will put itself on a growth path that will ensure sustainable economic development and, improved systems for all who live in this robust environment,” says Carol.

Carol Weaving

EVENT REVIEWS

SAACI members puzzle over a challenge

REVIEWS THE inaugural South African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) Amazing Adventure took place on 31 May 2011.

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AACI Western Cape, in partnership with the V&A Waterfront, Adventure Works, Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and iKapa put together the first ever “Amazing Adventure”

teambuilding and networking event, for Cape Town based members of the association.

It could have been an episode of the reality TV series The Amazing Race. 26 industry members of the MICE industry donned their most comfortable shoes and made their way to the CTICC for a fun-filled afternoon of puzzle solving, team challenges and mind games.

The Race kicked off with participants dividing into

teams and then taking part in a scenic kayaking trip along the canal between the CTICC and the V&A Waterfront. This was only the first leg. Teams then had to solve cryptic riddles to locate checkpoints around the V&A Waterfront.

“The Blind Paddle was hilarious with certain teams spiralling out of control,” says Adventure Works and SAACI member Barry Futter.

“Giant puzzles, crazy photos, shuffling of nuts and beautiful necklaces made the afternoon a great success and made friends of strangers! What a great team building event!”

The event culminated in a networking function and a much welcomed glass of wine.

Cape Town-based Adventure Works specialise in putting together adventure and team building activities for corporate clients and association.

For more information visit www.saaci.co,za Sally Fink

Alan Committee

REVIEWS THE Vodacom Funny Festival took place from 13 June–10 July 2011 at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town.

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RGANISED by Eddie Casser Public Relations, the Vodacom Funny Festival took place at the recently revamped Baxter Theatre.

Comedians included both the established and the new, such as Alan Committie, Kalki

Henenberg, Miss Ro, Eugene Khoza, Shimmy Isaacs, Full House, Carl Wastie.

The show has been running for a steady five years and maintains good ticket sales despite tough competion from rival comedy tours such as the Nandos Comedy Festival which just goes to show that South Africans love to laugh at themselves.

For more information about the show or for the latest on the Baxter renovations visit www.baxter.co.za.

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