The Event May 2012 by Film & Event Media

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

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MARKEX, GET SET, GO! TRADE SHOWS VISITORS to the annual Markex event in June will once again see all the familiar attractions and exhibitor stands that keep them coming back year after year.

HE success of South Africa’s biggest marketing and corporate gift show lies in not tampering with its proven formula, while adding a couple of new additions each year to keep it fresh and relevant. So while visitors aren’t in for any major surprises, they’ll get exactly what they expect and need from the 26-year-old event, says Leatitia van Straten, who has taken over as the marketing director. Markex World of Events remains unchanged despite some behindthe-scenes management shufﬂes as eventing companies Montgomery and Specialised Exhibitions merged to become Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery. The merger led to some duplication of roles that required a restructuring process, says Leatitia, who is the marketing director of the combined company. This year the exhibitor bookings for Markex have risen by about 5%, and Leatitia hopes for a similar 5% increase on the 10,500 visitors who attended last year. More visitors than usual have already preregistered online, but it’s impossible to tell whether that signiﬁes a potential increase in numbers, or whether people are just signing up in advance online rather than registering at the door as usual. “The amount of visitors will probably stay more or less the same but a

Markex

5% increase in visitors would be nice to match the increase in exhibitors,” Leatitia says. One challenge is that most of the suppliers who exhibit at Markex are based in Johannesburg, while the industry they are catering for is concentrated in Cape Town. “Joburg isn’t South Africa’s marketing hub, that’s actually Cape Town, so in terms of size the show is a pretty good representation of the marketing people in Johannesburg. We have a show in Cape Town but we don’t run it annually because the suppliers are in Joburg and it’s expensive for them to go down to Cape Town.” She attributes the success of

Markex to the strong support it receives from the industry, and because there is nothing else like it in the country. “We have to be innovative and put in new exciting titbits every year, because to attract visitors there has to be something fresh at every show, but we’ve pretty much kept it the same and kept the key relationships.” The show brings together buyers and sellers of promotional gifts, corporate clothing, conference and exhibition venues, design and décor and event planners. Visitors are chieﬂy from creative and advertising agencies, PR companies, event organisers and brand managers.

A new attraction this year is the Digital Media Village, featuring companies that provide expertise and services in the increasingly important world of social media and other online platforms. The Village is supported by the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA) and will feature internet cafés run by the exhibitors. “It will be an interactive area for digital media to keep visitors up to date with social media and how to use it successfully,” says Leatitia. “The exhibitors will showcase solutions like digital marketing strategies for a product line or an event, so that’s a new element to the show.”

Another addition will be workshops run by The Event Greening Forum, promoting ways to host “green” events and use more ecofriendly materials. About 70 industry-relevant workshops and talks will take place during the three-day show. They will include more than 25 professional speakers participating in the USB Speakers Pavilion, so visitors can see them in action before they hire them to appear at the events they organise. Also new this year will be presentations by the Dream Team, which represents professional entertainers and musicians available to appear at events. One area of the exhibition hall will again be reserved exclusively for trade visitors. Although Markex is designed purely for the trade anyway, there’s a difference between end user buyers and those who are resellers of the goods and services on offer, says Leatitia. “The majority of our visitors are marketers from the corporate side so they are end users, and this area is reserved for the resellers of promotional goods rather than general corporate visitors. So it’s an exclusive area that’s quite difﬁcult to get into,” Leatitia says. Other attractions are the return of the Loerie Awards Travelling Exhibition, which will present the winners of the 2011 Loeries, and the Pendoring Awards, which promotes Afrikaans advertising and will encourage visitors to enter the contest this year. Markex 2012 will be held at Sandton Convention Centre from 12-14 June 2012. Lesley Stones

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Editor of The Event Newspaper, Sally Fink

LETTER FROM THE ED EDITOR of The Event Newspaper, Sally Fink, introduces the Markex issue, as well as some changes in South Africa’s most read events industry trade.

ELCOME to our special Markex edition, where we take a look at South Africa’s premier marketing exhibition that turns an unprecedented 26 this year. This year both the exhibitor and visitor numbers for Markex have risen by 5%. The show is also under new management after Montgomery and Specialised Exhibitions merged to become Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery. See our front page story for the full scoop. Film & Event Media will have a presence at Markex this year, so if you’re attending, please say hello and grab a copy of last month’s edition of The Event Newspaper. To coincide with this we have introduced a double page spread of product showcases, an innovative way for our clients to present their products to our readers. Each product showcase fits neatly into a column and features a brief company description, contact details, logo and a picture, allowing you to use our traditional advertising space in a way that allows you to deliver a targeted message to The Event Newspaper readers. If you haven’t already noticed our directory on the inside back page, turn to page 23 now to see this month’s list of Green Suppliers who will be able to help you with greening an exhibition or offer advice on any sustainability initiatives you may be planning. If you’ve

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been following our directories, by the end of the year you should have a comprehensive list of companies spanning the entire South African events industry. You’re welcome. These changes to our print publication are there to maximise our clients’ presence in the events industry as well as to offer more value to our loyal readers over and above our articles and special features that are available no where else. We receive a lot of news and press releases from industry which we try to use as much as possible. You’ll be able to find those we can’t use on our website www. theevent.co.za which receives more than 2 000 unique visitors a month. You’ll also be able to watch event specific videos on our video of the day page, as well as upload your own news stories which we promise to have live within a day. We strive to be so much more than just a newspaper. This is why we value our reader’s feedback, and continuously challenge ourselves to make our brand about you, and come up with new and innovative ways to give value back to our clients. Its little surprise then that Film & Event Media is so much more than just a publishing hub. Over and above our monthly publications, The Event and The Callsheet Newspapers, our annual magazine The Filmmaker’s Guide to South Africa, and our custom products like the Markex Buyer’s Guide and event dailies for events such as Meetings Africa, we continue to aim higher. For the past two years we have been hosting successful networking functions for the film industry

that attracts a capacity crowd of 200 industry leaders each month. In this way we have used the knowledge we’ve gained from the events industry and used it to give something back to our valued clients. Most recently we hosted a function at the beautiful Lagoon Beach Hotel in Milnerton, which stole the show with its breathtaking view of Table Mountain. Even more exciting news comes in the form of our upcoming annual magazine, The Event Planner’s Guide to South Africa (EPG), which promises to be the go-to guide for planning an event in South Africa and will feature a comprehensive list of suppliers. This visually stimulating publication is a flagship marketing product for the South African business events industry, and offers a creative look at the innovation that exists in our country. The detailed resource offerings in the book offers comprehensive information on products, venues and organiser companies operating within the events and exhibitions sphere. In the meantime, enjoy our May issue which features the latest events industry news, events safety tips, green news and an in-depth look at some of South Africa’s favourite events. If you have any news to share or just want to get in touch please drop me a mail at sally@filmeventmedia. co.za. I’d love to hear from you.

Sally Fink

NEW CONVENTION CENTRE OPENS IN KIMBERLEY

TOURISM FIGURES UP NEWS 2011 TOURIST Arrival Figures continue to grow as it surpasses record-breaking World Cup year, says Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk.

MSCC

S VENUES PREMIER of the Northern Cape, Hazel Jenkins, officially opened the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre (MSCC) in Kimberley in February.

HE Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre is located directly opposite the Big Hole, a massive crater 214 meters deep with a surface area of 17 hectares and a perimeter of 1,6 km. The area is a prime tourist attraction, with the original buildings still standing from its diamond mining heyday. The Convention centre covers an area of 1491 square metres, with a stage area of 105 square metres and a backstage area of 135 square metres. Capacity wise, the venue can accommodate 840 roll-back seats in cinema arrangement and 760 loose fabric seats in a flat arrangement. There are four break-away rooms, the largest being 106 square metres, that can seat 100 delegates each. The break-away foyer is 181 square metres.

The Gallery area on the top floor is an impressive 1500 square metres with a seating capacity of 897 seats in cinema style. The Amphitheatre features 2500 fixed concrete seats in cinema arrangement. The kitchen is fully equipped, and divided into two sections to make provision for Halaal catering. The kitchen can cater for a full banquet of 650 delegates and light refreshments for 2500 delegates. “This facility will bring opportunities to the youth especially in terms of social and cultural development. The facility has been designed to be multi-functional and can provide a large flat floor area suitable for events such as: ballroom dancing, boxing, the martial arts, gymnastics, etc. It would also be the ideal venue for religious gatherings, mass choir performances and graduation and other ceremonies,” says the Premier. “The Convention Centre therefore brings significant new opportunities for our province as a whole. Tourism, with its potential for jobcreation and foreign exchange earnings, is one of the priority sec-

tors of the economy of our country. This centre thus adds strength to the Tourism industry’s infrastructure,” she says. Even before the official launch of this facility, the demand to host events was already exceptionally high. Kimberley has already hosted the following events: •7th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium’ held at the Convention Centre and Protea Hotel on 10-14 October 2011. •The Blind Parliament Biannual Conference hosted by the African National Council for the Blind from 2022 October 2011. •The New Apostolic Church International Combined Church Service. •The opening ceremony of the Maloof Money Cup skateboarding competition. The Convention Centre is named after former secretary of the ANC Woman’s League, Mittah Seperepere, a struggle stalwart who witnessed the fierce resistance of the Majeng community when the apartheid government culled their livestock. Sally Fink

OUTH Africa’s tourism industry has managed to build on the momentum achieved during a record-breaking 2010, by growing a further 3.3% and attracting 8 339 354 international tourists in 2011. The official 2011 tourism statistics were released in Parliament by the Minister, who said that despite tough global economic conditions South Africa’s tourist arrivals had surpassed the 8 073 552 mark it reached when recording 15.1% growth in 2010, on the back of the country’s successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. “The 2010 FIFA World Cup was a once in a lifetime global showcase for our country which gave us unprecedented international media exposure worth billions of dollars and left us with enhanced, modern world-class tourist infrastructure. However, while it was a wonderful opportunity that certainly gave us a big boost, the tourism industry never became complacent after its success. Instead, we used it as a catalyst to work even harder to sustain that tourism growth, to defend our core tourist markets and to tap into the potential of new tourism markets,” he says. “I’m delighted to say that the hard work by all in the tourism industry, both in the public and private sector, has paid off as we recorded a 3.3% increase in our 2011 international tourist arrivals figures. If you exclude the nearly 310 000 people who travelled specifically for the FIFA World Cup, then actual growth

Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk

in 2011 was 7.4 percent, above the rate of global growth of 4.4%. We are therefore extremely happy with the 2011 tourist statistics and optimistic about the potential for future growth in South Africa’s tourism industry,” he added. He says South Africa’s core markets in Europe and North America remain the country’s major source of long-haul tourists, but the country’s overall growth in 2011 was largely due to a 14.6% growth in the emerging markets of Asia (driven by growth of 24.3% from China and 26.2% by India in 2011). Tourist numbers were also up thanks to a 6.9% increase in tourist arrivals from regional Africa continent (with growth of 37.5% from Nigeria). European tourist arrivals declined by 3.5%, due largely to the ongoing impact of the global economic crisis, while North American numbers grew by 2.3%. South Africa attracted close to 420 500 tourists from the United Kingdom, with the UK numbers down 7.2% on 2010 figures.

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SAFETY AT EVENTS: SANS 10366 NEW UNION FOR TOURISM INDUSTRY Barry Snow

OPINION BARRY Snow, general manager of J&C Joel South Africa, takes us through the SANS 10366 standard pertaining to safety at events, which should be the first port of call for event organisers.

HE SABS Standard SANS 10366: 2009, Health and Safety at Events was put together through a collaboration between the Technical Production Services Association (TPSA) and SABS, which started in 2000. The first edition was launched in 2006 and a second edition, with additions and alterations, in 2009. The standard was drawn up in collaboration with technical suppliers, security services, SAPS, national health ministry and a host of other involved managements and individuals. The aim was to ensure that no event would be able to take place without all the safety requirements being met.

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Barry believes this will stop tragedies before they happen. “In the latter part of the 1990s it became apparent to the industry and those running the TPSA at the time, that the events industry was expanding and growing at an alarming rate and anybody who had an amplifier or a light was becoming a supplier to this rapidly growing industry, as well as anybody who thought they could throw a good party was setting themselves up as event/party/ exhibition organisers,” he says. “The TPSA members were concerned that the industry needed guidelines and standards to work towards and, eventually, be expected to comply with,” says Barry. The TPSA management started looking for standards that ‘governed’ the events industry and acquired the British code called The Event Safety Guide, published by the Health & Safety Executive. This guide was primarily aimed at health, safety and welfare at music and similar events. Barry explains that the TPSA

took this guide and adapted it to suit South African conditions and, in 2000, put out a publication called The Event Safety Guide which was widely welcomed by many players in the industry and by many training institutions that trained technicians and organisers for the industry. However it was felt that the guide needed more teeth and the SABS was approached to see if they would assist and support an initiative to put a national standard together for the events industry. After six years of consultation the SANS 10366 – Health and Safety at live events – general requirements was launched at an event at the SA State Theatre. “Almost immediately we started working on changes and additions to this initial document and we launched the second edition in 2009 titled SANS 10366:2009 edition 2 – Health and safety at events – requirements,” says Barry. This second edition is also going through editing and additions as the team continuously receives suggestions and corrections from the industry and general public with interest in the industry. “I believe that SANS 10366 has created an awareness of health and safety in the events and exhibition industry that was lacking in the early days and we will continue to improve and add to the standard as we move forward,” he says. “We are continuously looking for avenues to create awareness of this standard among members of the industry. We hope we will reach some new converts who will take the standard on and comply with safety standards they might not even have been aware of before going through it,” he says.

NEWS ON 18 April 2012, Jamms held an interactive session about investing in people entitled “Happy Staff makes for a Sustainable Business”. One of the highlights of the event was the announcement of a new association aiming to address the wrongs in the tourism industry.

AMMS, or the Joint Association Memmbers Meeting Sessions is a multi-association platform for mutually beneficial knowledge sharing. The event caters to The South African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI), The Southern Africa Tourism Associaiton (SATSA), the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) and Cape Town Tourism. Jolene du Plessis used the opportunity to intruduce SEAWA, the South African Equity Workers Association, a union that has just opened up a sector for the Tourism industry. SAEWA was formed in 1937 and serves 60 000 members from various sectors, including among others, art, mining, sport and transport. The tourism segment of the union strives to improve the plight if people working in and associated with the tourism sector. This is good news for porters and contract staff who often go way beyond the call of duty. Jolene says what makes SAEWA a good fit for the tourism industry is that its not politcally aligned in any way and is about the peo-

Jolene Du Plessis

ple, who are the foundation of the industry. Jolene believes its about time the tourism industry become unionised. “The industry is almost completely unregulated with no efficient organised labour movement representing the interest of the workers.” It is estimated that as much as 60% of Tourism workers do not enjoy any employee benefits The assumption that tourist guides, drivers and porters are contract workers is incorrect. “They are employees and should therefore qualify for all the benefits provided for in labour law,” says Jolene. SAEWA benefits include paid holiday leave, paid sick leave, maternity leave, UIF registration, Wokman’s Compensation, overtime and standard wages. Sally Fink

THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA Lynne Smit

OPINION IF Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s third largest. There are more people following Lady Gaga on Twitter (over 23 million) than there are people living in Australia. With figures like that, how can you afford to ignore the power of social media for promoting and marketing your event? asks Lynne Smit, HIPPO Communications.

HILE some events organisers are aware of the figures, there seems to be a disconnect between the head knowledge and the passion and confidence needed to actually start using the great new tools that are on offer.

Each day, potential delegates for your event are bombarded with more and more information, so how do you make sure that you reach the right people and get them excited and inspired about the function you are organising or promoting? One of the great benefits of social media is that each time you register a delegate, you are also registering a potential ambassador for your event. You can harness the power of word of mouth by, for example, linking Twitter to your registration programme. That way when you register someone who is on Twitter, they automatically tell all their friends and followers what they have done. One of the great strengths of social media is to build communi-

ties, and you can build the hype before your event by building a community of delegates. Many people attend an event because of the networking opportunities it offers, so why not make it easy for them to start building relationships between each other in the months prior to the event? It is all about not playing hide and seek. We recommend an integrated strategy where you include your Twitter hashtags and Facebook links in everything you do. And make it easy for people to find you where it suits them. Post videos on YouTube, provide Google+ share buttons on your online information, talk about your social media initiatives in radio interviews and in the print media. Of course, the downside of social media is that bad news travels even faster than good news. Give bad service, and instantly everyone knows about it. But discussions about your event will happen in the social media space, whether or not you are involved. Far better to work out a clear strategy before you start, with protocols in place to deal quickly and efficiently with problems or complaints as soon as they hit the interwebs. Before you start, you need to know who your spokespeople are, what the key messages are and who is going to be listening to ensure that you respond to the conversations as they happen. Social media is not for sissies, and people who do things by half measures are soon savaged by the crowd or (even worse) ignored. Managed properly, it is an immensely powerful tool that can help you to build a truly successful event.

SA TO EXHIBIT AT IFES CONFERENCES SOUTH Africa is set to have a presence at the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES) 2012 in Russia. The annual convention and AGM will take place at EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds, Moscow from 6-8 June 2012.

HE three-day event will give IFES members and delegates the opportunity to join Russian exhibition industry leaders in meetings as well as attend educational sessions focused on the BRICS market. Speakers will include industry experts and well-known economists and over 300 exhibition industry players from more than 40 countries are expected to attend. The event will run concurrently with The International Forum of the Exhibition Industry (5p Expo). In addition attendees will have access to a large exhibition, including one hall entirely dedicated to stands from IFES members and partners. IFES president Bruno Meissner said: “We are all very enthusiastic about the fact that IFES will hold the 2012 AGM in conjunction with the 5P Expo and the international congress and convention organised in partnership with Expocentre, our new member in the buoyant Russian and Moscow exhibition market. We are looking forward to a very well attended convention and exhibition.” The official accommodation for IFES 2012 is the spectacular Radisson Royal Hotel. Following the conference delegates and guests will be afforded the opportunity to enjoy a city tour of Moscow along

with a tour of the Kremlin. The IFES hall will include a stand dedicated to promoting IFES 2013 in Cape Town. The Cape Town stand will include information about the Mother City as a business tourism destination, with a targeted focus on IFES 2013. Not only will the stand provide literature on next year’s event, but there will also be a presentation on Cape Town and the chance to secure places for the 2013 conference at Early-Bird prices. Scan Display MD and IFES 2013 treasurer Justin Hawes will address delegates in Moscow about the 2013 conference. Following his IFES presentation in Hamburg to the IFES board at the beginning of May; Justin noted that there is great interest in the Cape Town event in 2013 . He will be doing a presentation to all the members present at the Moscow AGM. IFES 2013 will take place in Cape Town from 28-29 June 2013. The conference and exhibition will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The provisional theme of the Cape Town event is Creating Value in the Global Exhibition Industry to Ensure Growth and Sustainability. The conference will have a strong focus on greening and delegates will have the opportunity to carbon offset through a legacy project. In addition there will be a chance for small and medium enterprises (SME)’s to showcase their crafts and products. To find out more about IFES 2012 and 2013 prospective delegates and interested parties can visit www.ifesnet.com Kate Hodges

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RAND SHOW TELLS US HOW IT’S DONE

Rand Show

GENERAL INDUSTRY RAND Show manager Pula Dippenaar has a secret tactic to assess how well her team is succeeding in rejuvenating Joburg’s historic Easter show.

ULA sits next to the food stalls and eavesdrops as people discuss the show. “I take what they say very seriously,” she said. “There’s a lot to do, but now we can see that the course we are taking is working. I think every time we stage the show, we turn the Titanic by a couple of degrees.” Her company SA Show Services was called in to revive the Rand Show when it lost its vibe and direction. Pula devised a five-year plan, and recognised that the biggest challenge was to restore people’s faith in the event so families would return and companies would offer their financial support again. The first year was spent cleaning up the parking, toilet and safely facilities at the Johannesburg Expo

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Centre, and experimenting with the content. Last year the focus was on broadening the activities and attractions and providing a value-formoney family destination. This year, the third of the five-year revival plan, saw a lot more focus put on family fun. The result was to attract a “good quality audience,” which Pula defines as families with young children and a high code of conduct and behaviour. “Our offerings for families are quite varied because we wanted to reposition the show as an event for families with small children, where they could feel comfortable and safe, so our entertainment is aligned to their needs.” One new attraction this year was Animal Kingdom, featuring bird and snake shows, a large petting zoo, a reptile area and the chance for city kids to milk a cow. “We had a good response last year to the petting zoo and the circus, so we built on that and opened up a section of the site that hasn’t been active for 15 years. The circus was also in that area so

people could spend a couple of hours in the Animal Kingdom.” That was included in the ticket price of R80 for adults, R40 for children, and free for children under six, with the prices halved midweek. Another new feature saw the delivery of 3,000 square meters of sand to create a beach run by KwaZuluNatal Tourism. “That was great because we brought in sand sculpturing guys to give demonstrations and built sandboxes where kids could play,” said Pula. A more unusual attraction was a team of Canadian ultra-high divers who plunged into a small pool of water 30 metres below. “The beach was a wonderful attraction and gave life to an area right in the heart of the show. We had kids in the sandboxes, adults watching the high divers and the teenagers playing volleyball.” Other attractions were the biggest fun fair in Africa, classes to teach children circus skills and displays by the SA National Defence Force. For 2013 the goal is to revamp the large trading halls that comprise

the retail section of the show. “We have to crank up the retail space now that we can demonstrate to exhibitors that we have an audience. You can’t bring sellers to your show if you can’t deliver the buyers, so we had to demonstrate our ability to draw the crowds.” In its heyday the Rand Show drew 800,000 visitors. By 2010 it had plunged to a mere 175,000, and this year it drew 220,000 visitors. Pula would like the retail halls to include some interactive areas and stages rather than just exhibition stands. “Once we make that investment and commitment it will be a turning point. Now that we have gelled the family recipe and got families really enjoying it we can we can develop a toy hall and children’s clothes and education halls.” Pula also thinks the Rand Show would be good exposure for estate agents and home improvement companies as the retail space is realigned to cater for families. Health and fitness is another key niche she aims to target. “I also think food could play a much bigger role. The show started with an agricultural heritage and while we can’t bring that back, we can give it a more modern context, by looking at the importance of food production and creating a greater appreciation of farming by having honey, cheeses and nuts in some tasting areas.” An increasingly positive attitude from visitors and participants alike implies that the five year plan to reinvent the 117-year old show and make it relevant again is progressing nicely.

Lesley Stones

TBCSA INDEX BUSINESS TOURISM THE Tourism Business Index (TBI), compiled by Grant Thornton on behalf of the Business Council of South Africa provides an overview of business tourism performance.

HE overall tourism index includes accommodation operators and responses from airlines, tour operators, coach operators, vehicle rental companies, travel agents, foreign exchange providers, retail outlets, conference venues and attractions. The report reveals that since the start of the fourth quarter of 2011, the tourism industry’s performance index is rising, breaking the “normal” index of 100 for the first time since the first quarter for 2012. For the first quarter of 2012, the TBI registered a performance index of 101,9 against a normal of 100, indicating a higher than normal performance. The future expected performance is lower with an index of 93.2 for the second quarter of 2012. This is on a par with the previous highest expected performance for the second quarter of 2011. The actual and expected performance indices are all indicating that tourism businesses are starting to emerge from the recessionary impacts felt during the second half of 2010 and 2011. The accommodation sector performance index was 92,2 compared to the expected performance index of 85,5 for this quarter. The full report can be viewed at www.saaci.co.za.

EVENT ORGANISING 101 as the engine of a car. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the car is and what gadgets you put into it, if it does not run optimally and perform efficiently, nobody will want to buy it. We have to implement flawlessly and create the six sense experience. How are events different today than the past? THE client and guest have become more sophisticated due to access to information and new technology. You are constantly challenged to create new and different experiences with elements of interaction between the brand and the consumer, whether it is the guest or the customer.

Elmarie Kretsenger

PROFILE ELMARIE Kretsenger, operations director from Trinergy, spoke to The Event Newspaper about her role as event organiser and the upcoming Vodacom Durban July. How would you define your role? I HEAD up the Events Division in Trinergy. As project managers we implement all the creative ideas and ensure that logistically everything happens on cue. In short, we create the experience dreamed up by the creatives. What role do events play in the overall marketing mix? I SEE my role and that of my team’s

What are your plans for the year ahead? WE want to push the boundaries by continuing our journey with our internal creative team and providing our clients with a turnkey solution (clever strategy and flawless execution) which include interactive platforms wherever we can. Any cutting edge events planned? WE are working on a CSI event for June with the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Fund and Bells. It is a fundraising event for rugby players who are injured and become debilitated. We are going to create an interactive event with current Springboks and Springbok legends and make it a fun and memorable evening for all. We are also doing a lot of work on health and safety at events. A lot of effort will also be put into research into environmentally friendly ways to enhance and support our event ideas and execution.

Tell us about the Vodacom Durban July THE Trinergy Events Division will once again be responsible for the main hospitality area at the event on behalf of the sponsor, catering to approximately 600 people. We will create a space where the guests can have fun, experience the event and network to their hearts content. What goes into organising an event of this nature? WE start with the invitation process and do all travel and accommodation arrangements for the out of town guests. Our guests literally don’t have to do anything other than enjoy themselves. We start with the venue set up a week prior to the event and the styling will take the theme of the year into consideration. We provide light entertainment throughout the day to ensure the guests remain in good spirits if the horses don’t run in their favour. Gourmet food and a bar service are also available. We also provide a hair and make-up touch up service. This year, in addition to the guest hospitality, we will be creating a second space for 200 competition winners. In order to manage a successful event, we plug into all the services already provided by Gold Circle, the organisers of the horse race event and Greyville. We collaborate with them regarding health and safety, waste management, water supply, metro services, security, etc.

Cheryl Hunter

CHOOSING THE RIGHT VENUE OPINION

ONE of the most important factors that contribute to the success of an event is planning, and this includes careful consideration when selecting the venue. Leah McCrae, director of Strike Alliance, offers her advice on choosing the right venue for events. Height THE height of the venue is very important. Rigging points that are fundamental to a particularly complex event have to be checked and we need to know where they are situated and what weight they can handle. Access ACCESS points are crucial, from the location of the loading bay to the main entrance. If there are high double doors leading directly to the venue, then there are fewer problems. It becomes more problematic if there are lifts involved, as sets might have to be designed to fit into the lifts. Power SUFFICIENT power should be available, not just for the technical equipment but also for air-conditioning and the needs of the catering company. On numerous occasions, the power in the venue is suffiicent during rehearsal days and everything runs smoothly as we are only drawing from one source during this time, but when it comes to the event all other elements are added to this supply and this has a huge impact- a few hours before the event many other

suppliers start plugging in. Catering, air-conditioning, camera crews arriving on site – these can be overlooked in the planning phase. Safety THE security aspect should be taken into account, with enough aisle space and exit points. Support A front-of-house team is usually needed for a bigger event, to ensure a perfect production from start to finish. Front of house and its positioning is very important regardless of the size of the event. The technical team need to see and hear what is happening at all times, from the activity on the stage, AV screens, entertainers, the speeches etc…..they cue the show from what they can see from controls.

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. Top speakers confirmed for SETE A NUMBER of top speakers have been confirmed for the annual conference on sports and events tourism that will take place in Durban from 12-13 September 2012. The conference forms part of the second Sports and Events Tourism Exchange exhibition and conference, which will be held at the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. “The conference directors have formulated a programme to stimulate debate aimed at providing new

ideas and information about growing the events tourism industry in South Africa,” says Sugen Pillay, Business Development director at Thebe Exhibitions and Projects, owners and managers of the event. His Excellency Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, secretaryGeneral of the Qatar Olympic Committee, will present Qatar’s vision for becoming a global leader in sports tourism. He will explain how Qatar’s hosting of major sporting events has developed the country’s brand profile and reputation as one of the leading power brokers in global sport, over the last ten years. Mike Lee, CEO of Vero Communications, will analyse how global communication platforms are utilised to promote major events and elaborate on the bidding strategies used for the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

Paul Bush, CEO of Event Scotland will examine the processes for bidding, winning and delivering major events and Sandie Dawe, CEO of VisitBritain will run a workshop covering capacity issues in transport, accommodation and security for the London Olympics 2012 and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. International award for local incentive company GEOFF Saner, managing director of Leading Incentives (Pty) Ltd, was recently presented with an award in recognition of his support from His Excellency the Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Mr Nayef ElFayez. Geoff was invited to Euromic’s AGM in Aqaba, Jordan, earlier this year to represent the views of emerging market countries on a panel discussion of incentive travel

trends and opportunities. Euromic is one of the world’s foremost Destination Management Associations with member companies in over 35 countries. For two days delegates discussed issues affecting the global incentive travel business.

Edward Williams

Recent appointments at TSG Tourism Services Group TSG Tourism Services Group in Milnerton, Cape Town, has recently appointed two managers to manage the rapid growth of the company. Marc Matthews joins the team as group sales manager while Edward Williams has been appointed as group events and marketing manager.

Sally Fink

The Event | 09

GOLF TOURISM FEELING THE PINCH

GENERAL INDUSTRY TOUGH economic times are seeing companies and individuals alike cut back on the amount of time and money spent on the golf course, denting this particular niche of the eventing industry.

EWER companies are hosting corporate golf days, or doing it more frugally than before. Perhaps an even stronger sign of troubled times was the cancellation of Expo 18, a golfing exhibition due to launch in April at The Dome in Johannesburg. Yet on the positive side, the government is finally putting its weight behind golf’s ability to draw visitors to South Africa, and a new association has been formed to help attract

1 0 | The Even t

foreign golfers through a concerted, united effort. Those fresh moves to boost the industry probably mean golf’s impact on eventing and tourism is about to thrive despite the economic hardships, if operators are prepared to work together to trigger a boom. “I wouldn’t use the postponement of Expo 18 as a barometer to judge the health of the golfing industry in this country,” said Pete Richardson, director of PR, Marketing and Sales for Legend Lodges Hotels and Resorts. “Public golf shows are incredibly difficult to get off the ground and there have been a lot of failures across the world. Golfers spend Saturdays playing golf, not wandering around an exhibition.” Expo 18’s organisers Thebe Tourism ambitiously aimed for more than 10,000 visitors each paying R50 to en-

ter, but quietly postponed the event with just a week’s notice. Convenor Louis Jonker said it would now take place in February 2013, and the delay was a proactive move to ensure the show was everything Thebe had promised exhibitors and visitors alike. “We want Expo 18 to be the most talked about golfing exhibition event, and it will be, if we give our exhibitors a little more time to prepare,” he said. Also feeling the pinch is Prominent Events, which organises corporate golf days but hasn’t planned any for so long that it now makes money by supplying corporate clothing instead. “People have been cutting back,” said managing member Oliver Oppenberg. “The frequency and lavishness of corporate golf days have definitely diminished. Some of my clients haven’t done a golf day for three years,” he said. Oliver still

believes that golf days costing from R150,000 to about R300,000 for a classier affair provide value for money in terms of corporate reputation. Banks, technology companies and logistics companies are the most regular clients, usually because the CEO or other executives are golfers themselves and understand the value of taking clients out on the fairways. Golf clubs themselves also suffer when corporate golf declines, because maintenance is such a huge expense that they need the solid income from hiring out the course for the entire day. “Golf clubs are also going through tough times because the recession means there is less disposable income,” said Oliver. Yet many companies are still keen on corporate golf days despite the economic gloom, as they understand their value in terms of client retention and building relationships with potential new clients. That enthusiasm supports a host of event organisers able to put together everything from manning the registration table to organising caddies, gifts bags, prizes, photographers and booking MCs for the evening ceremony. Eventing company Emperor of Golf says corporate golf is still popular as it provides a relaxing way to spend several hours bonding with valuable business contacts. They also carry a touch of elitism, implying that the company is sophisticated and professional and so are its invited guests. Yet it’s taken Englishman Pete Richardson to lead efforts to boost the image, professionalism and combined strength of South Africa’s golf tourism. Pete established a Golf PR agency in the UK before joining Legend, and now promotes Legend Golf and Safari Resort in the Waterberg. The resort opened in 2009 with a championship course, golf academy, driving range, a hotel and conference facilities. The resort recently sponsored a golfing weekend for delegates to the Meetings Africa conference in Johannesburg, which attracted international event planners. Legend specialises in safaris, golfing holidays, conferences and general leisure tourism, and sees golf as a potentially major part of the mix. “The golfing market has an impact on our other markets, because someone will pick a venue for a conference for 200 to 300 delegates based on its leisure facilities. So the investment in building our golf facilities was huge.” Pete cannot comment on whether golf has been hit by the recession, as Legend’s golf resort has no pre-recession statistics to analyse. “We didn’t start talking to international golf tour operators until November 2009 and they don’t put you into their brochures until the following year, then visitors book for the year after, so we are only just beginning to see international bookings coming through.”

South Africa is definitely not making the most of the golfing industry, he said. “It’s a massive industry but for the first year in its history South Africa Tourism (SAT) spent money promoting golf as an attraction to this country in November 2011. Government support is massively important in terms of international trade shows.” The biggest event for the sector is the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM), attended by more than 600 golf tourism suppliers, 350 buyers and 100 international media. “Last year IGTM was held in Turkey and for the first time ever South Africa was represented as a country under the South African banner,” said Pete. Previously individual resorts had exhibited with no government backing, so in 2010 stands for Legend, Fancourt and Sun City were competing against far more impressive stands representing regions like the Costa del Sol and Dubai. “Dubai is marketed as an international golf destination and only has 13 courses. Kenya had a decent stand and it only has two golf courses. We have more than 500 in South Africa and our golf is possibly the best in the world. But we were competing with two hands tied behind our backs because we didn’t have a national strategy or a national footprint. As a country we can win a bigger slice of the international market, but that can only be done with the government’s backing because people think of the country before they think of the resort.” After that IGTM experience Pete helped to establish the SA Golf Tourism Association (Sagta) last year to represent various sectors involved in golf, including golf estates and event planners. “I know how important golf is to tourism in this country and I couldn’t believe that nobody was supporting it. SAT now gets it and is very supportive of our work. The Meetings Africa golf weekend was an example of SAT now acknowledging that golf is relevant to South Africa’s overall pitch globally in tourism,” he said. “Golf is an absolutely central area for growth in attracting both international golfers and international business to South Africa.” One noteworthy initiative run with the support of the Limpopo Government is the Limpopo Golf Pass. That offers foreign tourists a golf and safari package with stays at Legend Golf & Safari Resort, Euphoria Golf Estate, Zebula Golf Estate and Elements Private Golf Reserve. Visitors spend two nights at each resort with unlimited golf and two safaris included. Sagta would like to see similar initiatives formed across the country, since tourists who specifically book golf holidays are more likely to come if they are offered an allin-one package that takes them to several courses. Lesley Stones

EVENT LISTINGS Grand Designs Live takes place from 25-27 May at Coca-Cola dome

Cape Town Integrated Marketing Conference 5-6 June, Cape Town Smart Cities Summit 6-8 June, Southern Sun, Elangeni Jeff Dunham: Live in South Africa 7 June, ICC Durban

PRISA annual conference 11-12 June, Johannesburg

3 May, Protea Hotel Regent, East London

Jeff Dunham: Live in South Africa 14 June, Carnival City Arena, JHB Cape Town Book Fair 15-17 June, CTICC, Cape Town

May Franschhoek Literary Festival Book Week for Young Readers 7-10 May, Franschhoek, Western Cape

Henry Rollins: The Long March 19 May, The SunZone, Suncoast, Durban

Music Alla Kaap 26 May, GrandWest Arena, CPT

Nigerian ICT Business Solutions Expo 8-10 May, EKO Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria

African Utilities Week 21-24 May, Johannesburg Expo Centre

Marketing Indaba 9-10 May, CTICC, Cape Town

SATCOM 22-23 May, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Africa Health 9-11 May, Johannesburg Expo Centre Drs Without Borders Exhibition 10 May-16June, Constitution Hill, JHB Franschhoek Literary Festival 11-15 May, Franschhoek, Western Cape Indaba 12-15 May, ICC Durban Security Summit 15-16 May, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Hostex Cape 15-17 May, CTICC, Cape Town Nampo Harvest Day 15-18 May, Nampo Park, Welkom Henry Rollins: The Long March 16 May, Bassline, Newtown, Johannesburg The Baby Expo Mammamagic 17-20 May, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

National Occupational Safety, Health & Environment Board Conference & Exhibition 22-23 May, Silverstar Casino, Krugersdorp IMEX 22-24 May, Frankfurt, Germany Fine Brandy Fusion 23-25 May, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg ACT/UJ Conference 24-25 May, Kingsway Campus, JHB Working World Extravaganza 24-25 May, Hudson Park High School, East London Good Food & Wine Show 24-27 May, CTICC, Cape Town Rising Stars Careers Expo 25 May, Protea Edward Hotel, Durban Grand Designs Live 25-27 May, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Baba Indaba 25-27 May, Johannesburg Expo Centre

Facilities Management Show 28-30 May, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Land Forces Africa 28-30 May, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand WAMPE 30 May–1 June, International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana SA Property Owners Association Conference 31 May- 2 June, ICC Durban Comrades Marathon 31 May - 2 June, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban Bonitas Comrades Expo 31 May-2 June, Durban Exhibition Centre

June Moody Blues 1 June, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Roxette 3 June, Coca-Cola dome, JHB NUMSA National Congress 4-8 June, ICC Durban Roxette 5 June, ICC Arena, Durban Jeff Dunham: Live in South Africa 5 June, GrandWest Grand Arena,

How to Apply Knowledge of HIV/ AIDS in a Sector/Workplace 3 May, Protea Hotel Victoria Junction, Cape Town

SA TB Conference 12-15 June, ICC Durban

Royal Show 25 May-3 June, Royal Show Grounds, Pietermaritzburg

MAY

Jeff Dunham: Live in South Africa 9 June, Sun City SuperBowl

Markex World of Events 12-14 June, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Henry Rollins: The Long March 18 May, Baxter Theatre, Rondebosch, Cape Town

DIARISE

3 May Protea Hotel Kimberley 3 May, Protea Hotel Nelspruit, Mbombela 4 May, 20 Eaton Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 8 May, Services SETA offices, Durban 8 May, Protea Hotel BFN Central, Bloemfontein

Top Gear Festival 16-17 June, Durban

8 May, Fusion Boutique Hotel, Polokwane

IFSEC South Africa 19-21 June, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

15 May, Protea Hotel Marine, Port Elizabeth

OSH EXPO Africa 19-21 June, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand Exchange World Africa 19-22 June, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Rich Man Poor Man’ wine pairing 21 June, The Eatery, Durbanville Hills Wine Estate, Cape Town International Congress of Psychology 22-27 June, CTICC, Cape Town International Cost Engineering Council World Congress 25-27 June, ICC Durban Africa Ports & Harbours Congress 25-29 June, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Africa Rail 26-29 June, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Disney on Ice 26 June - 1 July, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

July Disney on Ice 6-8 July, CTICC, Cape Town International Wildlife Management Conference 9-12 July, ICC Durban

IMEX 22-24 May, Frankfurt, Germany

JUNE Markex World of Events 12-14 June, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg 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

The Event | 11

1 2 | The Event

The Event | 13

EVENT LISTINGS WEHC 9-13 July, Stellenbosch, W. Cape

Centre, JHB

JHB

Comics Choice Awards 10 July, Teatro Montecasino

Conversations on Architecture 8 August, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

FNB JHB Art Fair 7-9 September, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Bafunny Bafunny 11-14 July, Teatro Montecasino, Johannesburg

Decorex 8-12 August, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

Eastern Bridal Fair 7-9 September, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban

Eid Shopping Festival 12-15 July, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

OppiKoppi festival - Sweet Thing 9-11 August, Northam, Limpopo

Southern African TB Conference 12-15 June, ICC Durban

IP Expo 15-16 August, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

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

AFM Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Conference 13-15 July, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban SAITEX 15-17 July, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand BRICS Africa Export Import Forum 15-17 July, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

Interbuild Africa 15-18 August, Johannesburg Expo Centre SAMRAConference 16-17 August, Rosebank Crowne Plaza, JHB Andre Rieu 17 August, Coca-Cola dome, JHB

Office Professionals Conference 18-20 July, Protea Hotel The Ranch, Polokwane

IT&CMA India 21-23 August, India Expo Centre, Delhi

Africa Mining Congress 16-19 July, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Visual Communications Africa Expo 22-24 August, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

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

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

World of Dogs and Cats and Pet Expo (WODAC) 20-22 July, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand Intl Federation of Teachers of French Conference 23-27 July, ICC Durban Bafunny Bafunny 24-25 July, GrandWest Arena, Cape Town Homemakers Expo 26-29 July, Moffett on Main Lifestyle Centre, Port Elizabeth Eskom KZN Regional Expo for Young Scientists 27 July, ICC Durban Bafunny Bafunny 27-28 July, ICC Durban Limpopo Wine Show 27-28 July, Meropa Casino, Polokwane SAACI National Conference 29-31 July, Indaba Hotel, Fourways Banking Outlook Africa 30 July- 3 August, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

Africa Print Expo 22-24 August, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Cape Homemakers Expo 23-26 August, CTICC, CPT Good Food & Wine Show 22-26 August, ICC Durban Wedding Expo 25-26 August, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Sustainable City Exhibition 30 August-1 September, ICC Durban The Getaway Show 31 August - 2 September, CocaCola dome, JHB

September SA Orthopaedic Association Congress 3-7 September, ICC Durban Intermodal Africa 5-7 September, ICC Durban

Electra Mining 10-14 September, Johannesburg Expo Centre Sports & Events Tourism Exchange 12-14 September, ICC 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 Planning Africa 16-19 September, ICC Durban SA Council of Shopping Centres Congress 19-20 September, ICC Durban Pendoring Awards 21 September, Cape Town Durban Business Fair 21-23 September, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban Soweto Festival 21-24 September, Johannesburg Expo Centre Good Food and Wine Show 21-24 September, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Loerie Awards 22-23 September, CTICC, Cape Town Cape Town Wine Show & Vindaba 25-27 September, CTICC, Cape Town International Academy of Pathology 29 September-5 October, CTICC, Cape Town

August

BT Africa Expo 6-7 September, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB

October

The Luxury Travel Fair 3-4 August, Sandton Convention

National Boat Show 7-9 September, Coca-Cola dome,

Rage 5-7 October, Coca-Cola dome,

1 4 | The Even t

Celebrity chef Ariana Bundy will be appearing at the Good Food & Wine Show

JHB Homemakers Fair Expo 4-7 October, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban Afrimold 10-12 October, Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg Sports Life Expo 12-14 October, Coca-Cola dome The CFO Show 15-18 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Cosmetex Africa 16-18 October, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Photo and Film Expo 18-21 October, Coca-Cola dome ICCA Congress 20-24 October, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Engen Roadshow 23-24 October, ICC Exhibition Centre, Durban GBCSA 23-25 October, CTICC, CPT Continental Congress of Dermatology 24-27 October, ICC Durban Retirement Expo 26-28 October, Coca-Cola dome, JHB Baba Indaba 28-30 October, Sandton Convention Centre, JHB Discop Africa 30 October - 2 November, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

November Soweto Marathon 4 November, Johannesburg Expo Centre

OASYS A PIONEER IN THE EVENTS SUPPLY CHAIN SUPPLIER PROFILE

Annecy 2011 © Oasys

OASYS Innovations was founded in 1977 as Shell Systems. The company has come a long way since then. The Event Newspaper spoke to chief operating officer, Mark Strydom about what we can expect from Oasys in 2012 and beyond.

S an equipment supplier, Oasys Innovations hires out anything from shell schemes, marquees, electrical equipment, furniture, audio visual technologies and more. That aspect of the business hasn’t changed since 1977. “We have evolved into a turnkey supplier of everything material that may possibly be required for an exhibition, event or conference supported by a team of professionals ranging from designers to project managers who ensure the quality implementation of assignments of any size,” says Mark. The events industry, on the other hand, has changed exponentially. “Change has been directed through new levels of maturity at the end user level especially in regard to sophisticated business strategies in the area of CRM,” says Mark. “I trust that this process will continue as it motivates creativity and enhancing the qualities of the entire supply chain.” Oasys has weathered this storm of change well. “We handle up to 500 projects of various dimensions every year on a local, African and inter-continental level. Every brand is important for our mutual success. Our international network and up skilling our employees have certainly made a

difference,” says Mark. Naturally, there have been challenges. “A particular challenge, one that is also experienced by other sectors in commerce and industry, is the disconnect between industry growth and the additions of qualified manpower. We are attending to this with the necessary energy and investments,” says Mark. He says the company’s performance is directed by customer

expectations. “Our primary objective is to sustain our measures of transformation as a seamless supplier of infrastructure and custom stands on an on-going basis and, in doing so, to live up to every customer expectation.” Its not surprising then that the company ethos is ‘To be second is the same as being last.’ “As we are an engaging company with a proactive marketing behaviour on local and international level we remain

positive at all times,” says Mark. Investments in research and development of new products and systems have accelerated in recent times. Oasys prides itself on staying ahead of the trends. “Global players in our industry who engage in such investments are quick to announce these initiatives on websites. Due to the advent of information technology our clients are exposed to these and other international developments at

the same time as the local supply chain. We therefore continuously scan the international landscape for innovations and discuss these with our international network to source and to include these in our client offering. These may include anything from materials to unique services. We do not believe in reinventing the wheel.” Sally Fink

QNCC

The Event | 15

Sustainability News CTICC APPOINTS SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT CTICC expansion

GREEN NEWS THE Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has appointed internationally renowned Arup as the centre’s sustainability consultants for the expansion of the centre. The firm has an impressive track record.

EO Rashid Toefy says that it wasn’t only the number of projects that Cape Town-based Arup have completed that impressed him, but rather the calibre of service. The company’s advisory service for Melbourne was especially impressive. “Arup’s innovative and integrated approach to sustainable

building design, coupled with their impressive track record was one of the key deciding factors, when selecting the centre’s sustainability consultant. Arup has been involved in over 20 000 projects in the region over the last 60 years and played a pivotal role in the Melbourne Convention Centre, which is a six star green building.

“No-one involved in the built environment can ignore the pressing requirement to design within our planets natural capacity, and carbon is not the only issue. As a convention centre that is committed to implementing sustainable best practice initiatives, we need to look at energy, water, materials and waste, climate change mitigation,

The event showcases the latest in green innovations and global best practice in green building.

and who are innovative and environmentally friendly who would like to exhibit can contact haley. ﬂetcher@topco.co.za

and how we can design our convention centre to cope with future change” he says. Rashid reveals his intention to see the CTICC become a six star green graded building. “We want to become an unashamedly world leading building. It needs to make a statement about what this building means to Cape Town’s sustainability. In terms of conferencing, and being a long haul destination it’s critical to be aware of our clients’ carbon footprints. All our competitors, including Melborne and Vancouver, consider this.” Jaco Kemp from Arup says other key issues to consider are the impact of development on communities and how buildings ﬁt into the urban fabric. Cities draw together many of the world’s major environmental problems such as population growth, pollution, resource degradation and waste generation and it is within this context that Arup recognise their responsibility to bring creative and innovative solutions to assist the CTICC achieve its sustainable goals and to leave a positive and lasting legacy in Cape Town. Rashid says event organisers realise that greening is key. “People won’t pay extra for green. It’s going to be considered an entry level requirement for events.” Rashid believes Arup will bring best practice from all around the world to the table. Stakeholders can expect lots of natural light and energy efﬁciency measures in the new building. Sally Fink

GREENING NEWS GREEN NEWS IF you have any green 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. SA’s greenest hotel set to open in 2013 THE 146 room Hotel Verde is set to become South Africa and the continent’s greenest hotel. The hotel will make use of heat pumps, double glazed windows, vertical axis wind turbines and the capturing and ﬁltering of rain water as part of a total green building package. “The Hotel Verde will be energy efﬁcient, environmentally friendly and will

1 6 | The Event

prove to travellers that the City of Cape Town is a global leader in its ﬁght to combat climate change and to use the planet’s natural resources more effectively,” says Wesgro CEO Nils Flaatten. The construction of a fully sustainable hotel will no doubt add weight to Cape Town’s reputation as a long haul destination. Hotel Verde, which means green in Italian, is in the ﬁnal stages of approval and set to open for business in 2013. Bookings open for GBCSA Convention and Exhibition THE Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) Convention and Exhibition is open for bookings. The event takes place from 23-25 October 2012 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Smart Cities Summit for Durban SMART Cities Summit takes place from 6-8 June 2012 at the Southern Sun, Elangeni. The Smart Cities Summit aims to be the most future focused event on urban planning in Africa. It is a space where public sector problems will meet innovation and solutions. The two-day event, in association with the Department of Environmental Affairs, covers every facet of modern city management. The Summit will also include a Smart Cities Expo. Companies that provide both goods and services in support of Smart Cities

WEHC will be a green conference THE World Economic Histroy Congress (WEHC) takes place from 9-13 July in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. Congress organisers have endeavoured to reduce the event’s environmental footprint through the implementation of a green policy. To this end, all paper, plastic, glass and tins will be recycled. Other sustainable initiatives include: Congress materials including the delegate bags, folders and lanyards will be produced locally with an emphasis on local

job creation in South Africa’s disadvantaged communities. Where practical WEHC 2012 meals will be designed using local, seasonal produce. Exhibitors and sponsors will be encouraged to provide only sustainable giveaways and limits will be placed on the number of delegate bag inserts. The use of sustainable materials such as soy-based inks and recycled paper will be encouraged as well or limited packaging. Delegates at the congress are encouraged to adopt this policy for the duration of the congress.

Sally Fink

Stand Innovations Sponsored by 3D Group

3D GROUP HAS A GREEN HEART GREENING WITH sustainability fast becoming the new model for the global economy, the 3D Group has made signiﬁcant inroads in ﬁnding more sustainable ways of doing business.

CCORDING to sales director, Conrad Kullmann, research by industry thought leaders has highlighted that the deepening economic crisis has forced consumers, governments and businesses around the world to acknowledge that the ﬁnancial model we’ve been working with is unsustainable, and that a new world order with the concept of sustainability at its very core is rising up. In fact, he says, many have concluded that, sustainability is an economic issue, opportunity and imperative. For 3D, this means making changes on two levels. The ﬁrst is adapting the way that it goes about its day-to-day functioning as a business while the second addresses the products and services it provides. “At 3D Design, we believe there are certain steps one has to take to green your business,” he said. “Firstly, you need to ask your employees if they have any

ideas on how to save paper water or electricity. This not only ensures their buy-in but makes certain you don’t overlook the easy simple solutions like turning off computers, lights and air conditioners at the end of the working day, and recycling paper. “We also believe it important to appoint a ‘green ambassador’ to ensure that changes are being implemented and monitored, so we’ve done that, too. And at 3D, we’ve added another element – we’ve turned recycling into a competition and give out regular prizes.” When it comes to greening the services and products it provides, Octanorm, the modular system used by 3D for constructing the stands it designs and builds, is by design a reusable, modular aluminium system. In this respect, 3D has therefore been sustainable for many years. In addition, it has long reused the polystyrene panels making up a large part of exhibition stands. More recently, 3D extended its reusable policy to other materials including wood, ﬂooring, plastics and decorative materials as well as lighting, one of the areas where a huge impact can be made. While LED lights are relatively expensive and require more precise current and heat management than traditional light sources, they

present many advantages including lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved robustness, smaller size and faster switching. He adds, “LED’s diversity and ﬂexibility means that they will provide us with many varied and interesting lighting options on the stands we design. For example, the compact size of LEDs will allow

new text and video displays and sensors to be developed; they are better at placing light in a single direction than incandescent or ﬂuorescent bulbs; and, because of their directional output, they have unique design features that can be exploited by clever designs. “LED lights are also more rugged and damage-resistant than

compact ﬂuorescents and incandescent bulbs, and they don’t ﬂicker. We’re certain we have made the correct decision for our customers, for our economy and for our planet,” said Conrad.

The results showed that, “of the 1,018 products examined, all but one made claims that are demonstrably false or that risk misleading intended audiences.” While the same research has not been conducted in South Africa, evidence of greenwashing is apparent. The Event Greening Forum has identiﬁed the following as examples of greenwashing:

that are likely to be misunderstood, such as “Chemical-free”, “Non-toxic”, “all-natural”

and the Heritage Environmental Rating, Green Star Certification Standard (for buildings), Green Leaf Eco Standard or the International Organisation for Standardisation’s ISO 14001 for businesses.” At this year’s Markex Jhb show, the Event Greening Forum (EGF) will be making a presentation on greenwashing. The EGF is a non-profit company focused on encouraging sustainable business practices within the South African events industry. The presentation will be made at the Unique Speaker’s Bureau (USB) Pavilion in Hall 2, the Sandton Convention Centre, on Tuesday 12 June from 10 – 10.30am. Entrance is free and will be on a first come basis. You can also visit the EGF exhibition stand in Hall 2, stand B19, throughout the show for more information.

Cathy van Zyl

EGF SAYS NO TO GREENWASHING

Pippa Walker & her green team

GREENING THE Event Greening Forum (EGF) has introduced the Greenwashing Guide in an effort to educate the events industry on greening do’s and don’ts.

“

IN recent years consumers have started to demonstrate a preference for products and services that are environmen-

tally-friendly. In response, many businesses have made an effort to market their green credentials – which is fantastic when their claims are true and relevant, but in many instances they are not. The latter case is referred to as greenwashing,” explains Pippa Walker of the EGF.” In 2007, TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. conducted a survey in North America, where they identiﬁed 1,018 consumer products bearing 1,753 environmental claims.

The hidden trade off This is the most common type of greenwashing where a positive environmental attribute of the product is highlighted while one or more negative ones are ignored. No proof This is the second most common type of greenwashing claim and is one where there is no easily accessible information to substantiate the claim. Vagueness Poorly deﬁned or very broad claims

Irrelevance An environmentally-friendly claim that is true but is not important, or should not be a relevant factor in making a purchasing decision. Lesser of two evils Like a red herring, these are green claims that distract from a more serious negative environmental impact. Fibbing Making claims that are simply false. Pippa says the ﬁrst step is to become familiar with the six sins of greenwashing in order to identity the culprits when making purchasing decisions. “A tip is to look for products that are certiﬁed by a reliable body. In South Africa this includes the Pick ‘n Pay Green label for consumer products endorsed by Indala Yethu,

Sally Fink

The Event | 17

Innovative Exhibitions Sponsored by Complete Exhibitions COMPLETE EXHIBITIONS INVESTS IN GREEN

HOMEMAKERS EXPO COMES TO PORT ELIZABETH ONE of South Africa’s most popular and successful consumer exhibitions, Homemakers Expo, makes a stop in Port Elizabeth in July.

IF you were to ask any event professional what the hot themes in the industry are at the moment, we can guarantee that Technology and Greening will be high on list. These two topics independently are very important but can often be spoken about in the same breath. The right use of technology can allow for smart techniques that lead to green solutions.

OMPLETE Exhibitions has recently taken this approach with the new Spring Show. In their second year of managing this show, and after extensive exhibitor and visitor research, the decision to realign the show was made. This traditionally general consumer and entertainment show has always contained a section dedicated to livestock and agriculture that has attracted loyal entrants

1 8 | The Event

over many years. This year, the show will focus exclusively on this, resulting in a higher number of participants in the various agricultural competitions and exhibits such as equestrian, cattle, sheep and goats with major events already confirmed for 2012 including both the National Dorper and Boerbok Championships. “This process was always done manually in the past and required a large amount of man-hours and paper, and wasn’t an efficient or green solution. Last year alone, we had over 2 500 live stock exhibitors. In 2012, we anticipate an increase in these numbers and so have, over the last few months, developed an online system which allows users to enter the details of their animals and themselves in one seamless process” explains Robert Walker, business development manager for Complete Exhibitions. “The system captures this info

and exports it to a database, which can then be sent to convenors or other interested parties in one simple form. The utilisation of this technology further increases the accuracy of the data and is constantly up-to-date and formatted, simply allowing the entries to be checked for authenticity”. The other technological change has been the advent of social media as a powerful marketing tool which allows organisers to talk and market directly to their interested stakeholders. Robert explains, “Facebook gives advertisers the ability to target their ads so finely that out of the millions of users you can advertise to a few thousand that have an interest in your market”. Complete Exhibitions has incorporated this functionality to market the relaunched Spring Show as an agricultural tradeshow. “We were able to focus our

advertising on some 40 thousand potential customers in South Africa interested in agriculture out of the over 4.7 million Facebook users. This was not only a great ‘green’ option and cost effective as the wastage was low, but also allowed us to create specific advertisements that brought intended users to the page. We now have a platform to engage one-on-one with stakeholders who are particularly interested in the new show and this has given us a huge insight into the industry.” Robert concludes, “The saying goes that the only certainty in life is change, but I believe that in the event Industry, the only certainty is that these two topics will continue to shape events to come. Any company looking to succeed needs to embrace this change and learn to carve out competitive advantages going forward.” Claire Grundy

PPROXIMATELY 220 exhibitors (impressively all with 6 000 metre square stands or above) will be showcasing the latest in lifestyle wares to an estimated 20 00 visitors at the 2012 show. There are many highlights to look out for at the lifestyle show. “It’s just a house until you Home-it and the Port Elizabeth Homemakers Expo is certain to provide all the inspiration you need to create a home that no longer competes with the Jones’s but is imprinted with personal style, panache and unique identity,” says Verity Reynolds, playing with the show’s slogan for 2012. Apart from the wide range of home lifestyle and home improvement products, the expo also highlights the latest in home trends with some exciting new features. For the second year now, situated within the design section of the expo, Media guru Annemarie Meintjes will host talks from the Speakers Corner pertaining to the latest trends and global ideas. Taste buds will be stimulated at the Gourmet Garage which will serve up cuisines based on the latest food trends as found on the streets of New York. Homemakers Expo takes place from 26-29 July 2012 at the Moffett on Main Lifestyle Centre, in Port Elizabeth. Homemakers Expo

SA CHEESE FESTIVAL TURNS TEN CONSUMER SHOWS APRIL ended on a high note with one of South Africa’s favourite shows, the South African Cheese Festival, attracting a full house for its tenth year.

HE South African Cheese Festival took place from 27-30 April 2012. Organised by Agri-Expo, the show celebrates the country’s dairy industry, in particular the diverse array of cheese available. The first festival took place in 2002 at Bien Donne attracting 12 000 people. Ten years later the Cheese Festival has a permanent home in Sandringham Farm in Paarl, which can accommodate a capacity crowd of 10 000 people per day. This year attracted record numbers. “32 000 happy visitors tasted and bought some 35 tons of cheese,” says Johan Ehlers, CEO of Agri-Expo. “The allotted number of tickets was sold out for both Saturday and Sunday.” The organisers annually limit the number of tickets for each day to ensure that visitors are treated to an optimal experience. The Cheese Festival is categorised as a Trade and Consumer Show, although the label is a bit of a double edged sword. The sheer amount of consumers swarming around the stands make it nearly impossible for anyone to get near the cheese samples, let alone have a conversation with the exhibitors. The organisers seemed to have realised this little problem, having put together an exhibitor breakfast on the Saturday for the 300 exhibitors to mingle and secure a few business deals. Another change is the switch to wider aisles

to ease the flow of visitor traffic. That little hiccup aside, the Cheese Festival is one hell of a consumer show. There are two main tents, the Checkers Cheese Emporium and the ABSA Mall, where visitors can taste cheese till their hearts are content. More samples are available at the Santam Agriculture Milk Factory where actual livestock is available to be viewed. The food stalls are located right next door in Carnival Park where visitors can treat themselves to delights from a host of artisan food stores and restaurants. One of the most popular attractions is the Checkers Theatre, where visitors could enjoy cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs such as Nataniel, Jenny Morris, and Carmen Niehaus every hour. The theatre comfortably seats 450 people. There was also a dedicated kiddie’s corner with jumping castles and other delights which kept the young ones screaming with glee. Another highlight was the cheese carving contest, which proved as fun to watch as it was for the participants. In an ideal world the Cheese Festival is a place for families to bring the kids for a grand day out. There are enough activities to keep both young and old entertained for hours, but the reality is slightly different. Last year’s marketing campaign was geared towards a younger demographic, which resulted in a surge of students with one aim in mind: eating and drinking their money’s worth of samples. Not only was this unpleasant for exhibitors, but for other visitors as well. This year’s marketing campaign was geared towards a more sophisticated visitor, but that didn’t stop many students

returning for a second round. It’s not hard to get people excited about cheese, but that’s not Agri-Expo’s trump card. Over the past ten years the Cheese Festival has gained a reputation for being fun, wholesome and con-

sistent. Its got nothing to do with eating your ticket price worth of cheese, but rather savouring the fine art of cheesemaking, experiencing something a little different, and spending the day in the countryside with your family. That’s

its trump card, and just like a well matured cheese, its only going to get better with time.

Sally Fink

The Event | 19

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS Zingisa Maposa

Kim Gibbens

OPPS Teatro, Montecasino. Gearhouse Splitbeam provided the full lighting rig as well as crew for stage, lighting, ﬂies and props on this unique opera which has been described as “an impressive entertainment product of export quality”. “A lighting designer is only as good as his Lighting team and that Splitbeam is not only meeting the industry need for a full-service theatre rental company but is raising the bar with high quality gear, great attitude and (most importantly) staff knowledge. Ultimately, you cannot win Awards without an Award Winning Lighting Team!’, says Faheem. Springbok Atlas new staff DESTINATION management company Springbok Atlas has made three strategic staff changes recently. Johan Coetzer joins the Johannesburg ofﬁce as operations manager, Zingisa Mapasa takes on the role of National Business Development manager while Kim Gibbens will serve as operations manager for Durban.

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. Investment conference focus on development on Africa THE Columbia International Investment Conference, entitled “The Resource Boom and FDI in Africa: new players, new opportunities, a new agenda for development”, will take place at Columbia University, New York, from 26-27 October 2011. The conference will focus on transforming the current resource boom in Africa (in mining and land/agriculture) into a development boom, ensuring sustainable and inclusive development. The conference will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including high-level government ofﬁcials involved in policy making and implementation, corporate executives, investors, academics, and civil society. The conference is free to participants, but registration is required. Doctors Without Borders South Africa exhibition to aid immigrants DOCTORS Without Borders (MSF) South Africa is hosting an exhibition titled Solidarity for Survival from 10 May – 16 June 2012 at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. The exhibition brings attention to the plight of thousands of people who survive displacement and mi-

gration; and who came to South Africa in the face of discrimination and healthcare exclusion. Solidarity for Survival probes the reasons for people leaving their countries of origin, with a focus on four countries where MSF operates in sub-Saharan Africa: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Solidarity for Survival is an exhibition and a call to action that seeks to inspire collective understanding and responsibility among South Africans to ensure vulnerable migrants do not remain invisible and their healthcare needs ignored. The Art of the Creative Economy at ACT/UJ Conference THE inaugural ACT/UJ Arts & Culture Conference, takes place at the University of Johannesburg’s Kingsway campus from 24-25 May. The two-day event, titled ‘The Art of the Creative Economy’, brings together a line-up of speakers representing national roleplayers, arts practitioners and administrators, cultural activists, arts organisations, major funding and development agencies, leading academics and maverick futurists in one forum to explore the landscape of the country’s creative arts sector. Splitbeam supports award-winning design FAHEEM Bardien, lighting designer at Artscape Theatre Centre, walked away with this year’s Naledi Best Lighting Design award for his evocative lighting design for The Mandela Trilogy staged at

ICC Durban hosts world conference on non-destructive testing THE Durban International Convention Centre recently hosted the first World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing staged on the African continent. Non-destructive testing (NDT) is a wide group of analysis techniques used in science and industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component or system without causing damage. “We are proud to have been chosen as the host city and venue for the18th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing. At the WCNDT conference held in Canada in 2003, the ICC Durban was announced as the host venue for the 2012 conference despite stiff competition from England and Australia. The conference is being attended by 1,400 delegates from across the globe and is expected to generate in the order of R17.5million for the Durban economy,” says CEO Julie May Ellingson. Some 120 companies involved in the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) field, either as equipment or service providers exhibited as part of the conference. The exhibition covers a surface area of approximately 7,000 square metres, which is similar in size to that of a rugby field. Indaba Hotel to plant indigenous trees along William Nicol FOLLOWING the removal of 27 exotic pine trees along the wall bordering the Indaba Hotel in Fourways and William Nicol Drive, the hotel plans to plant indigenous trees as soon as the widening of the road is complete. Rob Mickel, operations direc-

tor of the hotel says the widening of the road necessitated the removal of the trees. “Unfortunately their root system did not allow us to replant them, but we ensured that nothing went to waste. They are being used as retaining walls in our new vegetable garden and in a few other areas on the property. The smaller branches have been chopped for fire wood and all the small pieces have been chipped to be used in our compost.” He says it is hotel policy to have the minimum impact on the natural environment. “When the trees were removed, we made sure that there were no birds nesting in them. We pride ourselves on being a piece of the countryside inside city boundaries and on maintaining environmentally friendly operating standards across our various operations aspects.” The hotel is a member of the Heritage Environmental Certification Programme. Premier hosts Eskom THE East London International Convention Centre (ELICC) managed by Premier Hotels and Resorts hosted the Eskom Supplier Open Day which took place on the 20th April 2012. 350 Delegates attended the information session in the purpose built meeting venue, the Eastern Cape’s first. The venue, the only convention centre located on a beach front, provided exhibition facilities as well as hotel accommodation. For the event, and for future events, the ELICC now supplies up to 80 brand new in house shell schemes. Gearhouse supplies Higher Life Conference THE Higher Life World Conference accommodated a 60 000 strong audience in the Cape Town Stadium between the 16-18 March 2012. The Gearhouse SA Group of Companies pooled resources to provide Structures, Lighting, outdoor LED Screens, Power and Rigging for the three day spiritual meeting with Pastor Chris, who is known around the world for healing miracles, television programs and pastoring thousands of Churches under the Christ Embassy banner. The event was co-ordinated on the Gearhouse side by Project Manager, Eyal Yehezkely. A team of 40 Gearhouse technicians were on site for this event.

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. Loeries ticket bookings open TICKETS, accommodation and car hire for the 34th Annual Loerie Awards are now open. There are a limited number of seats available. For more information visit www.theloerieawards.co.za Loeries PR open for entries THE Loeries PR category,endorsed by PRISA,is open for entry. The category was launched last year and the calibre of entries was very impressive, with one Gold Loerie, one Silver and four Bronze statues being handover over at the ceremony in Cape Town. Entry deadline is 31 May 2012. For more information visit www.theloerieawards.co.za Diwali call for proposals IN November, Indianspice will resurrect the annual Diwali celebration, entitled ‘Diwali in Jozi’. They are seeking input, proposals and cultural organisation support for the festival. Members of the public can submit their proposals and enquiries to Lakshya Malhotra at lakshya@indianspice.co.za. Early bird registration for SAACI Conference open THE Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) Annual Conference 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. Positions available at National Convention Bureau THERE are a number of vacant positions available at the recently established National Convention Bureau (within South African Tourism). These are: •Coordinator: Business Development & Research •Coordinator: Sales & Marketing •Manager: Marketing Services •Senior Manager: Meeting & Convention Sales •Manager: Meeting & Convention Sales - Europe For more information contact Ishara Paparam on ishara@southafrica.net

Sally Fink

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20 | The Even t

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22 | The Even t

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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.

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Nationwide

+27 861 287 287

info@intercape.co.za

www.intercape.co.za

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

Syner G Marketing

Nationwide

+27 11 656 2212

sgreen@iafrica.com

www.syner-g.co.za

Tshwane Events Centre

Gauteng

+27 12 327 1487

ricky@tshwabac.co.za

www.tshwane-events.co.za

Two Oceans Aquarium

Cape Town

+27 21 418 3823

functions@aquarium.co.za

www.aquarium.co.za

Uwin Iwin

Nationwide

+27 11 557 5700

info@uwiniwin.co.za

www.uwiniwin.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 | 23