The Event March 2012

R22.80 March 2012 www.theevent.co.za

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MEETINGS AFRICA A ROARING SUCCESS BUSINESS TOURISM

Meetings Africa

MEETINGS Africa took place from 28 February-1 March 2012 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg. The show, owned by South African Tourism (SAT) and managed by On Show Solutions, was an unprecedented success with attendance shattering previous records.

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ORE than 200 international hosted buyers (an increase from 123 in 2011) universally declared the event to have offered them tremendous business opportunities and as more than 500 exhibitors agreed, it had been a worthwhile investment of their time and energy.

Overall attendance was up 20 percent compared to 2011, recording 3 452 visitors and with registered international visitor numbers nearly doubling from 106 in 2011 to 205 in 2012.

The success of the Matchmaking activities was most impressive. 8 906 meetings had been confirmed by the second day, giving real substance to Meetings Africa’s usefulness as a business enabling environment. Of those meetings, more than 420 were set up by international buyers and almost 370 were set up by local buyers. 7 000 official meetings were scheduled during Meetings Africa 2011, a record in itself.

James Costello, hosted buyer from Atlanta in the US, was visiting South Africa for the first time. “It’s chin-droppingly beautiful,” he said, “and every single one of my expectations has been exceeded.”

His visit to Meetings Africa (and

the tour he went on that included the Western Cape and what he calls the ‘safari belt’) opened his eyes, he said, to the many different ways South Africa can be packaged for incentive tourism – his own special interest in the global industry. “I have sophisticated clients who are well travelled.

South Africa is ideal for this market group as you have it all here. And the various combinations of experiences that you offer puts this destination at the top of my inventory list. Yes, I am definitely planning to do business in South Africa very soon. And I’m going

home to recommend South Africa as central for the marketing and incentive plans of my clients.”

Lin Wang, a hosted buyer from Shanghai was also impressed. She had visited South Africa before, and remained as impressed as ever with the variety of establishments and experiences the destination offers.

“We are able to take this variety and package it into different itineraries for our specialist local agencies. It’s a fantastic business opportunity for us in China. I have enjoyed Meetings Africa. I like the clean and fresh

South African air. But most of all I like the South African people – so nice and friendly.”

The exhibition was opened by Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk.

“We have superb capability and infrastructure for business tourism here in South Africa. Besides the three big national convention centres, we are home to numerous other facilities that give the world’s meetings and conference organisers the same quality, variety and choice that South Africa offers across the larger tourism sector.

Meetings Africa is a resource for the entire industry to network, exchange ideas, learn from global leaders in the industry and to conduct deals to grow both their own insights into trends and developments in the industry, as well as grow arrivals for the destination. It has become the biggest and most important resource for the industry, and an event we all look forward to with immense excitement and anticipation,” the Minister said.

“People fall in love with South Africa, whether they are here on holiday, or as business tourism delegates.

Business tourism delegates deliver a return rate of 40 percent, and almost half of them return with a partner – close to double the return rate of a destination such as Australia.”

The outlook for the sector was excellent, he said. South Africa had already secured more than 200 international conferences for the next five years. These would attract about 300 000 delegate arrivals and would contribute more than R1.6 billion to the economy.

However, the destination was not resting on its laurels and would continue to work to meet its target of supporting at least another 30 bids this year that targeted 18 000 delegates and another R162 million for the economy.

“It’s looking good. It’s looking excellent. We are absolutely serious about boosting our global competitiveness in business tourism. And we have every reason to be confident, for South Africa offers what no other destination on earth can – outstanding infrastructure; beauty; capability and warmth; friendship; hospitality and a passionate, dedicated and committed industry.”

PAGE 2 PIN-UP - SANDTON CONVENTION CENTRE

Sandton Convention Centre

PROFILE SANDTON Convention Centre forms part of the Tsogo Sun group, a partnership between Southern Sun Hotels and Tsogo Sun Investments. The centre is managed by Southern Sun Hotels, the largest hotel operator in Africa, with a chain of 79 hotels providing 13 400 lettable rooms in prime sites throughout Southern Africa.

ON BEING PART OF TSOGO SUN KARIN White, General Manager: Sales and Marketing at Sandton Convention Centre, says while it may seem unusual for a convention centre to be managed by a hotel group, this has proven to be beneficial for the venue. “Southern Sun Hotels is a

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brand associated with excellence and having three of its top-class hotels right on our doorstep, dominating the ‘Sandton Corridor’, means that the delegates and exhibitors that frequent the venue can always rely on superior accommodation and service during their stay,” she says.

Tsogo Sun Gaming, the casino arm of Tsogo Sun, has fourteen properties within its portfolio. Each property has become the destination of choice in the area in which it operates. “We believe that a key factor in the ongoing success of Tsogo Sun is its focus on specific areas of growth and development that include product offering and technology; expertise and skills development; marketing and cost management.”

The fact that along with South-

ern Sun and the Sandton Convention Centre, Tsogo Sun also has The Gold Reef City Themepark and The Apartheid Museum as part of its offering adds enormous weight to its footprint on Southern Africa. Gold Reef City and the Apartheid Museum are major tourism attractions in Johannesburg.

ON A WINNING STREAK SANDTON Convention Centre is hosting several prestigious events in 2012: the third Annual Biological Safety Conference taking place in June 2012; the International Small Business Congress and Expo happening in September; as well as the 27th International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists Congress and the 2012 Discop Africa Expo in October.

“We launched an aggressive bidding strategy two years ago and the return has been phenomenal.

Strong alignments were secured with industry and destination stakeholders. Through having a clear vision and objectives in place, the results are coming through with an increased conversion rate for international bids,” says Mati Nyazema, Executive Director of Sandton Convention Centre.

Sandton Convention Centre was shortlisted to present their bid for the 2016 World Association of Chefs Society Congress. “South Africa has been shortlisted alongside Turkey and Greece and a delegation will be attending the conference in Daejeon, Korea, for the 2012 conference where we will be

presenting our bid. We’re confident that we will bring the event to South Africa,” says Mati.

Sandton Convention Centre hosted South Africa’s biggest business tourism event, Meetings Africa, in February. It was the seventh consecutive year that the venue played host to SAT’s largest marketing platform, showcasing Africa’s MICE industry to local and international buyers.

“We are delighted with the success of this year’s exhibition which has been hailed by SAT CEO Thulani Nzima as the most successful Meetings Africa show yet. The incredible attendance by both foreign and local visitors has done much to position the SCC as the definitive home of business tourism in South Africa,” says Mati.

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MEETINGS AFRICA HIGHLIGHTS THE REAL VALUE OF BUSINESS Marthinus van Schalkwyk & Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo

BUSINESS TOURISM FOR the Meetings Africa Southern Africa Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) workshop on Wednesday 29 February 2012, National Convention Bureau executive manager Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo and consultant Gary Grimmer addressed members about the real impact of the meetings industry.

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MANDA explained that the purpose of the National Convention Bureau is to expand and strengthen the work of the South African Tourism (SAT) Business Tourism Unit to become a truly one-stop Business Tourism support facility.

According to the South African Tourism Act, SAT must provide sustainable GDP growth, sustainable job creation and redistribution and transformation. Amanda believes the National Convention Bureau will achieve these goals.

“With SAACI, we can make it happen. Association members

must be ambassadors for us,” says Amanda. “Our delegates spend more money than leisure visitors. We have 40 % of people coming back to SA after five years as a visitor after coming as a delegate. We must contribute to the national tourism strategy. We need to make a direct economic impact. I hope we sustain or move up from our placement of 34 on the ICCA rankings.

That’s just from association meetings. The MICE industry can really contribute to growth strategy.”

According to Amanda, the National Convention Bureau will contribute to an increase in tourism volume. “Nearly 60% of international business events visitors state that they are likely to return for a leisure break. In 2009, business visitors to South Africa accounted for 5% of arrivals compared to 30% for Singapore. We are right up there.

We already contribute to the tourism volume.”

She explains that many visitors declare themselves as leisure visitors when they are actually business travellers. Her hope is for the Convention Bureau to get to a space where the statistics can be measured correctly.

Amanda revealed that business event visitors spend three to five times more than the average tourist. “Business tourism visitors spend 56% more per day than the average international visitor.

46% international convention delegates undertake pre and post tours,” she says, The National Convention Bureau will also aim to improve the seasonality of association meetings. “Some business events can be incentivised to meet during the traditional low seasons. Convention bureaux can contribute to-

wards the improvement of seasonality patterns”.

Transformation is also vitally important. Amanda says that new skill sets are required to service conventions. “SAT data shows that for every 31000 USD in tourism GDP generated by conventions, one new full time job is created,” she says.

Gary Grimmer was appointed to assist the National Convention Bureau with its activation strategy.

Gary says that the convention and exhibitions industry has a huge impact on the economy.

What’s important to understand is that the convention and exhibition industries have almost nothing in common with tourism, he says. “The participants are different, the purpose of the visit is different; even the buyers and buyer motivation are different. We attract a very distinct type of visitor.”

Gary explains that the main economic impact of tourism is direct spending, while conventions and exhibitions are trade and investment. “Our impacts go much broader in terms of macro economic outcomes.”

“The questions being asked today are ‘What are you looking to achieve through this meeting? and ‘What are your business outcomes?’ Destination is almost a secondary consideration while for tourism, destination is everything.”

He went on to explain that the market approach for leisure is very strategic as it targets larger groups of people. “On the conventions side, you have to be very targeted and tactical with your marketing.”

“We are not part of the tourism industry. It’s vitally important for us as an industry to understand this and communicate this effectively,” says Gary.

REED EYES AFRICA FOR EXPANSION

‘presence’ could eventually see Reed stage a travel show of its own in South Africa, but a smaller initial step may be closer cooperation with South Africa Tourism (SAT), said Richard Mortimore, MD of Reed Travel Exhibitions.

Reed stages travel shows around the world, including the World Travel Market in London. Now it’s planning to launch a Latin American version in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to capitalise on new growth markets.

“We are beginning to look at the emerging economies where growth in the tourism industry is coming from,” said Richard. The growing middle class in emerging markets created strong outbound tourism as people had money to spend and the time to spend it. There were also strong inbound and business travel opportunities as other people want-

ed to visit those emerging destinations, Richard said. South Africa falls into that category with a rising middle class and with organisations and businesses seeking new locations for their conferences.

“One area of the world where we don’t have a lot of focus is Africa, so we have come to learn about the market and talk to SAT about what we do and see if we can help them in any way. We’ll look for opportunities for our other shows as well. There is a huge opportunity in Africa and particularly in South Africa as the hub,” he said.

Technically, Reed Travel Exhibitions is a potential rival to SAT and the Meetings Africa and Durban Travel Indaba events, but Richard said Reed would not be foolish enough to launch a show unless there was a proven gap in the market. “We are looking to see if there are any areas that are not covered or that we could grow into, like luxury travel.”

The initial opportunity may lie in cooperating with SAT to refer buyers to each other, he said. Meetings Africa could identify buyers that hold events outside Africa and put them in touch with Reed. In return, Reed could identify buyers such as pharmaceutical associations, incentive travel suppliers and event planners that attend its shows around the world and refer them to SAT. South Africa had a strong reputation overseas as a leisure destination, but hadn’t fully capitalised on its variety of attractions and was chiefly known for safaris. It could do more to promote its golfing attractions and its business tourism potential, he said.

Lesley Stones

That is expected to continue, with the International Monetary Fund predicting that Africa’s growth will outstrip that of China over the next five years.

“That’s good news because it means more demand for our services,” said Rob, whose courses help to train the next generation of meeting planners and conference organisers. “It means they can afford the infrastructure they need to be players in our industry, such as airports, better roads, hotels and conference centres.”

Agriculture, telecoms and

healthcare are among Africa’s growth industries, and those sectors are the biggest clients for corporate events, he said. Africa’s fledgling events industry would also benefit from China’s presence in many countries, as well as investments from Brazil and India, as those investors would need to meet their partners regularly.

The positive outlook was tempered with a warning of formidable problems, however. Chief among them are political instability, weak rule of law, corruption, lack of infrastructure and poor levels of health

Richard Mortimore

BUSINESS TOURISM GLOBAL travel show organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions attended Meetings Africa to investigate the potential for a presence in the country.

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AFRICAN MEETINGS REPORT BUSINESS TOURISM RESEARCH into Africa’s prospects as a destination for global meetings has revealed that the continent has tremendous potential as a growth market for the meetings industry, but it must overcome several problems that diminish its appeal.

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NLY South Africa, Kenya and Egypt enjoy any real income from hosting the meetings staged by professional associations and similar

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bodies. The whole of Africa hosts only 3.1 % of international association conferences, staging 283 of those events last year.

Yet political unrest has scuppered Egypt prospects, and no others are yet poised to take its place, according to a study by Rob Davidson, a senior lecturer in events management at the UK’s University of Greenwich.

Rob presented his inaugural Meetings Africa Report at the Meetings Africa exhibition in Johannesburg last month. His study began by researching Africa’s vari-

ous economies, because a thriving economy attracts more business, which in turn grows the potential for business meetings. “If things are going well there are more manufacturers, more services, more industries, more product launches and more managers to be trained, which means the volume of business events rises,” he said.

In the past 10 years, six of the world’s fastest growing economies have been in Africa, namely Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Chad, Mozambique and Rwanda, with an average 8% annual growth rate.

MEETINGS AFRICA HIGHLIGHTS THE BIG BRICS DEBATE

The BRICS debate panel at Meetings Africa

BUSINESS TOURISM

OUTH Africa is enjoying a boom in trade since BRIC became BRICS, and the tourism industry should be able to capitalise on that to win more inbound tourism from Brazil, Russia, India and China.

But this is not the most welcoming country in the world, panellists agreed yesterday during a discussion on tourism opportunities created by the trading alliance.

It was standing room only during the debate, hosted by TV presenter Lionel Skink and broadcast on CNBC Africa.

Major issues raised by the panellists were the need to make the visa process quicker and less painful, and to provide direct flights to more cities.

Olivia Ji Jingshu, vice president of

China’s CEBEX group, said she had brought a delegation in via SAA’s new direct overnight flight from Beijing, and it had been an absolute pleasure. A few years ago South Africa had been difficult for Chinese travellers to reach, agreed Anita Soni, chairwoman of Brand SA. But serious efforts had been made to smooth out the problems.

Now attention needs to shift to making it easier for Russian visitors, said Elena Demidova, owner of Expert Avis in Russia. Russians were keen to explore new markets but preferred to visit countries that made it easy for them to come, both in terms of direct flights and little administration.

“Interest in this market is growing, but we have experienced a lot of complicated things in this country,” she complained. “South Africa is an exotic location for Russians, but in the last five years a lot of other countries have made steps to attract Russians to their countries. Russians are interested in this country for sure, but it’s not easy for them to come.”

Elena said South Africa must operate direct flights to Moscow

and education.

Many countries were becoming more democratic and politically stable and showing more respect for human rights, making them more conducive for staging international events. Yet events are often scheduled four or five years in advance, so conference organisers look for a long record of stability before making a commitment.

As democracy and economic growth took hold more people were reaching a level of professionalism that enabled them to join global associations, he said.

By 2030, Africa’s new middle class will comprise of more than 300 million people, many of them potential members of professional associations. “More African citizens are signing up for membership of professional organisations. This is nothing but good news for our industry.

This helps convention bureaux enter bids for international association conferences, which will be interested if they have a branch or members there. They are also keen to go where there are potential members, and that’s Africa.”

On the infrastructure side,

SOUTH Africa needs to make its visa processes less daunting and operate more direct flights to major cities if the tourism industry is to benefit from the country’s inclusion in the BRIC trading block.

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and simplify its visas if it wanted to retain Russian business and lure more travellers.

Audience member Sean Bradley, SAA’s Global Manager of Trade and Product Support, said the airline was looking at where to increase its activities and how to work with key destinations to attract more in-bound business. SAA was putting a lot of emphasis on the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events market and had established a business tourism department, he said, although he didn’t say whether any new routes were definitely in the pipeline.

Anita said since South Africa joined BRICS last year its exports to those countries had increased fourfold and imports had doubled. She hoped to see a similar rise in tourism alongside that economic growth. But that demanded a sound infrastructure and an enabling business and tourism environment.

The BRICS countries house 40% of the world’s population, so the potential for inter-country trade was enormous. However, a lack of information about South Africa and its tourism attractions was doing the country no favours, the panellists agreed. India could provide huge numbers of visitors to South Africa, especially for its sporting events, said S.D. Nandakumar, the head of business development for Kuoni Travel India. But to achieve that Indians needed more information about the attractions.

Anita urged operators to put together creative packages by combining culture, food, natural beauty and the hospitality of the people as well as the sporting events. But more importantly, the government must stop hampering the industry by making it difficult to get into the country.

SITE ASKS ‘WHERE’S THE MONEY?’ INCENTIVE TRAVEL MILLIONS of dollars being spent on incentive travel is going to countries other than South Africa, and the local chapter of the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (Site) wants to know why it is missing out.

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Lesley Stones

ORE research is needed to assess why South Africa isn’t winning a major share of that business – and more crucially, figure out how to increase the volume it attracts. Now Site plans to lobby South African Tourism (SAT) for research funds to find out where those Dollars are going and why, Site’s new chapter president Tes Proos said during the association’s AGM. Outgoing president Daryl Keywood said an initial survey into the business being lost to other destinations highlighted the need for a more comprehensive survey. “As individuals we know hundreds of millions of Rands worth of business that we are quoting on we don’t get, but I don’t think the powers that be in the industry recognise that.”

Site members also heard about progress in its social responsibility initiative to award a bursary to a student studying tourism or hospitality.

Site worked with SAT to select one student from the 20 students enrolled on SAT’s Student Leadership Programme. The students had to give a report back from Meetings Africa and the most promising would win a bursary to complete their studies.

Learner Danielle Chirnside was the lucky recipient.

Tes also appealed to members to

more than 80 African destinations opened up to direct international fights in 2010/2011, and are now served by 130 daily flights. African airlines are improving their safety levels, but the slow pace of privatisation was dulling their competitiveness while airport taxes and fuel prices were higher in African than the global average, deterring inbound travellers.

Another positive is that many new world-class conference venues had opened in recent years or were about to open, and many countries were establishing con-

vention bureaux, including South Africa’s newly launched National Convention Bureau.

Although the research only covered conferences staged by international associations rather than sporting fixtures or events hosted by individual corporations, it is relevant to all sectors of the meetings industry. It paints a picture of optimism, but also highlights the problems holding Africa back.

“I can’t stress enough how linked this is to the economy,” he said. “A lot of African governments are diversifying their economies

Tes Proos & Daryl Keywood

offer the students a chance to work in their organisations for a few days to gain practical experience in between term times. “It’s important for them to get some training in our industry as well as the theory they are doing,” Tes said. “This is Site’s way of giving back to the industry. It will start this year and carry on from one year to the next.”

Next year local Site member David Sand will become the international president of the organisation.

His inauguration will take place during Site’s International Conference in Beijing in September, and he encouraged members to attend, both to support him and to begin exploring new business opportunities.

Cracking the Chinese market would not be quick or easy, he warned.

“Doing business in China is really quite interesting and difficult. I exhibited last year and it’s tough. You need an interpreter and it’s expensive, but it’s a market with mega potential. You really have to invest two or three years of being present and visible there before you can expect good business from that market.”

Lesley Stones

and enlightened governments are supporting their business tourism industries.”

Now is the time to approach the government to ensure it understands the full benefits that business tourism offered the country through job creation and increased prosperity. “These business tourists are decision makers who go back to wherever they came from with an image of your country and become unpaid ambassadors,” he said.

Lesley Stones

The Event | 05

NEWS

GAUTENG SEEKS TO CAPITALISE ON SPORTS EVENTS

SPORTS TOURISM SPORTING events have failed to be clear winners for local communities in the way that they have the potential to be. So says the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation.

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O far most sporting events - including the 2010 Soccer World Cup – have failed to deliver the expected benefits to the communities where they are staged through an injection of cash, job creation or cultural opportunities.

Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation hopes to change that through a new strat-

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egy to encourage the industry to create a united front to bid for, manage and promote sporting events, assistant director of sport Philasande Muvevi told Meetings Africa.

One current problem is that organisers bidding to host an event often only approach the government once their plans are far advanced, so the government could not provide as much support as it could if it was involved earlier on, she said.

To resolve that, a new structure that should be operational within six months would focus on four activities: bidding for and hosting sporting events; managing them; creating better access for local people to those events; and promoting the event and the related opportunities it

will generate for the tourism industry.

“We are looking to establish a bidding and hosting structure with key stakeholders as part of it,” Philasande said.

That organisation would identify key events that meet the authority’s requirements for empowerment and upliftment opportunities, then put together a comprehensive bid.

Transformation was a major issue for the government, so many of these activities would be achieved in partnership with companies that boasted a high degree of black empowerment, she said.

“Whenever an event comes through to us it needs to show a demographic representation suitable for the government. Women and

GENERAL INDUSTRY

people with disabilities are in focus.

Events that create jobs and contribute to development in the province or promote a healthy lifestyle will be promoted.”

The new structure would aim to ensure that sporting events staged in Gauteng had a higher impact than the events it currently hosts, which have had disappointing results, she said. The overall aim was to ensure the people of Gauteng benefited from those events, she said.

Too often the organising committees brought in their own suppliers and contractors and failed to provide any social or economic benefits for the local population. Often the locals couldn’t even afford to attend the events held on their turf, she said. Interviews with some communities after the 2010 Soccer World Cup showed that people felt unconnected to the event, which was so close physically but so far away in terms of affordability.

“We want to broaden access to events. Sometimes the people are not able to attend because they are very highly priced or they can’t get to the event, so we are going to try and increase that attendance,” she said.

“We want to increase the number of events that are hosted in Gauteng and strengthen the sports sector as a key economic driver and job provider. Sport is a way of uniting the people, but people don’t see it as an industry, so we want them to see it as an industry that will create jobs.”

Lesley Stones

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.

Carol Weaving Named Sport Industry Entrepreneur Of The Year CAROL Weaving, managing director of the Thebe Exhibitions and Projects Group, was named the Entrepreneur of the Year at the Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards ceremony in Johannesburg.

These annual awards celebrate the most innovative, influential and extraordinary work produced across the entire sports market.

The entrepreneur award recognises the individual who has masterminded the stand-out entrepreneurial business deal, development or moment in the industry over the past year.

Awarded for the inaugural Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) exhibition and conference that was held in Cape Town in July last year, Carol said the main objective of the project is to grow South Africa’s popularity as a sports tourism destination.

She said SETE is an example of a private/public partnership that works. “Our strategic partnership with South African Tourism has made it possible for us to have a significant impact on the industry.

It is a partnership that works and a project that not only enjoys wide industry support, but also from the Department of Sport and Recreation and the Department of Trade and Industry. It is an honour to receive this award.”

Sally Fink

PRISM AWARDS BIGGER & BETTER EVENTS ON THE RISE The Jenna Clifford trophy is awarded to the overall winner

PUBLIC RELATIONS THE PRISA PRISM Awards, which recognise excellence in the public relations industry, takes place on 25 March 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Johannesburg.

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OW in its sixteenth year, the PRISM Awards are presented to public relations and communication

companies who have successfully incorporated strategy, creativity and professionalism into public relations and communication programmes and strategies that showcase a successful public relations campaign. The awards also recognise how these companies incorporate live events in to their campaigns.

Last year, At Vogue Communications scored a Gold in the event management category for their zombie walk which drew attention to Fox International’s new show The Walking Dead. The event took place simultaneously in 23 countries worldwide over a 48 hour period ahead of the broadcast in 120 countries.

Says Lorraine van Schalkwyk APR, PRCC chairman, “Events have long been a part of public relations and communications strategies, as events provide face-to-face engagement with stakeholders.”

“As professionals, we have always incorporated product and corporate launches, press junkets, conferences and seminars, summits, and gala events as elements in integrated communication strategies. However, in this technological age, while events remain an important part of integrated communication strategies, we have found that the scale and nature of events is changing - it is no longer cocktail parties or gala dinners. Events are taking on increasingly complex natures; they are moving online, or crossing continents with satellite linkups, and incorporating web- and file-sharing within the event. It is no longer necessary for guests to be in the same room far less on the same continent. The global nature, complex logistics and in-

corporation of technology to enhance the level of engagement at events, warranted a category by itself.”

With a 30% increase in the number of entries over last year, totalling 213 entries in 37 categories; the task of the PRISM Awards judges is even tougher than before.

“The overall standard of this year’s entries is good,” says Marilyn Watson, Chief Judge and a partner at Cinnamon Communication.

Fellow judge Sarel du Plessis, CEO of The Marketing Association of South Africa, adds that “there are some real gems that deserve accolades.” He comments that the entries received in the new student category “were really high quality and in many cases better presented and more creative than entries from some consultancies.”

A number of the new categories focus on social and other new media. “It seems that the use of social media is now a norm and not an add-on in the activation of campaigns”, says Marilyn. “There also seemed to be a tightening of budgets allocated to campaigns.”

The largest categories this year are Events Management and Media Relations, followed by PR on a Shoestring. The two public relations consultancies submitting the greatest number of entries from a single firm, were Fleishman-Hillard South Africa and Ogilvy Public Relations – Cape Town.

Sally Fink

OPINION

Mark Strydom

DESPITE trying times and economic uncertainty, the events and exhibitions industry is on the incline, so says Mark Strydom, Chief Operations Officer at Oasys Innovations.

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ARK believes that international political economy and the current world order have turned the key role players in current superpower states’ attention towards emerging markets. “Concern around major economic influencers like non-renewable resources, greening and alternative energy sources are being addressed in these parts of the world and the solutions sought are deemed to be vested in these markets. The African continent and others like India and China are areas where investment, both commercially and politically is at a boom.”

He says that the cascading effect of these efforts from across the globe is at an increase in the exhibitions and events industry, as a platform for dialogue and convention in the geographic areas to which interest has turned for future solutions and investments. “In Southern Africa there is a definite increase of international conferences, expos and conventions, which in turn has, to a certain extent, enabled the local industry to grow in size and numbers. Existing annual events are growing and many new ventures have been added to the board.”

He believes that the South African industry has shown some exciting and impressive results in recent months. “Major international

events were hosted on our home ground both politically, like COP 17 in Durban, and commercially, for instance the China Sourcing Fair in Johannesburg. Local ventures that have displayed increasing success over a number of years include expos like the Beeld Holiday Show and the Homemakers Fair, to name a few.”

Mark says, “Our outlook of the future is positive; we are privileged to have a hand in world class events both locally and abroad. These market conditions, specifically in our industry, have among many other spectacular opportunities; put us in a position of job creation. Facilitating world class events year after year has made us particularly proud of this achievement and we intend on continuing our growth strategy.”

He attributes Oasys’ success to years of experience, a turnkey offering of solutions, commitment to customer service and expertise in all aspects of event infrastructure.

Sally Fink

The Event | 07

THE STATE OF THE AFRICAN EXHIBITIONS INDUSTRY

Essam El Haddad

EXHIBITIONS THE Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) Conference took place from 15-16 March 2012 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). Day one focused on Africa’s exhibitions industry.

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SSAM El Haddad, chairman of the Arabian Development Group, spoke about the influences of the Arab Spring on the North African Market, and also touched on what’s happening in one of the most sensitive areas in the world.

Essam explained that in the past four years, Africa and the Middle East

Sylvie Fourn

retained 2% of the world’s total share of the exhibition industry. He believes that the Middle East’s small piece of the pie, coupled with the global recession, created an opportunity for growth in the region, which has a greater chance of improving than other areas.

This improvement can already be seen in the increase of meetings happening in the Gulf, as well an improvement in infrastructure. Since 2009 exhibition space has increased to 400 000 square metres, and the number of exhibitions by 5%.

“Increased awareness and political stability are key factors that have increased meetings and business events,” he says.

He went on to say that in comparison, North Africa is largely under-

developed and that too leaves room for real opportunity. Factors such as underutilised natural resources, new political players fighting corruption, national rebuilding projects in Egypt and Libya, and strong Asian investment interests are all signs that the industry is on the verge of improving.

He used Egypt, the second largest economy in Africa and the largest consumer market in the Middle East, to illustrate his point. “Egypt is the crystal ball within which we can see the future of the Arab region. The only constant is change,” he says.

Before the revolution, Egypt was not a favourable business environment, but all signs are there that the country is destined to become a democracy, and therefore a major contender in the exhibitions market.

Egyptian Internet users increased from 17 – 23 million since the revolution. That’s a 30%. Another interesting statistic is that 28% of the population is between 15 and 29. “The youth is a new driving force,” says Essam.

He describes the Egypt of today as one of political stability and economic revival. Fair and equal elections are scheduled to take place in June. “A genuine democracy, with national social cohesion, will result in Egypt becoming a favourable business environment,” says Essam, who says that democratic changes equal economic growth.

Asia has already identified the region as an investment opportunity, with states such as Singapore helping with its rebuilding and creating a new economy.

He says that construction on Cairo Expo City, which will comprise an exhibition hall and conference centre with 38 000 square metre floor space, will be completed in 2014.

Essam says that other African countries poised to become serious contenders in the exhibition industry are Libya and Tunisia. “Social change brings out the spirit of challenge and human potential,” he says.

Essam was followed by Sylvie Fourn, division director of Reed Exhibitions in France, who drew on her own experience to speak about partnerships and strategic alliances with Franco Phonic show organisers.

Reed Exhibitions launched five new shows in North Africa.

SIEE Pollutec, which takes place in April in Algiers, featured 290 exhibitors and attracted 8100 trade visitors.

SITE Algiers also drew 8100 trade visitors, while Pollutec Morocco had an impressive 410 exhibitors and 6 800 trade visitors.

“The first key step when looking to bring an exhibition to Africa is to look

at the legal environment,” says Sylvie.

In her experience the Tunisian tax environment is not conducive to doing business while in Nigeria, repatriating money is a big problem.

Another interesting problem that Reed encountered in Morocco was that of brand registration. “In Morocco, people register any and all brands so make sure your brand name isn’t already registered there,” she advises.

She has some practical advice for organisers. “Partner reputation is crucial so be pragmatic and make sure your partner is recognised in that country. Some people promise the moon, but the moon is very far. Transparency and ethics is important,” she says. “Listen to your gut instinct.

We postponed Pollutec Morocco for three years because of a bad feeling about a partner that turned out in the end to be justifed.”

Sylvie says it is advisable to partner with a professional association or with the local venue. Alternatively, organisers can partner with someone who is already organising a show but has no show sector knowledge or someone looking for an investment opportunity.

She says that partnership with a private company is the best type of co-operation. “Business models can be 50 -50, a joint venture, a combination of an international sales agreement and licensing fees and project ownership support fees,” she says.

Sylvie says that a bi-country partnership is possible. In short, she says to start cautiously, integrate a licensing agreement, stay in charge of international sales, and if possible, prefer the 50-50 agreement.

Sally Fink

KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS TECHNOLOGY THE Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) Conference took place from 15-16 March 2012 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). On day two, Thorsten Kolbinger, general manager, Ungerboeck Software in Germany, spoke about Cloud computing and its benefits to the exhibition industry.

C

LOUD computing is when a company stores its data on an online server. It isn’t a new idea. Companies have been using webmail since 1994.

“Our research shows 25% growth annually for Cloud projects opposed to 5% for standard IT projects,” says Thorsten, whose company’s exhibition software is seen by many as the

0 8 | The Even t

backbone of venues.

Cloud computing is changing the business environment. “It doesn’t matter what platform you’re using, whether it’s Mac or PC, Windows, Mac Os or Linux. Web browsers are platform independent. We are getting to the point where software is based within a web browser,” he says. “People are starting to utilise business applications online. Documents and spreadsheets are being stored in the Cloud.”

Thorsten explains that one of the many benefits of keeping a company’s data in the Cloud is that it decreases dependence on IT companies and IT staff, which saves money.

“You also have the option to subscribe rather than invest in software, rent rather than buy licenses. This enables you to use the latest technology as it is introduced. You can also access your information anywhere

on the Internet. Keeping your data in the Cloud enables your sales force to be active on the show floor. You can monitor your exhibitions from anywhere, and you can centralise all shows, employees and data regardless of location.”

Thorsten also touched on Mobile apps. “More and more people are using Smartphones. People want information in real time. It’s rapidly changing exhibitor and visitor expectations,” he says.

Thorsten explains that Smartphones can be used to access exhibitor information, floor plans and up to date news, not to mention social media integrations like Twitter hashtags and Facebook pages.

“People no longer want to see show catalogues,” he says. “Your competitors are using mobile technology.

Your clients and prospects are using it. Your attendees are expecting it.”

Thorsten Kolbinger

5 GUM SETS A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA BENCHMARK LIVE EVENTS WHEN the news broke that Wrigley’s 5 Gum was bringing popular Irish indie band Two Door Cinema Club to South Africa, social media websites buzzed with excitement. But as the date drew closer fans were mystified by the lack of information surrounding the gig, and even more so by the ticketing websites not being any further help. What Wrigley’s had in mind was an event experience never before seen in South Africa that relied solely on social media to ensure its success.

W

RIGLEY’S 5 Gum launched in South Africa in 2011. To coincide with the launch, the brand strategically chose to be the title sponsor of Rocking the Daisies, arguably the Western Cape’s most popular music festival. The marketing team introduced their concept of the 5 Gum Experience, an activation that included a custom-built viewing deck looking on to main stage, art installations and an overall sensory experience for fans.

For the Two Door Cinema Club event, the Wrigley’s marketing department, headed by Jason Cederwall, launched the 5 Gum Experience Facebook application which allowed fans to apply for tickets to the event, and was the only way to gain entry. The application caused a social media firestorm with fans pleading for tickets on the company’s Facebook wall, and almost overnight, the page received 8 000 Likes. Even the 5 Gum Twitter account was inundated with fans promising to do anything for tickets.

Jason explains that everything

about the 5 Gum Experience is unique. “5 Gum lives in the social media world, we launched the brand via social media and have continued to engage and talk to our consumers online. We give our consumers the content to play with and they in turn ensure that hype is created. Everything about it is completely unique from the way you apply, to the venues, to the sound, to the lighting, to the organisation of the event. We want to create the new benchmark for events in South Africa,” he says.

Double tickets to the Johannesburg and Cape Town shows were allocated free of charge to those who applied through the Facebook app. For those who didn’t crack the nod, influential bloggers and online magazines were standing by with ticket giveaways, which only fueled the hype. “Our consumers will never pay for tickets to attend a 5 Gum Experience,” says Jason. “We want people that attend a 5 Gum Experience to feel like they are part of something exclusive and unique.”

And exclusive it was.

The Johannesburg leg of the show took place at the MTN Expo Centre in Johannesburg. Capetonian ticket holders were kept in the dark about the venue and only supplied with a few lines of instructions on their Webticket, guiding them to a parking lot just outside the Cape Town International Airport.

On arrival, fans were greeted by several double-decker Golden Arrow buses waiting to take them to the secret venue – an abandoned cement factory in Phillipi.

Jason says that part of the 5 Gum Experience ethos is that an event will never be held at venues/spaces that have been

used before. “This is all part of the sense stimulating experience. The venues are as critical as who we chose to perform at our experiences,” he says.

The entire factory complex had been transformed into a music lover’s wonderland. Several bars had been set up in the courtyard, which was illuminated by artistically arranged UV light. The stage was constructed beneath the rusted corrugated factory roof, so that when bands took to stage, it was also bathed in UV. Holograms and light shows played against the abandoned cement silos visible just beyond the stage, creating a staggering contrast against the rust and decay.

Everything from the sound to the lighting was pitch perfect, and even hardened festival goers found little to complain about.

The entire concert area was roped off with security, creating a safe environment for fans. In addition, engineers were brought in to stress test the structure, and safety and security officers were called in to sign off the venue.

To pull off such a perfect event, the Wrigley’s marketing department worked closely with Seed Experiences, the organisers of Rocking the Daisies. The entire event took four months to plan.

“It wasn’t so much about organising a live event than it was delivering a completely unique

experience for our consumers. We wanted to create something that they will talk about for years to come. It’s easy to hold a live event at a stadium or venue that is used all the time, but we wanted to create something that would capture the imagination of our audience,” says Jason.

As a result of the campaign, Wrigley’s grew their online community by ten times over a period of four weeks. All hype was generated through word of mouth and not one cent was spent on traditional/ social media.

Sally Fink

The Event | 09

EVENT LISTINGS DIARISE

Atomic Junkies 6-9 April, Coca-Cola dome, JHB International Multi – Faith Conference 10-14 April, CTICC, Cape Town

The SA Cheese Festival takes place from 27-30 April 2012 at Sandringham Farm in Paarl

MARCH

MTN Radio Awards 14-15 April, Sandton Convention Centre

Prisa CPD Workshop Social Media 26-27 March, PRISA Procomm House, Ferndale, Randburg, JHB

Trucker’s Forum 14-15 April, Sandton Convention Centre

GIBTM 26–28 March, ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, UAE. GIBTM

APRIL IT & CMA China 17-19 April, Shanghai World Expo Pavilion Theme, China

AIBTM 19-21 June, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD

JULY SAACI National Conference 29-31 July, Indaba Hotel, Fourways, JHB

AUGUST IT & CM India 21-23 August, India Expo Centre & Mart, India

SEPTEMBER Sports & Events Tourism Exchange 12-14 September, ICC Durban Site International Conference 14-17 September, Beijing, China

OCTOBER ICCA Congress 20-24 October, San Juan, Puerto Rico

For more or to add your own: www.theevent.co.za/diarise sally@filmeventmedia.co.za

1 0 | The Even t

Good Food & Wine Show 24-27 May, CTICC, Cape Town

Mpumalanga Wine Show 20-21 April, Ingwenyama Sports Resort, Mpumalanga

March

My Business Conference & Expo 29 March, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

Decorex 2012 21-25 March, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Cape Town International Jazz Festival 30-31 March, CTICC, CPT

Conversations on Architecture 22 March, ICC Durban

Big Boys Toys Expo 30 March - 1 April, ICC Durban

WoodEx for Africa 22-24 March, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

Basic Education Conference 30 March - 4 April, ICC Durban

Jewellery & Accessories Expo 23-24 March, Balmoral Hotel, Durban Calcutta Chamber of Commerce & Industry Trade Show 23-27 March, ICC Durban Sting: back to Bass 24-25 March, Coca-Cola dome, JHB The Old Mutual Summer Sunset Concerts: Hugh Masekela 25 March, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town GIBTM 26–28 March, ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, UAE. GIBTM Sting: Back to Bass 27-28 March, Grand Arena, CPT

Wedding Expo 31 March - 1 April, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

April The Old Mutual Summer Sunset Concerts: Hot Water and Wrestlerish 1 April, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town World Toilet Summit 2 April, ICC Durban ABSA Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race 2 April, Oak Valley, Western Cape Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Expo 4-6 April, Good Hope Centre, CPT Shoppex 2012 5-9 April, ICC Durban, Kwazulu Natal

IMEX 22-24 May, Frankfurt, Germany

International Committee on NonDestructive Testing 16-20 April, ICC Durban

Huntex 20 April, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

JUNE

SATCOM 22-23 May, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Fine Brandy Fusion 23-25 May, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

The Congress of World Association for Infant Mental Health 17-21 April, CTICC, Cape Town

IMEX 22-24 May, Frankfurt, Germany

The Baby Expo Mammamagic 17-20 May, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

Annual IT Summit 15-17 May, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

IT & CM China 17-19 April, Shanghai World Expo Pavilion Theme, China

MAY

Security Summit 15-16 May, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Conversations on Architecture 26 April, CTICC, Cape Town Decorex 26-29 April, CTICC, Cape Town

Grand Designs Live 25-27 May, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Royal Show 25 May-3 June, Royal Show Grounds, Pietermaritzburg Facilities Management Show 28-30 May, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB WAMPE 30 May–1 June, International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana SA Property Owners Association Conference 31 May- 2 June, ICC Durban Comrades 31 May - 2 June, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban

Expo 18 Golf Expo 27-29 April, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

June

SA Cheese Festival 27-30 April, Sandringham Farm, Paarl

Roxette 3 June, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

May QS APPLE Conference 3-4 May, UKZN The Joburg Wine Show 4-6 May, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Franschhoek Literary Festival Book Week for Young Readers 7-10 May, Franschhoek, Western Cape West African International Telecommunications Exhibition & Conference & NISE: Nigerian ICT Business Solutions Expo 8-10 May, EKO Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria Franschhoek Literary Festival 11-15 May, Franschhoek, Western Cape Indaba 12-15 May, ICC Durban

NUMSA National Congress 4-8 June, ICC Durban Roxette 5 June, ICC Arena, Durban PRISA annual conference 11-12 June, Johannesburg SA TB Conference 12-15 June, ICC Durban Cape Town Book Fair 15-17 June, CTICC, Cape Town Top Gear Festival 16-17 June, Durban Exchange World Africa 19-22 June, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB International Congress of Psychology 22-27 June, CTICC, Cape Town

CAKE BOSS TAKES THE CAPE

International Cost Engineering Council World Congress 25-27 June, ICC Durban Africa Ports & Harbours Congress 25-29 June, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

INTERVIEW

Africa Rail 26-29 June, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

THE Event Newspaper chatted to Cake Boss Buddy Valastro about the Good Food and Wine Show, taking place from 24-27 May 2012 at the CTICC in Cape Town.

Disney on Ice 27 June - 1 July, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

B

UDDY Valastro is the host of the hit show Cake Boss that airs on TLC. The show follows the day to day activities of Buddy’s family business, Carlo’s Bakery in New Jersey.

July Comics Choice Awards 10 July, Teatro Montecasino Eid Shopping Festival 12-15 July, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

The Event: What excites you most about coming to South Africa?

Buddy: I’ve heard some pretty amazing things about South Africa. It’s actually my first time in Africa at all, so I’m happy to be able to come visit. I am here for the Good Food & Wine Show which is pretty popular down there – so that’s exciting too!

AFM Women’s Conference 13-15 July, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban Southern African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX) 15-17 July, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand Africa Mining Congress 16-19 July, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Buddy Valastro

Future Ed 19-21 July, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

Africa Print Expo 22-24 August, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Intl Federation of Teachers of French Conference 23-27 July, ICC Durban

Wedding Expo 25-26 August, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

Limpopo Wine Show 27-28 July, Meropa Casino, Polokwane

The Getaway Show 31 August - 2 September, CocaCola dome, JHB

SAACI National Conference 29-31 July, Indaba Hotel, Fourways

September

Banking Outlook Africa 30 July- 3 August, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

August Conversations on Architecture 8 August, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand Decorex 8-12 August, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand Andre Rieu 17 August, Coca-Cola dome, JHB IT&CMA India 21-23 August, India Expo Centre, Delhi Sign Africa Expo 22-24 August, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

SA Orthopaedic Association Congress 3-7 September, ICC Durban Intermodal Africa 5-7 September, ICC Durban BT Africa Expo 6-7 September, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB National Boat Show 7-9 September, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Eastern Bridal Fair 7-9 September, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban

Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo 13-16 September, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Medunsa Refresher Course 14-16 September, CSIR Convention Centre, Pretoria ISBC 15-18 September, Santon Convention Centre, JHB Creative Week Cape Town 15-23 September, Cape Town

Cape Town Wine Show & Vindaba 25-27 September, CTICC, Cape Town International Academy of Pathology 29 September-5 October, CTICC, Cape Town

October Rage 2-7 October, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

Planning Africa 16-19 September, ICC Durban

Homemakers Fair Expo 4-7 October, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban

SA Council of Shopping Centres Congress 19-20 September, ICC Durban

Afrimold 10-12 October, Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Pendoring Awards 21 September, Cape Town

Cosmetex Africa 16-18 October, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Durban Business Fair 21-23 September, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban Good Food and Wine Show 21-24 September, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

International Aquarium Congress (IAC) 9-14 September, Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town

Loerie Awards 22-23 September, CTICC, Cape Town

Sports & Events Tourism Exchange 12-14 September, ICC Durban

Cape Homemakers Expo 23-26 August, CTICC, CPT

ICCA Congress 20-24 October, San Juan, Puerto Rico Engen Roadshow 23-24 October, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban Continental Congress of Dermatology 24-27 October, ICC Durban

The Event: Have you tried any of the local cuisine?

Buddy: I have not, but I look forward to – any recommendations?

The Event: What do you have in store for visitors to the GFWS? Buddy: We’re going to be doing some demo’s, obviously some cake decorating, and some traditional cooking, because you know I’m not only the “Cake Boss” but I’m the “Kitchen Boss” too!

The Event: Will any of your products be available to purchase?

Buddy: We will have books available for purchase. I wish I could get my baked goods there – maybe next time!

The Event: What’s your best piece of advice for home chefs?

Buddy: I give a lot of credit to the home chef. When I was writing my second book I tested all the recipes in my home kitchen. It’s totally different than how we do things in the bakery. I’m used to 50lb bags, and here I am measuring ¼ cup – it was comical. Besides that, home chefs should just take everything in stride – enjoy it, do it with the kids, have fun, and if it doesn’t work out, try again.

The Event: What’s your favourite ingredient to use?

Buddy: I love garlic in traditional cooking. I could probably use it on everything. When baking, vanilla is a great tool, just don’t use too much – it’s potent!

The Event | 11

MAKE YOUR EVENT A SINGING SUCCESS Arias Anonymous

ENTERTAINMENT EVENT organisers are always seeking ways to add a little Wow Factor to their events. One UK company specialises in just that – and they’ve just opened up shop in South Africa.

E

LEGANT Entertainment is an innovative entertainment company working across the corporate and private sectors. Their theatrical act, Arias Anonymous, has been a hit with corporates. Imagine a sit-down lunch after a corporate teambuild or gala awards dinner being interrupted the waiters suddenly breaking into song.

“If you are looking for a surprise

1 2 | The Event

act, a spectacular headline artist, vocal group or band, Elegant Entertainment promises to provide world-class entertainment,” says Brooke Urbani, whose team will guide organises through the exclusive repertoire of artists to create the ideal event for their specific clients. “We are committed to providing an unforgettable theatrical experience of the highest quality,” she says.

Brooke explains that the company specialises in surprise entertainment, particularly their Singing Waiter act Arias Anonymous.

“Our artists will arrive before any of the guests and set up and liaise with staff at the venue. A sound check will take place in private to keep the surprise from your guests. Once the guests arrive, the

singers will masquerade as their characters and appear to serve drinks and food with the other staff until the act takes place during an appropriate moment, probably towards the end of the main course of the meal,” she says.

“Everything about our act is about the believability of our singers actually being the characters; this makes for a much bigger impact. All of our acts are fully scripted to ensure that your audience will be roaring with laughter, whilst the beautiful choice of music will not leave a dry eye in the house.”

The company has been operating in the UK and Europe since 2007 and recently came to South Africa to service the local market.

“We came to South Africa after our MD Simon Greenhill began

NEWS

looking at global expansion. We looked at the South African events market and were very excited to see how active and busy it is here.

We noticed that there was a lack of surprise entertainment in the market and particularly no one specialising in it. Also Simon has always loved this beautiful country and was excited by the talent that it offers,” she says.

Elegant Entertainment’s creative and management team have worked within the West End in London and have extensive experience in the events industry.

“This means that all our South African acts are West End standard,” says Brooke.

“In the UK and internationally we have partnered with clients such as Virgin, Mazda, Ferrari, BA, Royal Ascot, Raffles Dubai, Wentworth Golf Club, Samsung, Amstel, Marie Curie, Ritz London,” she says.

The unique theatrical spin has been a hit in South Africa. The company has worked with Telkom, Nedbank, VW, AMEX, Dimension Data and others.

The Arias Anonymous team was tasked to perform at the African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel for Jaguar Land Rover, South Africa.

The singing waiters act went down so well that guest Bryan Habana even Tweeted about it to his 82 000 followers.

Tina Pienaar-Smit from Jaguar Land Rover was equally bowled over. “Elegant Entertainment was part of the huge success of the Award Evening. The interaction while performing was amazing,” she said.

Sally Fink

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.

Professional Exhibition Solutions moves to the Design Quarter LYNN Chamier, owner of Professional Exhibition Solutions (PES), has announced the company’s move to new offices in the Design Quarter, Fourways.

Lynn has gained a wealth of experience by managing exhibitions across all industries and has been instrumental in securing the success and longevity of shows such as Hostex, Markex, Computer Faire, Hardex and the Sunday Times Food Show to name a few. In addition, she has assisted organisers in launching new shows such as AfriMold – now in its third year, and reviving exhibitions such as the Thailand Trade Show.

The move to new premises is part of expansion plans for PES including the launch of some new and exciting titles in conjunction with exhibition industry colleagues.

“Our strategy for this year it to make our exhibitions more exciting by adding value with more features, entertainment and events.

Visitors are bored with static exhibition stands, they want to be “wowed” and entertained, and organisers need to include exciting drawcards to attract quality visitors and keep them coming back,” says Lynn.

Sally Fink

THE VALUE OF LIVE EVENTS TO PUBLIC RELATIONS LIVE EVENTS LIVE events can transport an idea to new heights, whether the idea is to launch a new product or to draw attention to a brands new identity.

Live events can create an online media frenzy and become lasting talking points for consumers.

M

ORE and more, public relations and communication companies are starting to draw upon live events for their client activations.

“At Atmosphere, we regularly use events to amplify a specific campaign’s creative platform. A practical example is a series of activations we managed together with partner, Hammer Live Brands, for Capitec Bank’s Live Free Project. It took place in three separate locations across South Africa during 2010 and 2011 and encouraged the public to have fun - without spending any money,” says Rebecca Cronje (account director from Atmosphere Communications.

The agency achieved this by bringing three unique concepts to life that tied into key media days/ topical interest periods. During the December holidays, a Capitec Sandcastle Construction Crew created life-sized sandcastles of leopards, crocodiles, rhinos and mermaids for the public to view free of charge on Ballito and Big Bay beaches. The crew was also available to build sandcastles on request for anyone anywhere on the beach.

“In February we tapped into the interest around the National Budget Speech and in Budget Week took over a Cape Town public square to open Le Budget Café: a pop-up brasserie with a gregarious maître

D, violinist and waiters serving lemon flavoured water and quirky pamphlets bearing ‘Conversation Starters’. The essence of the event was that guests brought along their own homemade lunches – while the fun experience around their lunch was free,” says Rebecca.

Then in July, the team took advantage of July’s National Savings Month to take The Live Free Project to Johannesburg and created an event that tapped into the city’s first love, shopping, yet still drove home the savings message. The event was called The Swapping Mall.

“What made each event successful was a unique concept that surfed the media’s agenda, making it relevant, while giving the public something fun and for free to participate in,” says Rebecca.

According to Rebecca the most important elements to think about when planning an event or activation for a client would be, a clear concept and game plan with a timeline and clear roles and responsibilities that bring the idea to life; suppliers that have bought into the concept, and relevance for media and the public. She advises event planners hold regular trouble-shooting meetings to iron out the finer points.

Venue and decor are critical to an event or activation’s success. “In the case of Capitec’s Live Free Project, both played an integral role in the overall experience,” says Rebecca. “At the Sandcastles Construction Crew the beach was our venue and giant sandcastle sculptures our decor. Supplementing this we produced a special uniform of luminous bibs and hard hats for the crew and gave away branded buckets and spades to beachgoers to engage them with the concept. “ To bring the Swapping Mall con-

cept to life the team used a Jo’burg film studio as the venue and built a Mall with customised furniture, shelving and retail signage. “We designed a logo and hired a Swapper Squad, who each wore Swapping Mall uniforms. We even set up a coffee shop called The NoBucks Coffree Shop where tired swappers could take a break after finding all their new goodies.”

All of the above is essential to achieve the “wow factor” that leaves consumers talking about the event for long after. “To us, the wow factor comes when the concept envelope is pushed. As the success of the activation relies on the public’s and media’s experience, it is critical that what we create exceeds their expectations in terms of originality, creativity and enjoyment,” says Rebecca.

Social media is being used more and more to generate hype for events and it’s a great tool to create awareness about an event. Atmosphere Communications make extensive use of Facebook ads to drive traffic to event pages and then capture the user’s attention with interesting content such as videos, photos and infographics.

“Social media is also handy when you need an idea of how many people will be attending the event. For Live Free we created an events page with an RSVP function per activation.

This not only indicated the public’s interest in the event; it also spread the details across their networks, increasing awareness of the project across a wider audience,” says Rebecca.

“Key influencers like bloggers have become an important part of our event planning. For all three Live Free activations we engaged with bloggers via targeted blogger drops e.g. a beach kit for the Sandcastle

Construction Crew; French serenade for Le Budget Cafe and a personalised swap for Swapping Mall. This tactic not only helped generate online chatter pre-event but also served as an invitation to attend too.”

In Atmosphere’s case, activations form part of a broader campaign i.e. they are supported by tailored PR and social media tactics. Activations are often the base point for content creation – photos, videos, posts, photo stories, etc. – “in that they become our story around which we can build newsworthy angles. They are also physical touch points where we can interact with the public and spread the client’s or campaign’s message.”

The three Live Free activations played an integral role in the overall

success of the project, not least because of the public interaction they generated on event day.

“With the Live Free Project we achieved landmark free editorial worth over R1.2-million (AVE 1:1) across TV, radio and lifestyle media (newspapers and consumer glossies including younger audience titles like Seventeen, Essentials and Elle).

We also increased fans to Capitec’s Facebook page by 88,5% (From 7544 to 14 222). Over 1 250 people interacted with Capitec at the three events,” says Rebecca. “Most significantly however we contributed to new Capitec client acquisitions of 100 000 a month.”

Sally Fink

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

Loeries Board retains Andrew Human as CEO THE Loerie Awards has reappointed Andrew Human as CEO from 1 March 2012. Andrew planned to step down after last year’s successful event and, although candidates for the position were interviewed, the board decided to approach him to reconsider his decision. Due to strategic and structural changes made to the Loeries, the board felt that Andrew was the ideal person to continue to lead the association.

“The board is acutely aware

of the positive impact Andrew has had on the Loeries brand over the past seven years, with significant success seen at The 33rd Annual Loerie Awards in Cape Town last September. Even though Andrew had resigned, he continued to show continued dedication, passion and commitment to the Loeries, while implementing the new structural changes. Obsession to deliver is a great characteristic that Andrew has demonstrated from the day he stepped in as the Loeries MD back in 2005,” stated Boniswa Pezisa, chairperson of The Loerie Awards.

New look for the River Club Conference Centre THE River Club Golf and Conference Centre has re-vamped and re-decorated its conferencing venue for networking, team-building sessions and meetings.

The River Club Conference Centre has nine rooms of various sizes ideal for corporate conferences, school dances, exhibitions, weddings and business events. The rooms overlook the rolling lawns of the driving range that creates an open-air country feeling. There is now space for up to 300 delegates in the various venues.

A full in-house events co-ordinator is on hand to assist with any decor, catering and entertainment needs.

Cape Town Book Fair Returns SUB-Saharan Africa’s premier book fair is set to return to Cape Town from 15-17 June 2012.

Previously an annual event, organisers last year announced that the Cape Town Book Fair would take place biennially instead. This followed a call from the publishing industry to remain in line with its production capacity. In addition, the

book fair will now also have a strong trade element to enhance its ‘marketplace appeal’. To kick-off this new chapter the Cape Town Book Fair has opted for a fresh look and feel, starting with an eye-catching new logo.

Brought to you by the Publishing Association of South Africa (PASA), the book fair was started seven years ago and, since its inception in 2005, has grown rapidly to become the premier book fair in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Cape Town Book Fair has partnered with Thebe Special Projects, Conferences & Events, to enhance the quality of the event and the experience of exhibitors.

Sally Fink

Cape Town Book Fair

We’re distributing 4 000 copies a month free via bulk distribution at event industry organisations and associations; key industry meeting points like convention centres, hotels and rental houses; and at key industry events. This means we’ll remain the most read events industry trade publication.

After seven years of carrying the cost of mailing another 4 000 copies direct to everyone else, we’re asking for subscriptions to help us cover our rising distribution costs.

Subscribe now for just R22.80 pm to keep receiving your copy, delivered to your door every month.

Please contact us for a subscription debit order form: nadia@filmeventmedia.co.za or 021 674 0646.

The Event | 13

AN IDIOT’S GUIDE TO THROWING A PARTY

SAFETY ANYONE can throw an event, right?

Not really. There’s a lot more to being an event organiser than most people think.

L

ET’S say you’re planning on hosting a rooftop party to celebrate your best friend’s engagement. 200 people are expected, and you have in mind a Bedouin tent on the roof of the

city’s hottest address. Should be a piece of cake.

Wrong answer.

There are numerous safety and security aspects to consider when planning an event. What if the tent falls down or someone falls off the roof? An event organiser must ensure that Public Liability Insurance is in place, as well as a fire and exit strategy, permission to hold the event at that venue, as well a certificate of compliance from Emergency Services.

Not to mention the fact that a liquor license is required if there’s going to be a bar serving drinks.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.

The first thing to think about is Public Liability (PL) insurance which covers injury, property loss, and theft. An underwriter can help you out there.

Probably the most important part of the planning process is to conduct a risk assessment. Risk assessment entails identifying all pos-

sible risks and evaluating the options for treating those risks.

Look at the building regulations and ask yourself whether the roof was designed to accommodate parties or large groups of people?

The organiser must then grade their own event (establish whether its low, medium or high risk) which must then be sent through for acceptance by the National Commissioner of Police who will officially categorise it. This must be done six-months prior to the start of the event.

The health and safety requirements of the newly established Sport and Recreation Events Act (SASREA) requires that a Risk Management Policy be in place.

Establish whether a permit is necessary. An application for a small event takes about three weeks to be cleared by the Event Permits Office. You will need to include an emergency plan, your liquor license and the waste management plan. If road closures are necessary, be sure to include a transport management plan. If you’re planning to blow the roof off with the city’s hottest new rock band, make sure you’ve applied for a noise exemption, and if the building is residential, be sure to notify the residents. Health legislation dictates the use of catering equipment, wash-up facilities, storage and refrigeration.

But before you go out and hire a Bedouin tent, make sure that you first check out the National Building Regulations and Standards Act 103 of 1977 which lays down specific regulations for permanent and temporary buildings. The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has created SABS Standards in respect to the erection of stages, exhibition stands, grandstands, sound equip-

ment structures etc as these are deemed temporary buildings. These Building Regulations also govern the erection and layout of tents, in conjunction with local fire authorities.

Also make sure that the venue is in possession of the relevant safety certificates.

What about the crew putting up the tent and scaffolding? The Occupational Health & Safety Act 85 of 1993 makes specific reference to the care of employees. The term “employee” also refers to friends and family helping out. Remember that the buck stops with the event organiser. It’s your job to ensure that there is sufficient safety equipment for workers (goggles, caps, gloves, overalls, safety equipment to prevent bodily harm.)

The fire regulations, which determine the capacity of any venue, based on the ability to get people out under evacuation circumstances, are also important.

The layout plan will need to be inspected by Emergency Management Services. All flammable and combustible materials must be declared for approval and materials must be treated with a fire retardant substance.

Organisers can make contact with a Local Safety and Security Service Provider to assist with obtaining the required authorisations, failing which they can go directly to the Local Authority for assistance.

Event planning isn’t rocket science, but it pays to be careful.

You wouldn’t want to tarnish someone’s special day with an avoidable accident. Besides, proper planning leaves more time to enjoy the party.

Sally Fink

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

PCO Alliance Network Expands THE PCO Alliance, founded in 2005

by Jacqueline Stumke, has expanded to include Kwa-Zulu Natal in its network.

Vicki Hooper, managing director of Venues for Conferences in Africa, will act as chairperson.

Conferences give back GRANDWEST, Flamingo and Windmill’s outsourced catering company, Headline Leisure Management (HLM), have launched an initiative called the ‘Giving Back Conference

1 4 | The Even t

Package’. For every conference booked at any of the three Sun International Casinos during March, April, and May 2012, HLM will donate R5 per delegate to the P.E.A.C.E. Foundation for the distribution of e-Pap to needy children.

For a conference with 100 delegates, 13 children will be fed for a month.

CTICC gets fresh IN order to create a unique culinary experience, the CTICC has launched its new Deli on the Square concept.

Executive Chef, Peter Robertson says the new offering will encompass a deli located in the Coffee on the Square. Guests can now look forward to designing their own sandwiches and wraps from a diverse selection of fresh organic fillings and breads. In addition the deli will offer a range of speciality coffees designed to delight

the most ardent coffee enthusiast.

New board for EGF THE Event Greening Forum (EGF) held its first AGM on 29 February 2012, which included the election of a new Management Committee, namely: •Chairman: Justin Hawes – Scan Display •Vice-Chair: Grace Stead – Steadfast Greening •Secretariat / Treasurer: Pippa Walker Founding member representatives: •Bernard Sebothoma – SA Roadies •Janet Landey – IFEA Africa •Helen Brewer – CMP Network SA •Greg MacManus – Fedhasa •Tiffany Reed – TPSA •Adene Pringle – SAACI •Sue Gannon – EXSA *Michael Tatalias – SATSA Other committee members: •Gill Gibbs – Concept G •Itumeleng Motswaledi – SA Roadies

EXSA CONTINUES TO GROW ASSOCIATIONS COMPLETE Exhibitions’ Nigel Walker has been appointed Chairman of Exhibition & Association of Southern Africa (EXSA). The Event Newspaper chatted to him about the year ahead.

What is EXSA’s main focus for 2012?

OUR main focus will be to investigate and implement targeted actions in response to specific identified needs coming from our members. We have already identified specific training and skills development needs that will be addressed through short (i.e. breakfast or morning) workshops on, for example, Working at Heights; Working with Power Tools; the impact of AARTO, etc.

Through the Organisers Forum, chaired by Elizabeth Morley, we will offer organisers collectively negotiated Public Liability Insurance.

The organisers will also commence research to determine the spend on exhibitions and benchmark this against other marketing medium such as Print and Outdoor. The Venue Forum, under Elaine Crewe, will begin research on determining the occupancy of the venues in relation to exhibitions.

What is your main focus, as Chair?

IMPLEMENTATION and delivery. Projects need to be well defined with milestones that address the needs of the industry and specifically our association’s members, primarily identified through the three Forums who are in the closest contact with our members.

What were EXSA’s successes from 2011?

I think that it is appropriate to sincerely thank Natalie Naudé for her tenure

as Chair. It is also important to recognise the role and time that Lyrene Zimmerman (for the KZN region) and Dirk Elzinga (for the Western Cape region) contributed to the Board.

Teddy Roosevelt said “Every man owes part of his time and money to the business or industry in which he is engaged.” We are all indebted to the volunteers throughout the organisational structure that give time to grow and strengthen the association.

During the last twelve months some of the milestones that the Association has achieved include: •Nation-wide Safety Workshops •Western Cape Regional Seminar •Joint Conference with Manch in Cape Town •CPA Workshop, and accompanying Legal Advisory Note •Participation in UFI International Industry Barometer - largest single country participation!

•B-BBEE Benchmark Research on the Exhibition Industry

training); Local/national competition from within the exhibition industry and the state of the national/regional economy. There is an emerging concern regarding the uncertainty surrounding the global economy.

What were the challenges?

CHANGE and the pace of business.

Through the participation of EXSA members in the Ufi (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) barometer we can state that the South African exhibition industry has, in line with global trends, become less optimistic than it was. Six months earlier a quarter of the sector had indicated that they no longer felt an impact of the economic crises. By the end of 2011 this had decreased to 20%. In June 2011 the industry expected the economic crises to be over by June 2012, this time the horizon has been pushed back to December 2012.

From the same research the three most important factors impacting the South African exhibition business are internal management challenges (e.g. finance, human resources, staff,

Tell me about the Tip-off line, and why there was a need for it?

THE tip-off line is an initiative arising from the Suppliers Forum, and EXSA has committed to it for the next three years. The tip-off line is a service to the industry as a whole and is not restricted to members-only. The line is a dedicated 0800 number and is confidentially and independently run by Deloitte. There are trained operators, using sophisticated contact centre equipment, who will respond to calls in English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Sotho or Xhosa, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Any information received is categorised for immediate action or a structured follow-up, and is then analysed and forwarded to the EXSA GM who will forward information to the companies affected and keep records. Any company wishing to

How has EXSA grown as an association in the last few years?

WE have changed and we continue to grow. At the first Board meeting this year we approved three new applications, one of which was from Swaziland. The industry is growing and in constant development. The growth in membership is indicative that the association remains relevant to the industry and is (at least in part) addressing the needs of the industry.

What is the association’s role?

THE benefit to an industry as a whole from an active industry association should be greater than the sum of the individual companies operating within that specific sector.

Nigel Walker

participate is encouraged to contact the EXSA offices for information, supporting printed material and if appropriate Deloitte is willing to visit the larger companies to give a feedback session to staff.

Do you think there is a need for new blood in the association?

THE industry should never be stagnant. I have already talked about the constant flow of new members, and it remains important to continually bring in ‘new blood’ into the Association. At the executive level there is a great danger to both an industry and an association if this is not

done and managed. It is not good from a Governance perspective for an association to be dominated by a few companies or individuals assuming executive functions for a long time. An association needs fresh, innovative inputs in order to remain relevant. EXSA has specific clauses in our Constitution which prevents domination by any single company.

What needs to be addressed is the participation of non-white individuals at all levels of the association, and a strategy to address this issue needs to be developed. On a positive side a quarter of EXSA’s Board is under 35.

SOUTH AFRICA SHINES AT ITB BUSINESS TOURISM BOOSTED by growth of nearly 10% from the German tourism market in 2011 and by strong confidence and partnerships with the South African and German tourism trade, South Africa has concluded yet another successful appearance at ITB in Berlin, the world’s biggest travel and tourism trade show.

W

ITH 46 South African tourism products across all sectors of the tourism value chain showcasing their wares and conducting meetings, ITB was again a busy and important time to promote tourism to South Africa in Germany and Europe.

Among the exhibitors at ITB this year were the nine provincial winners of the Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur

of the Year (ETEYA) competition, brought to Berlin by South African Tourism (SAT) to expose their products to the German trade.

With the German market responding well to South Africa’s lifestyle tourism offering, another highlight at ITB was a South African evening for German media and trade which featured tourism attractions and experiences from all nine provinces, including golf, wildlife, fashion, culture, heritage and outdoor adventures, South African food and wine and a fashion show by South African designer Bongiwe Walaza.

Germany has exceeded postrecession expectations by posting month on month growth throughout 2011, with figures released for November 2011 - coinciding with the start of ITB Berlin – showing cumulative growth of 9.9% between January and November 2011.

South Africa’s Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, addressing German trade and media at ITB, cited persistence and continued innovation as key to the impressive growth to date. “Germany is currently rated our third biggest tourism market, contributing more than 9% of total tourist spend. And there remains further opportunity to create demand among German travellers of all ages to consider South Africa for their next trip. Our 2011 figures from Germany are promising and show a continued demand for South Africa’s unparalleled tourism offering and demonstrates that South Africa remains relevant, dynamic and innovative in our response to the changing needs to the German traveller as we look to defend and grow our core European markets.”

Joining Minister van Schalkwyk at ITB Berlin for the first time in his ca-

pacity as CEO of SAT, Thulani Nzima praised the South African exhibitors who embraced the opportunity to be a part of the South African Pavilion at the show, which attracts more than 108,000 tourism professionals.

“ITB is all about firming up our Joint Marketing Agreement (JMA) partnerships, meeting the trade and getting valuable first-hand insight into how we can make our destination even more accessible going forward.

I would like to thank the exhibitors who joined us this year and I have no doubt the business connections they have made will serve them very well over the year ahead,” he says.

Seasoned ITB Berlin exhibitor Monika Iuel, Your Africa, rated ITB Berlin 2012 as a good show overall, “As an inbound tour operator we do see the value in the German market and therewith lots of possibilities of expanding”. In addition, she was par-

ticularly enthused at the evolution of communication around destination South Africa, particularly the move to bring a more authentic experience to ITB visitors and trade.

“ITB Berlin 2012 has been a great opportunity for South Africa, perhaps more so than ever before,” says Theresa Bay-Müller, South African Tourism Country Manager in Germany.

“We’ve got big plans for the German market, we’ve grown market share and confidence in destination South Africa is stable. The emphasis of our communication – one that centres around an authentic, heartfelt connection for travellers with the people of South Africa on their travels to the country - is key to future growth here, especially given German travel trends and a repeat visitor rate of over 40%. We need to remain dynamic, agile and innovative in this market.”

The Event | 15

BUSINESS EVENTS IN FOCUS Cheryl Mulder-Verbruggen

BUSINESS TOURISM THE South African chapter of the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives (Site) hosted their first networking function of the year at the Table Bay in Cape Town on 13 March 2012. The topic of the day was the role of convention bureau in business.

C

HERYL Mulder-Verbruggen, who has taken over the reins of the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau and Events, and Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, head of the National Convention Bureau, were the special guest speakers.

Cheryl addressed those present about the current state of the

bureau, in lieu of its amalgamation with Wesgro effective 1 April 2012.

“Everything that must happen is finally going to happen,” she says, explaining that structures such as the City of Cape Town, Cape Town Tourism, and the Convention Bureau are going to be united to promote the destination under an economic partnership agreement that will run like a business. “The Province is finally coordinated,” she says.

Cheryl says the bureau will be smaller and leaner due to inevitable retrenchments, but on the positive side, will have backing from provincial government.

“The act that governs Wesgro has room for investment so therefore we will have room for investment.

We’re going to be hitting the ground running.”

Cheryl introduced her team, who took those in attendance through the bid process, which has four phases – bid submission, presentation, site inspection and delegate boosting.

“It’s important for us to be involved from the beginning to deliver the best possible service to clients,” she says. “Our membership to the Best City Global Convention Centre Alliance sets us apart. We have to comply with global standards and are audited twice a year. Services international associations receive are of the highest standard.”

Her advice to suppliers is to be part of a private sector trade body, who keep updated company profiles. “We rely on associations. We are not going to jeopardise the destination’s reputation on someone without the relevant experience.”

Cheryl explains that the focus

is now on Business Events, which encompasses the MICE Industry (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions), live events, trade shows and all other events that pertain to business.

“Business Tourism is the big financial driver. We need to work closely between business and events, and everything that caters to business events.”

Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, who heads up the South African National Convention Bureau is equally excited about the term business events. “We are going somewhere with this industry. We have recognition from the highest level and an industry that is willing to receive it.”

She echoed Cheryl’s sentiments that the term Business Events covers all that convention bureaux do.

The NCB will be effective as of 1 April 2012 and will take over the responsibilities of the SAT business tourism unit.

“We will have the client in one hand and the local bureau will have them in the other. We need to build our country. Industry must buy into team South Africa.”

Cheryl reiterated this statement by saying that the Cape Town Convention Bureau is in no way in competition with the National Convention Bureau (NCB).

“As a local bureau we are excited to have a national convention bureau. We are not in competition.

What they are doing is not what we are doing.”

Sally Fink

BUSINESS IS GOOD, SAYS GALLAGHER OPINION GM of operations at Gallagher Convention Centre, Charles Wilson, says business is looking good for 2012.

What are Gallagher’s goals for 2012 FOR 2012 our aim is to continue growing the business and build even further on our reputation for great service. With the current economic situation it is of paramount importance that you distinguish yourself, we do this through the principle of “attention to detail”.

Do you foresee an increase in business compared to 2011?

ABSOLUTELY. We are aggressively seeking out business and creating new avenues of income. Our versatility ensures that there is no way but forward for Gallagher Convention Centre. We view every individual who enters our gates as a potential organiser and because of this we ensure that there is no variation on clients or visitors experience at our venue.

What factors have contributed to an increase in events business for South Africa?

OUR exhibition industry is on par with the best there is. The technologies and methods we use are at the cutting edge. Geographically we are fortunate as South Africa offers a one stop shop for business and leisure. Due to the emergence of social media and the transparency it conveys, as well as a global change in perception of South Africa, we have been pushed to the forefront of the global events and

Charles Wilson

exhibitions industry.

What are the challenges for 2012 THE challenges for 2012 are standard to any year in the exhibitions and conference industry. Growth is always a priority for us. By striving for perfection and making sure we keep moving forward, we can do the best possible for us to shake off the fierce competition in the South Africa events and exhibition industry.

Clients expect more each year and a venue needs to give even more to ensure that it stays ahead and in favour. We take ownership of every show and view each organiser as a partner of ours. The success of each show is a direct reflection on Gallagher as a whole.

What events will you be hosting in the upcoming months?

THERE will be several but the most notable ones that we will be hosting include the WoodEx for Africa Conference and Expo 2012 on 22–24 March, the My Business Conference & Expo on 29 March, Huntex 2012 on 20–22 April and BRICS Africa Export Import Forum on 15 – 17 July 2012.

WINE PAIRING CAN BOOST GUEST EXPERIENCE GENERAL INDUSTRY AN extra touch can mean the difference between a good event and a great one. Wine pairing can heighten a guest’s enjoyment of a meal, and result in valuable repeat business. The Event Newspaper asked Backsberg Wine Estate events manager Lee-Ann van Ryneveld for her expert advice.

How can wine pairing enhance a meal?

DIFFERENT foods either compliment a wine or fight against it, so great care should be taken when choosing food to showcase wines or wines to accompany a menu.

Why should event organisers look at wine pairing?

GUESTS attending a banquet or

1 6 | The Event

dinner do not expect to have to make any decisions regarding pairing the menu and wine selection, they trust that this would be done by the host and only wines that will compliment the menu would be offered. One could have a choice of two wines per course giving guests the opportunity to choose their favourite from the selection available, as long as all the wines available compliment the menu.

How is Backsberg suited as an events/conference venue?

BACKSBERG lies on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains, equidistant from Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. This is the ideal location for your conference, corporate event or wedding, in the heart of the Cape winelands easily accessible from the CBD and the Airport.

Whether you want an intimate

occasion or the biggest bash of the year, sliding partitions transform this versatile venue into smaller areas to accommodate groups from 50 up to 250 guests. High ceilings and wooden floors create a warmth which enhances the overall appearance and ambiance of this large venue. There is access via three separate doors onto a verandah overlooking the pristine estate gardens and romantic mountains in the distance.

Another exclusive venue, the historical Vat Cellar, is also available for Formal Wine tasting, wine pairing, conferences and small corporate events.

What services do you offer?

A professional and dedicated team will welcome you to Backsberg and assist you step by step in planning your event down to the finest detail.

Extreem Kwizeen, an established and

Backsberg Wine Estate

reputable catering company, forms part of our team. Your menu will be compiled to your specifications with the assistance of our flexible and accommodating chefs. Their wealth of

ideas and years of experience will ensure the ultimate in quality food for your guests.

Sally Fink

The Event | 17

SPOTTED AT MEETINGS AFRICA 2012

Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk

Leanne Manas & Mati Nyazema

Nina Freysen-Pretorius cuts the cake commemorating SAACI’s 25th birthday

Lagoon Beach’s Cheryl Schmidt & Anthony Kelly

NH Hoteles’ Angela Jacobson

Event Dynamics’ Ilana Myburgh & Bryan Coetzee

Kievits Kroon’s Faith Sibeko

The Live Chefs Team

Protea Hotel Balalaika’s Angus Baike, Johan Vorster & Nicky Webster

Khaya Ibhubesi’s Anel Knoetze & Angelique van der Merwe

CTICC’s Arno Ruiters & Lindy Geyer

Wendy Simpson & Loretta Joubert

The view from Randlords

Valley Lodge & Spa’s Cathy Shabalala & Bernie Swartz

Kenyatta International Convention Centre’s Terry Opiko

Joburg Convention Centre’s Redani Khorommbi & Pumla Ntsele

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

Early bird registration for SAACI Conference open THE Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) will be held at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, Johannesburg from 29- 31 July 2012.

The deadline for early bird registration closes on 4 May 2012.

Members can also register online on www.saaciconf2012.co.za.

Loeries Call for Entries ENTRIES for the Loerie Awards open on 15 March 2012. All cat-

egory information, preparation guidelines, entry deadlines and fees will be available from this date on the Loeries website www. theloerieawards.co.za.

Professional Event Management Course PRISA is offering an Event Management programme that will focus on a range of event management issues including strategic alignment with business objectives, operational planning and implementation, event risk management and event evaluation and measurement.

Questions will be answered on how to align events to the vision and the business objectives of the organisation and how to ensure a return on investment. Case studies will be used as illustrations.

The course will take place from

7-8 May 2012 at ProComm House in Randburg.

For more information please email cpd@prisa.co.za Reputation Management Course PRISA is offering a one-day workshop reflecting on the traditional views of reputation management before switching the focus to the impact of the web on organisational reputation.

The workshop will take place on 11 May 2012 at ProComm House in Randburg.

An early bird rate will be offered to those who book and pay before 13 April 2012.

For more information please email cpd@prisa.co.za

Sally Fink

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

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• COPY EDITOR: Kate Hodges (kate@thecallsheet.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.

1 8 | The Event

DIRECTORY LISTINGS - EVENT ORGANISERS & PCOS EVENT ORGANISERS COMPANY

REGION

TELEPHONE

EMAIL

WEBSITE

African Equations

Cape Town

+27 21 461 5735

dantu@africanequations.co.za

Agri Expo

Cape Town

+27 21 975 4440

admin@agriexpo.co.za

www.agriexpo.co.za

Amanda Cunningham

Johannesburg

+27 86 111 3997

info@wedding-expo.co.za

www.wedding-expo.co.za

Biz Events

Johannesburg

+27 86 111 5318

info@bizevents.co.za

www.bizevents.co.za

Calypso Event Management

Durban

+27 31566 1626

sadha@calygroup.com

www.calygroup.com

ESPAfrika

Cape Town

+27 21 671 0506

www.espafrika.com/ContactUs.aspx

www.espafrika.com

Ihop World

Johannesburg

+27 11 463 5091

thebe@ihop.net

www.ihop.net

Imfunzelelo

Cape Town

+27 21 762 1442

zelda@imfunzelelo.co.za

www.imfunzelelo.co.za

Inkanyezi Event Organisers

Port Elizabeth

+27 41 363 0310

andrew@inkanyezi.co.za

www.inkanyezi.co.za

Interactive Africa

Cape Town

+27 21 465 9966

admin@interactiveafrica.com

www.interactiveafrica.com

The Event Production Company

Johannesburg

+27 11 883 0470

Red Pepper Events

Johannesburg

+27 11 476 7801

carmel@red-pepper.co.za

Seed Experiences

Cape Town

+27 21 461 9822

hello@weareseed.co.za

www.weareseed.co.za

Specialised Exhibitions

Johannesburg

+27 11 835 1565

info@specialised.com

www.exhibitionsolutions.co.za

Spintelligent

Cape Town

+27 21 700 3500

devi.paulsen@spitelligent.com

www.spintelligent.com

VWV

Johannesburg

+27 11 799 2600

warren@vwv.com

www.vwv.com

www.theeventcompany.com

EXHIBITION ORGANISERS COMPANY

REGION

TELEPHONE

EMAIL

WEBSITE

AV Designers

Port Elizabeth

+27 41 586 2414

chris@avdesigners.co.za

www.avdesigners.co.za

Complete Exhibitions

Pretoria

+27 12 667 2074

nigel@compex.co.za

www.compex.co.za

Expo Group Africa

Durban

+27 31 563 1023

info@expogroup.co.za

www.expogroup.co.za

IDG

Johannesburg

+27 11 474 3007

idgjhb@idg.co.za

www.idg.co.za

HOMEMAKERS Expo

Johannesburg

+27 86 1114663

charmaine@homemakers-sa.co.za

www.homemakersonline.co.za

Professional Exhibition Solutions (PES)

Fourways

+27 82 558 5427

lynn@exhibitionsolutions.co.za

www.exhibitionsolutions.co.za

Thebe Exhibitions and Events

Johannesburg

+27 11 549 8300

info@tepg.co.za

www.thebeexhibitions.co.za

Ulti SA

Cape Town

+27 21 511 5710

nadia@ulti-sa.co.za

www.ulti-sa.co.za

Village Exhibitions and Events

Johannesburg

+27 11 787 5783

gillian@vee.co.za

www.vee.co.za

Witch and Wizard Productions

Johannesburg

+27 11 483 2601

zaida@witchwizard.co.za

www.witch-wizard.co.za

CONFERENCE ORGANISERS & MEETING PLANNERS COMPANY

REGION

TELEPHONE

EMAIL

WEBSITE

Caraville Group

Durban

+27 31 266 0030

horst@caravile.co.za

www.caraville.co.za

Conference Call

Durban

+27 31 201 1470

lisa@confcall.co.za

www.confcall.co.za

Conference Consulting

Pretoria

+27 83 230 0763

pieter@confsa.co.za

www.confsa.co.za

Conference Cornerstone

Pretoria

+27 12 653 6788

info@conferencecornerstone.co.za

www.conferencecornerstone.co.za

Eastern Sun Events

Port Elizabeth

+27 41 374 5654

denise@easternsun.co.za

www.easternsun.co.za

Fastfunction

Cape Town

+27 21 683 6470

admin@fastfunction.co.za

www.fastfunction.co.za

Global Conferences Africa

Johannesburg

+27 11 676 3000

enquiries@globalconf.co.za

www.globalconf.co.za

Ikhono Communications

Durban

+27 31 266 9937

zodwa@ikhono.co.za

www.ikhono.co.za

Ilios Conferences

Cape Town

+27 21 836 8315

rjacobs@iliosconf.co.za

www.iliosconf.co.za

Impilo Conferences

Pietermaritzburg

+27 33 330 7658

impilo@icon.co.za

www.impiloconferences.coza

Indigo Marketing

Johannesburg

+27 11 809 5599

events@indigo.co.za

www.indigo.co.za

DIRECTORY LISTINGS - ADVERTISERS COMPANY

REGION

TELEPHONE

EMAIL

WEBSITE

3D Design

Nationwide

+27 11 608-1588

3d@3ddesign.co.za

www.3ddesign.co.za

Barloworld Power

Gauteng

+ 27 11 898 0240

kva@barloworldpower.com

www.barloworldpower.com

Cape Royale Luxury Hotel

Western Cape

+ 27 21 430 0500

neilen.tolmay@caperoyale.co.za

www.caperoyale.co.za

Cape Town International

Western Cape

+27 21 410 5000

info@cticc.co.za

www.cticc.co.za

Expo Centre

Gauteng

+27 11 494 1920

Karabo@expocentre.co.za

www.expocentre.co.za

Expovent

Gauteng

+27 11 553 5200

expovent@expovent.co.za

www.uniquelyspectacular.co.za

Gift Bucks

Nationwide

+27 860 392 737

geoff@giftbucks.co.za

www.ewards.co.za

IMEX

Frankfurt

+44 1273 224956

teresa.kwok@imexexhibitions.com

www.imex-frankfurt.com

Intercape

Nationwide

+27 861 287 287

info@intercape.co.za

www.intercape.co.za

IT & CM Asia

Asia

+65 6395 7575

itcma@ttgasia.com

http://itcma.com.sg

Convention Centre

Johannesburg Tourism

Gauteng

+27 11 214 0700

LumkaD@JoburgTourism.com

www.joburgtourism.com

Litha

Gauteng

+27 11 480 4922

teresa@lithacommunications.co.za

www.litha-communications.co.za

Oasys

Nationwide

+27 83 413 1908

info@oasys.co.za

www.oasys.co.za

Premier

Nationwide

+27 43 705 5000

info@premierhotels.co.za

www.premierhotels.co.za

Sandton Convention Centre

Gauteng

+27 11 779 0000

vino@saconvention.co.za

www.saconvention.co.za

Scan Display

Nationwide

+27 11 447 4777

justin@scandisplay.co.za

www.scandisplay.co.za

Tshwane Events Centre

Gauteng

+27 12 327 1487

ricky@tshwabac.co.za

www.tshwane-events.co.za

Webtickets

Western Cape

+27 861 2255 98

info@webtickets.co.za

www.webtickets.co.za

List your company here and on www.theevent.co.za at R350 excl. VAT

The Event | 19