The Event issue 5 2014

ISSUE 05 | 2014

+ INDABA 2014 Reinventing Travel Trade Shows

+ MAMA + BABY = EVENTS MAGIC Why are Parenting Shows so Hot?

+ KENYA A Leader in East African Events

CONTENTS | 01

www.theevent.co.za

2. SAACI and KWV Sign Partnership Agreement

4. Food Hospitality World Comes to SA for First Time

5. India’s Molygraph to Lubricate West African Mining at WAMPEX

7. Lilizela Tourism Awards 2014: Entries are Open!

8. The Importance of Reporting on Events

9. Durban ICC Doubles Intake for Skills Development Programmes

12. Mama + Baby = Event Magic 14. Rashid Toefy Ascends to

12

14

Mom and Baby Events

Rashid Toefy

Show Rapid Growth and Increasing Popularity

Onwards and Upwards

New Heights

16. INDABA 2014 Reinvents Itself 20. A Chat with Bradley Alder 24. A Mixed Bag of East African Travel

28. Cape Town Art Fair Looks Forward to 2015 Show

30. Kenya – A Leader in East African Events

32. The North West Province – A Place to Play

16

24

Indaba 2014

East African Travel

Spotlight on the Biggest Travel Trade Show in Africa

East Africa Shows its Hand

34. Events 36. Industry Moves 37. Event Greening Forum: Purchasing Your Way to a Green Event

38. Associations 40. Directory

02 | NEWS

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SAACI AND KWV Sign Partnership Agreement

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he Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) and KWV, pioneers of the South African wine industry and one of the leading wine and spirits producers in the world, have signed a partnership agreement as part of SAACI’s new five-year business strategy.

In terms of the agreement, the brands in the KWV family will be introduced to SAACI members on various platforms.

“We are delighted to be part of this association with SAACI. We believe our premium portfolio of wines and spirits will offer a high quality product for each and every event and with a brand image consistent with that of the South African conference industry,” says

Commercial Director KWV Werner Swanepoel.

Particulars about the partnership, and how the more than 1 200 SAACI members can benefit from it, will be communicated in the association’s monthly newsletter and its official journal ‘Business Events Africa’.

Reciprocal links and messaging will appear on the respective websites, social media platforms and marketing material.

SAACI members will receive a tailored service when purchasing KWV products for their events and conferences. In addition, eduworkshops which could include wine and food pairing and cocktail mixing, will be arranged, specifically aimed at educating younger professionals and entrants to the industry.

The annual national SAACI congress and

SAACI members will receive a tailored service when purchasing KWV products for their events and conferences.

“

exhibition and regular networking events in the different regions will also be used to introduce KWV products, of which there is more than 100, to members and guests.

SAACI National Chairperson Zelda Coetzee says South Africa’s share of the international meetings, conference and events market is growing strongly yearon-year. “Every business event has a large beverage component and more feet means higher consumption and volumes. It just made a whole lot of sense to partner with KWV, as it has a rich heritage of product innovation and a strong presence in the global market.”

04 | NEWS

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FOOD HOSPITALITY WORLD takes place just prior to the Cape Town Good Food & Wine Show

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ape Town is set to become the culinary capital of Africa when the internationally acclaimed Food Hospitality World comes to South Africa for the first time in May this year.

Food Hospitality World (FHW) – the gateway to South Africa’s food, drink and hospitality industry – combines the strengths of one of the world’s leading exhibition organisers, Fiera Milano, with that of the experience of the organisers of the long-running and hugely successful Good Food & Wine Show.

Running at the Cape Town Convention Centre from May 26 to 28, FHW is the biggest professional business-focused show for Africa’s food, drink and hospitality sectors.

FHW takes place every year in Brazil, China, India, and, for the first time in 2014, in South Africa. This choice has not been by chance: all countries are growing markets that offer significant opportunities to companies operating in the food and hospitality sectors. Those exhibitors taking part in FHW South Africa will also have the opportunity to take part in these other shows around the world thanks to a Fiera Milano reciprocity agreement.

The trade show will include the best national and international exhibitors all under one roof. Sixty percent of international buyers will be brought in for the show from the African continent and

the rest from around the world and the organisers will be “match making” buyers and exhibitors, guaranteeing exhibitors a return on their investment.

Furthermore, exhibitors will also be able to be part of the hugely successful Cape Town Good Food & Wine Show, which follows FHW, on Thursday, May 29, 2014, and which draws the trade, media and the public. This is a unique platform in which those exhibitors who extend their stay to participate in the Good Food and Wine Show will have the opportunity to do on-thespot consumer research.

FHW will include participation from importers, distributors, F&B managers, hotel and restaurant purchase managers, food service professionals, chefs and sommeliers, purchasers and trade bodies, hoteliers, restaurateurs, caterers, F&B directors, wholesalers and more. FHW aims at being the right channel allowing both, vendors/suppliers and hospitality professionals to come together to tap mutually beneficial business opportunities.

FHW will also assist SMMEs in food industry to extend reach to newer markets by providing free space to showcase their products.

Says Fiera Milano CEO Christine Cashmore: “Food & Hospitality World Africa joins the most successful food event in South Africa, with a 15 year track record. International buyers as well as key

decision makers in the HORECA trade from neighbouring countries will ensure excellent matchmaking opportunities for exhibitors.”

“South Africa is a fast growing country with impressive opportunities. For that reason Fiera Milano decided to establish a branch, Fiera Milano Exhibitions Africa, in the country” says Paolo Borgio, Global Exhibition Manager Fiera Milano for the food area. He adds: “We have found a valuable partner in South Africa with great experience who can further help us develop the business. Food Hospitality World Africa is the result of this relationship. We are confident this exhibition will be a success and this augurs well for the future of Fiera Milano Exhibitions Africa”.

To exhibit and for more information contact Louise Cashmore on email louise@fieramilano.co.za or call +27 21 702 2280

NEWS | 05

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India’s Molygraph to Lubricate West African Mining at WAMPEX

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ndian specialist lubricants manufacturer Molygraph will début as an exhibitor at this year’s West African Mining and Power Exhibition (WAMPEX). The company supplies greases, anti-seize, thread dopes, conveyor chain oils, forging lubes, metal-working fluids and other products used in mining and the oil & gas industry. Molygraph aims to partner with distributors in several West African countries to tap that lucrative market. WAMPEX 2014 takes place from 28 to 30 May at Accra Convention Centre in Accra, Ghana.

“WAMPEX is a great opportunity to showcase our products, meet people in our target industries and understand current business trends,” says Rajesh Bothra, Molygraph’s Assistant Export Manager. “After extensive research reviewing markets and other trade shows we feel this expo would be very lucrative for us in terms of new business prospects in the West African region.”

Molygraph was founded only a year ago and already exports its products into the Gulf States, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and parts of Asia. Bothra says Molygraph has enjoyed excellent feedback on its products from customers in those regions. The company will mainly be exhibiting its mining and oil and gas lubricant range at the show.

“We’ll be entertaining interested WAMPEX visitors with interesting visual demonstrations of our products and our state of the art production facility,” says Bothra.

The Mumbai-based company conducts extensive research and development in its

high- tech laboratory equipped with advanced scientific instruments. It is also expanding its well- established distributor network to provide more efficient supply of products and services to its national and overseas customers.

About WAMPEX The West African Mining and Power Exhibition (WAMPEX) and Conference 2014 is an international expo for suppliers of equipment, technology, services and consumables to West Africa’s rapidly growing power and mining sectors.

The 11th edition of WAMPEX takes place at Accra Convention Centre in Ghana from 28 to 30 May 2014. The event is organised

by Exhibition Management Services in association with EPI Events and Projects International Limited.

Contact Serean at Exhibition Management Services. Tel+27 (0)11 7837250. Fax +27 (0)11 783-7269. E-mail: marketing@exhibitionsafrica.com www.exhibitionsafrica.com

Grande Roche Hotel’s

Vineyard Venue is an event organiser’s dream come true

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rande Roche Hotel in Paarl has recently completed the update and refurbishment of its conference centre and the result is a venue which should top the list for any event or conference organiser.

The designers have gone to great lengths to create a venue that is versatile, elegant and accessible, and the newly refurbished Vineyard Venue meets every need.

Perched high above the Manor House this popular venue now boasts a ‘new look’ interior that is both inviting and contemporary. The décor is in classic Italian style representing timeless elegance. With the emphasis on showcasing the guests, the interior is consistent in colour and design,

offering a backdrop that never intrudes yet perfectly ‘frames’ each event. Each component of the renovation was carefully selected to ensure that the sophistication and historic ambience of the hotel is reflected yet the Vineyard Venue retains a uniqueness of its own.

For conferences standard equipment is offered including data projector, screens and accessories. Glorious natural light floods the conference room which divides into three sections - ideal for breakaway sessions or smaller groups.

Capturing the imagination with its magnificent views, the beautifully appointed Vineyard Venue offers a magnificent amphitheatre framed by a mountain

backdrop. This unique area always amazes guests and offers a creative backdrop for ceremonies, team building, launches, soirees and so much more. Simply put - a conference or wedding planner’s dream!

Understated glamour is enhanced by the recognition of graceful living – the hallmark of this hotel - and, with full banqueting from Michelin trained chef Roland Gorgosilich, clients can choose from the simple to the more ornate. Whether the need is informal or lusciously over the top – the team will deliver on whatever the heart desires - fulfilling dreams is their mandate!

The Vineyard Venue at the Grande Roche Hotel – where memories are made.

Reservations: +27 21 863 5100

06 | IMEX

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Ray Bloom, IMEX Group (Chairman), Carina Bauer, IMEX (Group CEO)

Imex in Frankfurt takes trade

show value to new heights with personalised support services, guided tours and new hosted buyer groups

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number of innovative new support services and education offerings, plus a rise in new hosted buyer groups and exhibitors will be some of the hallmarks of the IMEX in Frankfurt trade show, opening May 20th at Messe Frankfurt.

Beyond the trade show format In addition to a brand new IMEX App, delivered by QuickMobile; refinements to the IMEX portals and website plus live, preshow ‘how to’ webinars, IMEX now offers a wide choice of personalised support services for exhibitors, intermediaries, trade visitors and hosted buyers. These high quality, high-touch services build upon the core trade show format (which combines business, education and networking)with new opportunities to both increase and demonstrate return on investment.

New hosted buyer groups 20 new hosted buyer groups are confirmed to date and include groups from Travel Alberta, Hong Kong Tourism Board and Energy Cities Alliance.

Hotel groups are once again a growth area at IMEX with Club Med, Dorchester Collection, Falkensteiner Hotels, Great Hotels of the World, Le Hotels and Parc Hotels all attending as new exhibitors.

Several new educational and exhibitor hubs are being introduced on the show floor, allowing for allied or complementary exhibitors to be found in one place.

Technology exhibitors will be located on a new Technology Pavilion; a new Meeting Design Hub will house specialised exhibitors and deliver education on all aspects of meeting design and a new Tech Hub will be introduced, following a successful trial at IMEX America in October.

Education remains strong pull This year the IMEX-CIC Inspiration Centre – the main education theatre on the show floor – will provide a single site for all English and German language education, with the exception of daily GCB German keynotes which will take place each morning in Hall 9. The Inspiration Centre will also house a new Creativity Zone, Hot Topic Tables with moderated peer-to-peer conversations, plus a new Meet the Expert Clinic. As in previous years, the Centre will also be home to all IMEX 30-minute campfires, 45-minute seminars and the Research Pod. As last year Veranstaltungsplaner - the largest national association of corporate meeting planners in Germany - will also have a dedicated education and research clinic on the show floor.

New vision growth IMEX’s hallmark new vision events continue to grow and add further value for all audiences attending. The programme for the preshow Association Day – with education designed to address association management challenges – is now live online.

The event continues to provide professional education along three dedicated tracks, with an afternoon of concurrent sessions followed by new hot topic, facilitated group discussions and rounding off with an evening networking reception.

IMEX recently announced two influential speakers for another of its Vision Initiatives - the 2014 Politicians Forum. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and David Scowsill, President & Chief Executive Officer of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) are both confirmed speakers for this important annual advocacy event.

Registration is now open - and free. http://portal.imex-frankfurt.com/register.php

NEWS | 07

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2014 LILIZELA TOURISM AWARDS S etting the standard for global excellence, rewarding those who strive for perfection and spurring arrivals growth and destination competitiveness, the 2014 edition of the Lilizela Awards is taking place in September.

Entries are now open for the 2014 Lilizela Tourism Awards, the premier tourism award programme for businesses in South Africa that aim to reward and celebrate excellence across the tourism industry. Lilizela is a Nguni word which means to ululate: an act of congratulations when someone has done something well.

“Following on the highly successful 2013 Awards programme, with over 400 people attending the final National Awards Gala Dinner on the 12 September 2013, the 2014 campaign culminating in the prestigious awards promises to be even more vibrant and even more inclusive,” said Mr Thulani Nzima, Chief Executive Officer at South African Tourism.

“Lilizela is a name that truly distinguishes these uniquely African awards from the mainstream. These Awards recognise and reward tourism players and businesses who work passionately and with pride to deliver a world-class product and service and whose delivery grows South Africa’s global destination competitiveness.”

The 2014 Lilizela Awards will recognise

industry players within four focus areas reflecting eight categories with the ninth category being the Minister’s Award.

1. Focus Area and Category – The Minister’s Award Recognises outstanding, unique, impactful people, events, organisations that have performed in a manner that urges the industry closer to tourism’s 2020 vision (to grow arrivals to 15 million and create 225 000 new jobs by 2020 with a total direct and indirect GDP contribution target from R189, 4-billion (2009) to R499-billion (2020).

2. Focus Area: Service Excellence This focus area has three categories, and how well tourism products do this area, will, to a very large degree, be based on guest feedback.

Measurements have been put in place to allow the public to cast their vote.

The Accommodation sector was the only one recognised during the first year of the awards.

This year, Visitor Experience of the Year as well as the Tourist Guide of the Year have been added and will also be recognised.

3. Focus Area and Category: Entrepreneurship The ETEYA Lilizela Award (Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award) recognises black-owned SMMEs who have achieved notable success since starting up.

Entries are Open!

4. Focus Area: Sustainable Development This focus area includes three categories – Imvelo, Universal Accessibility as well as BBBEE. The Imvelo Awards include: Best Social Involvement Programme, Best Practice Economic Impact, Best Overall Environment Management System and Best Single-Resource Programme (Water, Energy and Waste).

To achieve transformation in the tourism sector and to encourage enterprises to view BBBEE as a business imperative, a part of good corporate citizenship and good governance and as a contribution towards socioeconomic cohesion, BBBEE Awards recognising Exempted Micro Enterprises, Qualifying Small Enterprises as well as Large Enterprises will be up for grabs.

The overall winners from each category will be announced at a ceremony in September this year. This will be preceded by provincial recognition awards to be handed out at various provincial events building towards the main event. People and organisations interested in entering as requested to look out for further communication from the various Provincial Tourism Authorities, who will be driving the entries for these prestigious awards at a provincial level and will be engaging directly with all their key provincial stakeholders.

For more information or to enter, visit www.lilizela.co.za

08 | NEWS

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WHY IT’S CRUCIAL to report on event management for successful future events By Terry Sutherland – RSVP Agency

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t is critical to report on event management in order to determine what’s working and what’s not. This will ensure that any future events don’t suffer from past mistakes, and that they’ll benefit from useful lessons learned.

Unfortunately, attempting to collate multiple sets of data from several spreadsheets is a long and arduous endeavour. That said, as complicated as the process is, it’s an absolutely imperative element of the event planning process.

Your report on event management should contain data about every aspect of the event – from the invitation process, through to dietary preferences and attendance rates. By creating a holistic picture of past events, you’ll be able to constantly improve on all facets.

attended event. Bear in mind that not everyone will accept your invitation, and that some of those who have accepted, won’t arrive – not to mention uninvited guests who end up attending.

By looking at the attendance rates of past events, you’ll be able to work out that if, for example, you want 100 guests at an event, you’ll need to invite 130 people.

The most important metric you need to report on event management is ROI. In other words, how many of the guests you’ve hosted have subsequently made purchases that were greater than the cost of hosting them. Establishing these figures will require the merging of data from your CRM or financial systems with data that you’ve collected from past events. Start by working out the cost per head for each event, and then calculate the ROI for each separate customer.

Another consideration is the city in which your event will take place.

If you’re a national brand and frequently host events in multiple cities, it’s likely that the event attendance and acceptance benchmarks will differ. You may determine that events held in Johannesburg are far more populated than those held in Durban, and so on. These findings will provide you will valuable data, allowing you to work out the number of guests you need to invite in order to ensure that your event is well attended.

Analyse the RSVPs and attendance records of past events in order to come up with a benchmark.

This will enable you to determine how many guests you need to invite in order to have a fully

Depending on your brand, you may need to work out attendance according to gender.

For example, you may find that women are more likely accept invitations, and arrive at events, opposed to men. This will indicate that if you need 50 men and 50 women at your next event, you should invite 60 women and 70 men.

Your report on event management will also indicate the best times to send out invitations, follows up and reminders.

In addition, you event management report

will show the sort of reminders that work best for your guests. Does an SMS reminder the day before do the job, or do you need to send an SMS reminder a week before and the day before?

Your report on event management will inform what you need to order for an upcoming event.

When planning events, you can’t wait until you’ve got a confirmed guest list to order the various products needed. These could comprise of complimentary t-shirts for golfing guests, the correct number of Halaal meals, or the right combination of his and hers thank you gifts.

These all need to be pre-ordered so that they can be branded or prepared in time for your event. By analysing your past RSVP data – you’ll be able to work out a formula that you can use to prepare for future events in order to achieve minimal wastage.

Compiling a report on management may be a hassle, but the rewards are worth it.

Creating a report and keeping it updated according to changing trends and various customer bases is a lot of work, but the results are incredibly worthwhile. In order to make this task easier, consider running all of your events through an event management system. This will ensure that all data can be exported in the same format, noticeably speeding up the process.

Using an event management system will ultimately make is vastly easier to create these crucial reports, allowing you to continuously plan and implement successful events.

NEWS | 09

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Durban ICC Doubles Intake For Skills Development Programmes

The Durban ICC Executive Team welcome the 2014 intake of the Student and Graduate Programmes.

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uilding on the success of its two skills development programmes in 2013 the Durban International Convention Centre (Durban ICC) has doubled its intake this year to provide even more opportunities for young people in South Africa’s tourism industry. The Durban ICC designed its Graduate and Student Programmes to address the need for young people to gain essential skills and first-hand working experience in the industry.

The Durban ICC Graduate Programme was introduced in 2013 with a view to assisting recent graduates begin their fulltime working careers in an environment of mentorship and guidance. Initially eight post-graduates were taken on-board in the Centre’s culinary department and now this

programme has been expanded across all departments, accommodating over 20 new employees in the 2014 year. Graduates positions include security assistant, food and beverage assistants, desktop publishing, AV/technical assistants, commi and demi chefs, information officers and junior engineers.

Chief Executive Officer of the Durban ICC, Julie-May Ellingson commented, “The Graduate Programme is designed to nurture talent and develop the industry leaders of tomorrow. Our graduates are offered unique opportunities to hone their skills alongside experts in the hospitality industry. It’s a challenging and rewarding experience that attracts quality graduates from around the country.” One member of the current programme, Ntombi

Khuzwayo, commented, “I am very excited to be one of the graduate trainees at the Durban ICC. I have already learnt so much working on real events like the Metro FM Awards and am looking forward to gaining many more skills in the months ahead.”

The Durban ICC has also offered a Student Programme for many years in partnership with the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The programme was overhauled in 2012 to better integrate their academic studies with the real-world working experience they receive at the Centre. The Centre now offers internships every year and has expanded its intake from eight to 11 students for each intake.

Hlengiwe Bhengu, one of the DUT students, had this to say about her experience thus far, “I feel honoured to be part of this amazing programme. It not only equips you with the right career skills but also makes you grow in your personal capacity. Working in a 5-Star convention centre has been an unforgettable experience.

I now feel I have the right training and experience to compete in this industry.”

These students are currently being trained in the Culinary, Operations, and Facility Services, Marketing, Sales and Events departments. The on-the-job training gives these students a significant advantage and enhances their career prospects upon graduating. The company is also pleased that some of the successful members of the Student Programme have gone on to be placed in the Centre’s Graduate Programme.

12 | SPOTLIGHT

MAMA + BABY = EVENT MAGIC W ith the Baba Indaba recently coming to a close in March and MamaMagic fever taking over, one has to wonder what all the fuss is about. Why are mother, baby and child expos so popular and how do they fit into the exhibitions industry? One reason is the fact that parents love doting on their little ones and will often spare no expense to ensure that they have the best that this world has to offer. The second is that South Africa has in recent years seen steady growth in its middle and upper classes, giving this market more of an opportunity to take hold. This modernisation has arguably led to an overflow in mother and child events in the UK, the US, Australia and even the Middle East, with baby expos popping up all over Saudi Arabia, India and Dubai.

According to the UN Population Division in 2006, South Africa sees around 1.1 million babies born every year. Recent studies by Justin Visagie of Eco 3x3 have

also shown that there are between four and five million people in the ‘relatively affluent middle class’, making up 31% of households in the country. This simply shows that the rise in baby expos has been somewhat inevitable, with so many mommies, daddies, babies and kids to reach. Many expos like the Baba Indaba, MamaMagic, and The Baby Expo tend to have more than one annual show, often travelling to various cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and even Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.

In March, the Baba Indaba kicked off with a special announcement – due to the sheer popularity of the show, they have now opened an autumn expo, set to take place in October in Sandton. Baba Indaba is by far one of the best known and most exciting baby brands in South Africa. The expo prides itself on having something “for the whole family” including entertainment for toddlers, pampering for moms and much more. Although these expos are intended

© Heriberto rgbstock

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“

Many expos like the Baba Indaba, MamaMagic, and The Baby Expo tend to have more than one annual show.

“

for a very specific audience, they resonate many. MamaMagic also caters to children and toddlers.

“We have fun play areas, educational talks and seminars; the best show offers and specials available as well as our amazing “pick and win” competition where visitors can walk away with their prizes instantly,”

SPOTLIGHT | 13

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Upcoming Baby Events In South Africa MamaMagic, The Baby Expo: Joburg Winter Show 15-18 May 2014 Other shows in Durban, Cape Town and Joburg (Summer Show) www.mamamagic.co.za

© kakisky morguefile

© Jana Kollarova

Baba Indaba: Cape Town Expo 1-3 August 2014 Two other shows in Sandton www.babaindaba.co.za

a recent statement said of their upcoming Joburg show in May. “As one of our major draw cards, our Baby City stage area comes alive with the cheers and screams from our pint size visitors as their best friend and purple dinosaur, Barney, explodes onto the stage singing some of their favourite songs in an interactive and energetic show.”

Making things even easier, events of this kind are rather affordable, with tickets available at the door and children often entering for free. MamaMagic in particular has set itself apart over the years. It is the only exhibition in South Africa to have exclusive rights to Barney, and holds the Guinness World Record for “The Largest Gathering of Pregnant Women Under One Roof” (2007).

Local, affordable shopping store Ackermans, who is also a regular Baba Indaba exhibitor, recently announced their new children’s wear brand “Kids World”. The store will be launching the comprehensive

line with an Ackermans Family Fun Day – a first for the company. This simply shows that baby-related events are popular, even if they aren’t expos. A small search through any online directory will give an idea of the sheer size of the industry.

Ease is another reason why these shows are so popular. Everything can be found under one roof – from nursery furniture and educational products, to prams, cots, baby care items, toys, bottles and diapers. It’s also an ideal place for parents-to-be to find out what’s in store for them in the future, and exhibitors have also expressed their gratitude for baby shows, crediting them for keeping business going well after the event.

“Exhibitions are simply the best way to meet lots of new customers and seek useful feedback on our goods and services, especially for an internet based company,” Sam Mackley, owner and manager of online store Mummy Looks Fab said in a recent testimonial.

Despite the economic downturn, baby expos have continued to thrive. A UK study recently showed that its national nurseryrelated industry is worth over £3.2-billion (ZAR 56.6-billion) and that parents typically spend up to £30,000 (ZAR 530,400) in their child’s first three years. Because of this, the baby and nursery sector was one of the least vulnerable to the negative impact of the ‘credit crunch’.

Although South African parents’ expenses may be well below these figures, this doesn’t mean that raising a child here is cheap in any way. So no matter what the financial climate, baby expos are here to stay – cute, cuddly and everything in between.

Johnsons Baby Sense Seminars: Durban 16 August Other shows in Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Cape Town www.babysense.com/talks-and-workshops Kids & Baby Expo: Kempton Park 2015 dates to be confirmed www.kidsandbabyexpo.co.za

Upcoming International Baby Shows The Baby Show: Birmingham 16-18 May 2014 Other shows in Kensington and ExCel, London www.thebabyshow.co.uk New York Baby Show: New York City 17-18 May 2014 www.newyorkbabyshow.com Pregnancy, Babies and Children’s Expo: Sydney 23-25 May 2014 Other shows in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne, Australia www.pbcexpo.com.au London Baby Expo: Western Fair District 24-25 May 2014 www.londonbabyexpo.com Mother, Baby and Kids Expo: Riyadh 21-23 October 2014 One other show in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia www.mbkexpo.com International Child, Baby & Maternity Industry Expo: Shanghai 22-24 July 2014 Other CBME shows in India, Brazil and Turkey www.cbmexpo.com

14 | SPOTLIGHT

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RASHID TOEFY Ascends to new heights The Event sat down with Rashid Toefy to reminisce about his tenure at CTICC, and discuss his new role as Managing Director at MCI, commencing in July 2014.

SPOTLIGHT | 15

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Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) CEO, Rashid Toefy will be leaving the CTICC in mid June 2014 to embark on a new journey with MCI. MCI is one of the world’s leading providers of strategic engagement and activation solutions and a key driver of innovation in the international meetings, incentives, congress and events (MICE) industry. Rashid will fulfil the role of MCI South Africa, Managing Director, when his tenure concludes at the CTICC. According to CTICC Chairperson, Gary Fisher, while the board is sad to bid farewell to Rashid, they wish him all the success in

his new endeavour, “Rashid was appointed as CEO of the centre in March 2008. We believe he has exceeded on the deliverables he was tasked with as the head of the CTICC,” said Fisher.

During Rashid’s term of office the centre also hit a record high in terms of its financial performance and achieved an unqualified clean audit. Over the past six years the centre has garnered international recognition for its commitment to international standards of best practice. The CTICC is also one of the world’s leading sustainable convention centres and is the

only centre in the world to align its reporting to the Global Reporting Initiative Framework and achieve a Level B + status.

Sumaira Isaacs, MCI CEO for India, the Middle East and Africa (Imea) said that MCI is excited to have Rashid join the group.

“He will bring unparalleled local expertise and connections, which will reinforce MCI South Africa’s capacity to deliver winning strategies and solutions for clients across the Imea region,” she said. Rashid said he remains fully committed to the CTICC and looks forward to assisting the board in managing the transition.

“ Since you were appointed CEO of the CTICC seven years ago, how much have you grown in your role?

What contributions have you made to the industry?

I came in as the new kid on the block. A young, new CEO in one of the ‘sexiest’ jobs in the industry! It was hard work at first, as people are quite stuck in their ways. I was able to bring fresh eyes and fresh perspectives. I had little respect for the way things were done, and I just said “if we want to be the best in the market worldwide, we can’t compare ourselves to the local market”. So I went out there and travelled, and tried to see exactly what was on offer. I wanted to widen the lens, and take the focus off being the best just in South Africa. We needed to compete on the global stage.

It has been an exciting time over the past seven years. The whole culture has changed, as you can see with our focus on innovation and sustainability, which we have been recognised consistently for. I feel like we have driven and implemented all the innovation that can be done within the constraints of running a convention centre. This is the perfect time for me to leave as I am coming to the end of my tenure, and I feel that I am in the position to springboard into a new opportunity. It’s a very exciting time.

Which global conference centre impressed you the most in your travels? And have you tried to emulate some aspects at the CTICC? Vancouver. When I went there, they were just expanding into their new convention centre.

They are one of our direct competitors as a long-haul destination, and they are also in a gorgeous city. The food was incredible, everything ran like clockwork; it was just hugely impressive. I was blown away by their green technology; theirs is a platinum LEED green building. I see Vancouver as a benchmark organisation, and over the years they have come to see us as a benchmark too.

Melbourne is the other green leader, and the fact that they wanted to be in an alliance with Vancouver and CTICC was so impressive.

What is your single biggest achievement from the past seven years?

Watching some of my people graduate. I did my MBA through the graduate school of business, and I approached them to develop an events management post graduate diploma. Almost 20 of CTICC’s staff have gone through the programme, and they are now geared for management positions.

Bringing about personal development transformations is the single greatest mission within the organisation.

My legacy, I hope, is the depth of leadership within the CTICC.

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Bringing about personal development transformations is the single greatest mission within the organisation. My legacy, I hope, is the depth of leadership within the CTICC.

What is MCI going to offer the region by having an office in Cape Town?

Strategically, having the global leader in association and event management choosing Cape Town as its African headquarters bodes well for Cape Town and South Africa’s meetings and events industry. MCI’s multifaceted approach is unique in that it will offer a combination of DMC, Association management and PCO services. Want to know more then watch this space after July.

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INDABA 2014 reinvents itself

A

move to reinvent Indaba as the most important travel trade show for all of Africa, not just for the host nation South Africa, is paying off handsomely.

At least 22 other countries will be represented there this year in what is literally an A-Z of Africa. A slew of nations from Angola to Zimbabwe will set out their stands, including some countries rarely associated with tourism, such as Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger.

They will be among 400 main stand exhibitors including big international names like Tourvest and Seasons in Africa, and high-end travel products from South Africa like Singita. Pre-opening figures showed that 1,441 travel and tourism buyers had confirmed in advance of the show, which runs at Durban’s International Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre from May 10-12.

The focus on making Indaba more panAfrican is timely, since a rival travel trade show is being launched this year by Thebe Reed Exhibitions. That event is World Travel

By Lesley Stones

Market (WTM), being held in Cape Town’s International Convention Centre from May 2 - 3. Just like Indaba, WTM Africa boasts an impressive array of exhibitors and aims to attract both international and African buyers.

Thebe Reed is going in aggressively, saying “WTM Africa promises to offer new business opportunities in a fresh environment,” in a clear jibe aimed at the now long-established Indaba. Its timing is also provocative, capturing exhibitors and buyers a week ahead of Indaba in a move that could induce exhibition fatigue and hurt Indaba’s attendance.

WTM also declares its intention to “deliver the right business contacts” and become “the new meeting place for Africa’s travel industry.”

Indaba’s organisers said their plan to revamp Indaba was not made in response to this new, disruptive and almost certainly market-dividing competition. “At last year’s Indaba already the (Tourism) Minister announced his department’s commitment to modernising Indaba, and activating plans to ensure that the show evolves into a

“

At least 22 other countries will be represented there this year in what is literally an A-Z of Africa.

“

genuinely pan-African travel show. This was before Reed Travel Exhibitions announced their intention to start an African show,” they said.

The Department of Tourism has issued a statement saying: “There is realistically room for only one such Pan-African trade show, and that is Indaba.” The department added that it was “committed to continue hosting, resourcing and positioning Indaba as the premier trade show in South Africa and the continent.”

Indaba does promise to be more exciting and revitalised this year, which should help

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it to deliver a bigger impact for exhibitors and a more productive time for the buyers.

During last year’s Indaba a number of steps to modernise the trade show and expand it into a pan-African trade platform were announced in response to specific requests from the participants. “The soaring African participation is a result of the successful execution of a joint plan with our trade partners, trade shows, airlines and chambers of commerce in identifying and attracting suitable new products from our continent to Indaba 2014,” the Department of Tourism said.

This year the event will present premier safari destinations from across Africa, along with cultural experiences, adventure activities, golfing tourism and other sporting destinations.

It’s certainly in the government’s interest to support Indaba, because tourism, business conferences and incentive travel all have a huge impact on the economy. Hopefully that is something that other African governments will come to appreciate after various businesses representing their countries make their debut at Indaba this year.

Attracting business and leisure travellers

to a country can have massive spin-offs for various sectors, including hotels, airlines, internal transport and the food and beverage industries. The key is partly to offer attractions that business travellers get a glimpse of, and will make a return visit to enjoy properly with their families.

South Africa has those in abundance, with unmatched wildlife, brilliant beaches, high class hotels, fine food and entertainment that help to create the ideal holiday.

That’s why Indaba is such an important event for the country’s economy overall.

Although the number of visitors who attend the show is tiny compared to overall traveller numbers, nobody can count the actual impact as they sell this destination to their networks of overseas travel agents, event and conference organisers and incentive travel specialists.

It would be fascinating to calculate the direct impact Indaba has on the overall number of visitors and the amount they spend on our airlines, hotels and other services over the months and years to come.

As far as business or association conferences and events are concerned,

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As far as business or association conferences and events are concerned, South Africa is easily the most popular host nation in Africa.

“

South Africa is easily the most popular host nation in Africa. Our ability to cater for hundreds of delegates each event attracts has created thousands of direct and indirect jobs and brought billions into the economy.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has stressed that tourism is vital for the economy, contributing more to gross domestic product (GDP) than the automotive industry and sustaining more direct and indirect jobs than the mining sector.

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Speaking to the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry last August, he said that tourism’s direct contribution to GDP topped R84-billion in 2011, or 9% of GDP. Tourism also directly or indirectly sustained 9% of employment, or one in every 11 jobs.

The minister has previously predicted that business tourism will benefit the economy by more than R1.6 billion in the next five years, with about 200 meetings and conferences scheduled to host more than 300,000 delegates.

While those visitors will initially come for business, not pleasure, hopefully they will have the time and the inclination to combine the two – then return later with their families.

When the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Tokozile Xasa, spoke at Meetings Africa in Johannesburg this year, she said that business events do more than just contribute to the economy. They also help to develop the country’s intellectual capital, allow us to demonstrate global leadership, and spur the improvement of our infrastructure. “Through the 2010 FIFA

World Cup we increased our connectivity, improved our major roads and increased the number of hotel offerings, thus also increasing diversity for hosting meetings and conferences in our country. This major sporting event left a lasting legacy for the leisure tourism and business events industries,” she said.

“While exceptional growth has already been achieved, South Africa has only just begun to unlock the potential of the sector and is working to grow the size of the business events industry by at least 50% between now and 2020,” the deputy minister added.

That intention receives a boost each year from Indaba, by showcasing all the reasons why leisure and business travellers ought to put the country at the top of their agendas.

Other countries are waking up to the economic benefits that tourism delivers, which is why Indaba has attracted exhibitors from cross the continent this year.

Growing that pan-African focus is a specific goal of South African Tourism (SAT), which has urged tourism professionals from other nations to exhibit.

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Nigerians are expected to have quite a presence, buoyed by the opening of SAT’s first regional marketing office in Africa, which opened in Lagos in January.

“

Nigerians are expected to have quite a presence, buoyed by the opening of SAT’s first regional marketing office in Africa, which opened in Lagos in January. At the opening, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said economic vibrancy could be boosted if the two countries worked together to develop industries with the potential to contribute meaningfully to GDPs and job creation. “Tourism is certainly one such industry,” he said.

Inter-country tourism had been driving the growth of Africa’s tourism industry for years, the minister said, and would keep it on a sustainable growth path going forward. “With renewed vigor and an unwavering dedication to showcase the African continent, Indaba offers any exhibitor the opportunity to promote their destination at the heart of Africa’s biggest, most established and best-attended travel trade exhibition. So we encourage you to come exhibit at Indaba as we work together to market our continent to the rest of the world,” the minister said.

According to the European Incentive and Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (EIBTM), even regions suffering from low or no economic growth will see moderate growth for meetings, events and business travel this year. So it’s important to attract more regional conferences to keep the money coming. Drawing more regional events to South Africa will also move us up the International Congress and Convention Association’s rankings and increase our global visibility. “For most associations, meeting and conference organisers, Africa is not the tried and tested option yet. To get

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meet the most appropriate contacts in the time available.

For the pre- and post-Indaba tours SAT identified the seven most-in-demand experiences and created tours around them. They include a Sani Pass tour into Lesotho, the Drakensberg, the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, and The Freedom Route, taking in several sites linked to Nelson Mandela. Longer trips include a Kruger Experience and Victoria Falls. The most unusual is a tour for the blind that covers the Lowveld Botanical Gardens with its Braille Trail, Rotcher Wineries and Elephant Whispers. The entire tour highlights the senses of touch, taste, hearing, smell and spatial awareness.

to that point we have to actively support the industry in taking that step,” Minister van Schalkwyk said recently.

Last year SAT held a roadshow to visit travel trade professionals across the country.

“We heard back from the trade on how we could further improve Indaba. We took these suggestions to heart, and have implemented some of them in order to better deliver to our exhibitors’ expectations,” said Thulani Nzima, SAT’s Chief Executive Officer.

SAT’s chief marketing officer Jan Hutton said some key changes were being made to transform the show and make it more relevant to its target market. Indaba was being reinvented to ensure it remained highly competitive, relevant, and met the needs of exhibitors, buyers and delegates, she said. The overall aim was to make it a contemporary pan-African trade show with fresh energy and clarity, while remaining a highly efficient opportunity to do business with some of Africa’s top travel brands.

Global best practices were being followed to ensure the quality of engagement and quality of buyers and exhibitors, with a greater focus on business facilitation and quality business connections.

“We are modernising Indaba on every level – in format, look, feel and content – to make sure it’s relevant and future-proof,” Jan added.

Among the new features is a Premium Lounge, an area specifically for premium exhibitors to meet top international buyers.

The Premium Lounge will promote dealmaking by giving exhibitors an area where they can get down to serious business. The massive lounge will feature 52 managed office areas with high-speed Wi-Fi, branding panels and refreshments. Exhibitors are guaranteed up to 15 meetings a day with quality, hosted buyers, for a fee of R10,000 plus VAT. New matchmaking software is also being introduced to help buyers and exhibitors

Why the meetings industry is good for the economy •

•

•

In 1994, the first year of democracy, South Africa hosted 12 international conferences that met the International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) ranking criteria. Those 12 events attracted 5,950 delegates.

In 2012 the country hosted 97 meetings, attracting 52,587 delegates and injecting an estimated R663-million into the economy.

One of the major events hosted here was the International Aids Conference in 2000. South Africa will host that event again in 2016 in Durban for an estimated 20,000 delegates, showing the benefits of impressing people the first time around.

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A Chat With Bradley Alder Bradley Alder, the newly appointed EXSA Chairperson and Octanorm Sales Manager, talks to The Event about his new role, and the differences between European and local business events.

Bradley Alder

Please give a brief career history, as well as your main goals as EXSA chairperson.

Many years ago as a student the exhibition bug bit me one night when I was asked to help build a stand at the Rand Show. Shortly afterwards I was mysteriously drawn into the exhibition world, I do believe this industry is like no other and there is a definite adrenaline rush, thrill and excitement around exhibitions.

I started out in sales for an exhibition system manufacturer, under the umbrella of Shell Systems which would later become Oasys.

In the late 90’s, companies merged with OCTANORM, and I was appointed National Sales manager. We later took the opportunity to become completely independent; however still remaining committed to the exhibition industry.

Internationally and locally OCTANORM has been the leading supplier of re-usable exhibition systems for over 40 years, with a global licensee and support partner network (OSPI) As mentioned at a recent IFES conference,

the OCTANORM system of exhibition stand construction has been the most significant innovation in the exhibition industry in the past 40 years.

I believe that every industry needs a strong organization such as EXSA to ensure industry specific determination, growth and sustainability. Often I am reminded of the idea of matches, one on its own can easily be broken, however when the matches bundled together they are unbreakable.

Although EXSA members are sometimes fiercely competitive, when faced with common challenges, differences are set aside for the common good of the Industry, in which we all make our living.

Having been involved with EXSA for over 10 years, and having seen firsthand the difference EXSA has made in marketing and serving its members, I was extremely honoured to accept the nomination and vote for chair.

In the past few years, there has been a definite emphasis on implementation of initiatives that benefit every member from management to worker level; the initiatives are aimed at creating a better more inclusive industry. South Africa has a world class exhibition industry with dedicated passionately creative people who can accomplish anything.

I strongly believe that face-to-face marketing is still the most successful form of

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marketing, Exhibitions should be an integral part of any companies marketing plan. I feel there a several goals which EXSA through our forums, board and members should continue to accomplish.

1.

Market exhibitions as a preferred marketing method of communication for all forms of companies and government. More exhibitors leads to more exhibitions and service contractors which lead to more venues which leads to more visitors which leads to more growth, employment and sustainability in the exhibition industry which leads to more exhibitors.

2. The professionalisation off the Exhibition industry.

3. Promote cohesion and co-operation amongst industry members, we are all in the same industry and ultimately the more synchronized we are the more efficient and attractive the industry will be for prospective exhibitors and visitors.

4. Creating value in EXSA Membership, EXSA Members abide by a strict ethical code and exhibitors, organizers, venues should take comfort in the fact they are partnering with a reputable EXSA Member companies.

5. Grow EXSA Membership; strength in numbers is always a key advantage in achieving critical mass, industry recognition and goals.

6. Pro-actively find solutions in a dynamically changing business environment.

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It is my opinion that South Africa is poised to become the exhibition capital of Africa, much the same way as Germany has become for Europe.

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I would like to put a challenge out to all members and non members to become actively involved and participate through EXSA so we can work together to ensure the exhibition industry becomes the jewel in South Africa.

Please provide some insight into local versus European business events.

Euroshop is arguably the world’s largest window of new technology and trends in the exhibition, eventing and shop-fitting industries. It boasts over 2 000 exhibitors from 50 countries attracting over 100 000 visitors from all over the world, with more than two thirds of the visitors are from outside of Germany.

I was privileged enough to be able to observe the inner workings of the exhibition, having worked at Euroshop 2014, I was able to make a few observations and comparisons, I believe I could provide some useful insight into the European exhibition industry, including aspects we can learn from and take advantage of in South Africa. Germany is an Exhibition nation and Exhibitions are a part of their business culture and education systems. The industry is professionalised with qualifications at all levels of the industry.

There is a complete synchronization and buy in from national, local government, embassies to transport, hotels and local business. Exhibitions create business tourism and the local economy benefits; this is made clear by attitude of everyone from the taxi

driver to the average man in the street. It is interesting that you have television coverage, pamphlets and advertising all around the city.

Exhibitions are viewed as an essential part of many companies marketing plans. Euro shop in particular held every 4 years is the pinnacle for presenting new products after a strategic planning cycle’s. Many exhibitors companies, budget and finalise stand designs up to four years in advance and start working on their next product launches soon after the exhibition ends. For many exhibitors, there are definite strategies that are employed, before the exhibition and during the exhibition.

It is interesting the details that most exhibitors know exactly who their competitors at the exhibition are.

Personally I feel as though sometimes locally exhibitors require more emphasis on why they should be exhibiting and what they would like to achieve this would guide their exhibition strategy and also the exhibitions that they could attend, often lacking is the follow up and the calculation of Return on investment.

The organization of Euro shop is extremely slick, exhibitors, contractors and freighting companies are well informed ahead of time of when and where they can build, load and park.

There are strategic plans for traffic management, with buses ferrying exhibitors and visitors to the showground’s from the parking areas. Most of the public transport is free for the duration of the show.

Most of the visitor, exhibitor entry tickets and exhibition stands have QR codes; this allows exhibitors and visitors to take a photo

22 | PRO-SPECTIVE

with their mobile phone of the QR codes to get details such as addresses etc using a QR reader which is available on most smart phones. South Africa I believe can learn from this as in the past we have used similar technologies however it required readers or barcode scanners. QR Codes are relatively inexpensive to generate.

Exhibitor staff often consists of top management and global companies get global representatives to man the stand. Most of the exhibitors can communicate in English; however some even have Chinese and Spanish translators present.

Copying is an issue which is top of mind for a lot of exhibitors, Euroshops photographic policy is that you need to get permission to take photos, however this is not adhered to strictly, and it is contradictory that they encourage people to take photos of QR codes.

It was interesting the amount of paper literature that was handed out at the exhibition; locally and globally there is an effort to reduce the amount of literature you hand out at exhibitions, as most of it is wasted.

At the previous Euroshop, there was more emphasis on greening, more DVDs and memory sticks were handed out in place of pamphlets and catalogues. The other feature that I noticed during the build up was that there were huge piles of waste in the aisles, during the previous exhibition there where dedicated bins for glass, paper, plastic.

However at this year’s exhibition there was one bin for all rubbish, perhaps it is sorted out further down the line. It would appear as though after WFC (World financial crisis) the aspect of greening was not as important or evident in stand design and show

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management.

Social Media dominated a lot of the lead in campaigns for the exhibitors, through the use of Facebook and Twitter which directed visitors to exhibits.

What was interesting was that only teasers where used to create excitement instead of highlighting in details what was on the exhibition. I think this is important that you still need to give visitors a reason to come to your exhibit, if you give all the information away there is no reason to visit. Twitter was used as a method of updating and creating conversations with visitors.

For many companies that get involved with social media constant attention should be given to this form of communication that responses could be immediate. I.e. giving directions to the booth etc, following up with enquiries.

One of the trends that were prevalent in the social media space is that exhibitors are starting to post information through Facebook and Twitter in the belief that their visitors are more likely to read these posts than an email.

Workshops, forums, presentations, and mini conferences also run side by side with the exhibition.

This often provides more insight into trends and developments.

Trends Emerging at Euro shop 2014; From my observations the following trends seem to be dominating Euro shop 2014, 1. The use of fabrics, although fabric stands are not new, what is new is that more than ever before fabrics are used to substitute conventional custom stands, where solid panels would never achieve the same designs. This

has lead to an influx of manufacturers of different fabric lightweight frames.

Fabric frame illuminated signage has replaced conventional Perspex signage due to the fact that fabric can stretch over bigger areas.

2. Emotive stand design. Stands portray a feeling or a mood rather than a product, through intelligent lighting these stands can change colour to portray an emotion.

3. Stand activity – Competitions, music, bands etc were often used to create activity around the stand, although this is not a new concept. In South Africa, exhibitors use this sparingly out of respect to other exhibitors.

4. Cladding systems, besides the fabric cladding of stands there would appear to be a trend towards cladding systems, where stands are erected from lightweight aluminium profiles and then cladded with wooden panels.

5. The use of reclaimed materials as design elements, this is a relatively new trend where old rustic reclaimed elements are paired with high tech elements.

6. The decline of the use of LCD screens, fewer stands had LCD screens and there were more tablets available where visitors could access information.

7. Meeting rooms, when compared to previous Euroshops, there would appear to be more meeting rooms incorporated into stand designs, We are seeing this trend in South Africa, however space is often limited, in some cases a lot of the meeting rooms have been built into double storeys In summary, I believe the South African exhibition industry has been assimilating a lot of the European trends already. Our industry is world class; we have excellent resourceful designers and stand contractors as well as innovative organisers. The world has become a global village; the main differences I would mention are the budgets that get allocated to exhibition stands, with more money anything is possible. In South Africa our exhibition companies often are able duplicate international designs at a fraction of the budget that their European counterparts are able to.

It is my opinion, that South Africa is poised to become the exhibition capital of Africa, much the same way as Germany has become for Europe. We have excellent infrastructure and the exhibition industry is highly competitive and service driven.

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Industry prepares to be inspired at

MARKEX 2014 I

by Gaole Bogatsu

If you can imagine it you’ll find it at Markex, where the hottest ideas in the marketing, promotions and special events industry are showcased every year. 2014 is set to be a bumper year, with the expo returning to Gauteng in June and, for the first time in three years, to the Design Capital of the World, Cape Town, in August.

Taking place at Sandton Convention Centre from 10 to 12 June 2014, Markex will again attract the crème de la crème of the marketing world. Now in its 27th year, this inimitable expo, with exhibitor numbers in excess of 250 and visitor attendance of over 10 000, has shown steady growth through the years, reflecting the industry’s need for a one-stop-shop to network, source, stock up on ideas and be inspired.

“Markex is about much more than a marketing exhibition – it’s a platform where innovative thinking and the development of ideas can be nurtured and encouraged through the extremely wide range of activities and features available at the show, and through the opportunity for networking and interacting,” says Brad Hook, Markex Event Director. Markex is about innovation – as seen at the vast majority of stands displaying the latest branding, promotional products, events – and organisers Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery have taken innovation to new heights within their top two show attractions.

The Loerie Awards Travelling Exhibition, which has become one of the anchor features of Markex, will once again be showcasing the best of brand communication, giving visitors the opportunity to view innovative campaigns for winning brands and businesses across a range of disciplines. The enhancement to this already popular feature comes in the form of a new collaboration between Markex, The Loeries and The Event, which will see stand builders winning a chance to be recognised within the Loeries award programme for the first time. “This year, we will also be

celebrating South Africa’s design exhibition stand talent by encouraging exhibition stand designers to enter their work over the last 12 months and stand the chance of winning a ‘free’ entry into next year’s Loeries,” says Hook. The competition is now open and entry forms and guidelines will be available on the Markex and The Event websites.

Entries are limited to two per company, and five finalists will be shortlisted for free entry.

The shortlist will be announced at Markex and winners will be notified the week before the show. Entries are open to all exhibition stand designers within South Africa only.

Another special attraction at the 2014 expo, dubbed the ‘hottest’ in town, is the popular USB Speakers’ Pavilion, which every year hosts top international and local experts who share their insight and knowledge with delegates in a free-to-view enclosed theatre.

This year the programme has been enhanced from its exceptional base of entertainment, keynote and motivational speakers to include presentations on marketing-related topics by industry gurus, presented by the Institute of Marketing Management (IMM).

About Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery As a member of the prestigious Montgomery Group, Specialised Exhibitions is recognised locally and internationally as an organiser of innovative, inspiring and highly effective exhibitions. Backed by 40 years of experience in South Africa and international support, Specialised Exhibitions has led the exhibition industry on the African continent by staging world-class events. Its exhibitions meet the needs of the industries it serves and provides valueadded opportunities for exhibitors and visitors alike. With the combined portfolio of exhibitions, the company now runs over 20 world-class events over a two-year period across the regions of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western and Eastern Cape.

Markex’s exceptional reputation has been further strengthened this year with a new partnership between Markex and the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) Academy that will see the launch of the MICE CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programme, adding value to the exhibition and enabling people in the industry to accumulate verifiable credits.

Markex takes place from 10 to 12 June at the Sandton Convention Centre, followed

by Cape Town from 14 -15 August at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Markex is the ideal event for representatives from all sectors of business, creative agencies, PR companies, event organisers and resellers to source product and supplier information; keep abreast of new technology and industry trends; see, test, compare and evaluate the latest products, acquire technical information and assess vendors and brands.

For more information on the MARKEX expo or to book your stand go to www. markex.co.za or call Fran Lurie on +27 11 883 7837/082 570 7942 or e-mail franl@specialised.com.

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A mixed bag of

© Subhadip Mukherjee

EAST AFRICAN TRAVEL T

by Lesley Stones

wo tourism and travel exhibitions recently staged in South Africa extended their focus to put neighbouring African countries in the spotlight.

The Indaba and the We Are Africa events both acknowledged that all countries and industry professionals can benefit by promoting the region as a whole.

But how good are the attractions and facilities north of our borders, and what initiatives are those countries taking to promote themselves?

The attractions are certainly there, and in many cases, the infrastructure needed to cater for international tourists and business conferences and events are also appearing.

Travel trade fairs were held in both Zambia and Zimbabwe in April, yet unhelpfully they actually clashed with each other.

The 7th Zambia International Travel Expo (ZITE) in Lusaka billed itself as the country’s only tourism marketing event that brings together the best of local and regional tourism

products and services, whilst attracting international visitors and buyers.

The focus this year was on boosting domestic and regional tourism rather than aiming internationally. “Creating travel itineraries that extend between neighbouring countries will give the traveller and tourist more choice and will increase tourist arrivals. Zambia is well positioned to be the hub for the region,” said organiser Chimwemwe Nyirenda.

Despite those regional ambitions, Zimbabwe’s A’Sambeni exhibition designed to attract regional visitors happened on the same dates. A’Sambeni highlighted adventure, cultural and eco-tourism and encouraged tourists and business people to see multiple countries on one visit.

Although buyers could have theoretically attended both shows, the timing prevented exhibitors participating in both, undermining the lip-service paid to regional cooperation.

One move that shows how cooperating can benefit all players came with the creation of a single East Africa Tourist Visa in January.

The $100 visa applies to Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, with the issuing country keeping $40 and the others receiving $30. It is valid for 90 days and can be bought on entering any of the countries.

Stephen Asiimwe, CEO of Uganda Tourism Board, said global trends showed that travellers want a more holistic travel experience. “The single tourist visa is a sign of continued efforts and cooperation among the respective tourism boards and will continue to grow as we launch the joint marketing platform,” he said.

Yet one thing hampering East Africa is less obvious than any lack of infrastructure – it’s the airfares. Airfares between neighbouring countries or from the rest of the world are unacceptably high, if they’re available at all. A return flight from Antananarivo in Mozambique to Lusaka in Zambia, for example, costs from $2,128 and flies you via Johannesburg. As a result, many Africans only fly if their company is paying, and few companies are prepared to pay that much, even to attend a useful conference.

“Even without price drops, more flights

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“

International tourism earned Africa $43.6-billion in 2012, and directly created eight million jobs.

This could grow with increased and cheaper air transport.

“

© Hollie Jeans

and more routes are clearly needed,” says Lee Crawfurd, a development economist writing for the African Development Bank. “International tourism earned Africa $43.6-billion in 2012, and directly created eight million jobs. This could grow with increased and cheaper air transport.”

Africa has less than 1% of global flights despite having 12% of the world’s population.

Problems include state protection of national carriers, the resulting lack of competition, high taxes imposed by governments who still see flights as a luxury, and poor safety records.

Although some East African countries can benefit from a unified approach

to tourism, others, like Mauritius and Madagascar, are stand-alone destinations because of their location.

Mauritius has almost perfected its tourism industry, with exceptional hotels, good conference facilities and enough natural attractions to keep visitors happy. Its biggest drawback is the cost, with high airfares and hotel prices making it expensive compared to other destinations. It’s certainly more geared towards Europeans than Africans.

Tanzania saw tourism become its greatest earner of foreign exchange last year, overtaking the gold industry. To capitalise on that the

government has ambitious plans to improve its airline, roads and railways infrastructure and to boost business tourism by increasing the number of hotels with world-class conference facilities.

Tanzania’s safari experiences are magnificent, with the Serengeti home to the spectacular wildebeest migration. Adventurers can climb Mount Kilamanjaro, while beach bums head for Zanzibar, the island off the coast. For business meetings, Dar es Salaam is the undisputed capital, with its modern conference centre and trade fair grounds hosting a growing number of pan-Africa events.

Madgascar’s tourism industry is still in its infancy, with poor transport, expensive airfares and a lack of training and facilities that make it a quite rustic. Yet the abundance of wildlife means the island has much to offer, if the newly-elected government can support the private sector in harnessing the natural resources without over-exploiting them.

Botswana is well known for Chobe and the Okavango Delta, with mokoro boats giving an exciting twist to the traditional safari. It also boasts the Tsodilo Hills, a World Heritage Site rich with 4,500 rock paintings. For the adventurous, the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race is a gruelling four-day race for 4x4s, quads and motorbikes.

Several tour operators offer trips combining various East African countries. One popular package is a cruise on the Chobe followed by a hop to Zimbabwe’s stunning Victoria Falls.

Wildlife company Wilderness Safaris hopes

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Kenyan villager in traditional dress © www.sxu.hu

Namibia © Yannboix

Namibia © Frank Faasen

View of Mt Kilimanjaro from Tanzania © www.sxc.hu

Cityscape, Mauritius © Eutrophication&hypoxia

to open a camp in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park this year. An existing camp, Ruckomechi Camp, has a new sleep-out option where guests sleep on a deck by the Zambezi flood plain, which attracts elephant, buffalo, lion and wild dogs.

In Namibia, Wilderness Safaris is opening the Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp in a region of stark mountains, vast plains and dry riverbeds.

Desert-adapted elephants inhabit the area, along with lion and black rhino.

Mozambique’s greatest attractions are its diving sites, littered with 17th century Portuguese shipwrecks. Culturally it boasts the Ilha de Mozambique World Heritage Site, the former capital with colonial buildings including San Sebastiao Fort dating from 1558 AD. In Zambia, Livingstone is the tourism centre thanks to the thundering Victoria Falls. Zambia also boasts South Luangwa National Park, while Kasaba Bay by Lake Tanganika is being developed as a holiday resort.

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ZAMBIA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL EXPO | 27

Professional Conference Organisers (PCO) & Exhibition Managers Africast Exhibition Management is Zambia’s highly rated Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) & Exhibition Manager. Our core business is Industry focused Exhibitions & Conferences. We believe Industry focused exhibitions are an effective means of business development due to the high return on investment, not only in terms of tangible business dollars but also intangible benefits such as increased profile and superior networking capabilities.

All our exhibitions and conferences are annual events and will always be hosted in conjunction with the related government ministry, regulators and industry stakeholders.

Each year inevitably, we work with other international and regional PCO’s to bring to Zambia exhibitions and conferences of international standards. We are at the centre of MICE sector development in Zambia.

As a fast growing company, we are driven by the passion of providing satisfaction to the client through a second to none service delivery. Promising to exceed our clients’ expectations, we deliver a professional service unbeatable, creating both a name and a brand called AFRICAST in all circles of our business.

Event Highlight Inviting tourism exhibitors, buyers & visitors 25 - 27 April 2014 Lusaka - Zambia

Contact Details 25 Sable Rd, Suite No. 5, Kabulonga Postnet Box562, Private Bag e891, Manda Hill Lusaka, Zambia t: +26 021 126 7295/6/9 m: +260955/0977 159945 e: info@africastzambia.com sales@africastzambia.com chimwemwe@africastzambia.com www.zambianexpos.com

28 | SPOTLIGHT

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CAPE TOWN ART FAIR looks forward to 2015 show

I

n closing the Cape Town Art Fair earlier this year, the Chairman and Founder of The Sovereign Group, which sponsored the Fair, Howard Bilton said: “We asked children to put stickers next to their favourite artwork; the idea behind this was that Sovereign would then buy the kids’ most popular artwork. We decided to go a step further and offer the work as a donation to the permanent collection of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, which opens in 2016 at the V&A Waterfront. The children’s choice was a work by Jody Paulsen exhibited in the Brundyn + Gallery stand. As this piece was already sold, we will support the purchase of a new work by Jody Paulsen to be commissioned by Zeitz MOCAA.” Mark Coetzee, Executive Director and Chief Curator said: “The Trustees, Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA are honoured to have this work included in Zeitz MOCAA’s collection. The work of Jody Paulsen is on our future acquisition list so this gift fits in perfectly with our collection strategy This painting will be named The Sovereign Art Foundation Children’s Choice (from the 2014 Cape Town Art Fair). Our

curatorial team will work closely with the artist to ensure this commission is a museum quality piece to be held at Zeitz MOCAA in perpetuity.

It is with the generosity of donors like Howard Bilton that Zeitz MOCAA will grow and fulfill its role in Cape Town, Africa and the World.”

The Sovereign Art Foundation raises money to support disadvantaged children using art as education, rehabilitation and therapy. In Asia, Sovereign has already raised over US$4-m and helped more than 12 000 kids. Through working with NGOs such as the Lalela Project in South Africa, the company is now committed to helping more and more disadvantaged children in Africa.

When World Design Capital CEO, Alayne Reesburg, spoke at The Cape Town Art Fair, she said that if you can’t feel that Cape Town’s time has come – signaled by the success of the Art Fair and all the other activities that are taking place in the City – then you would have to be living underground.

The Cape Town Art Fair took place at the Pavilion, V&A Waterfront and was judged to be a resounding success by gallerists, artists,

visitors and international art commentators.

International art curator, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, who is considered to be one of the most powerful and influential people in art in the world, visited the Cape Town Art Fair and particularly enjoyed artist Josh Ginsburg’s special project, Language Games, which involved assembling a series of micro exhibitions.

Presenting a diverse range of works loaned from galleries, private collections, friends, colleagues and the booths at the fair itself, the project engaged visitors in conversation sparked by the shifting combinations presented. Josh said he thinks that Hans-Ulrich Obrist probably also enjoys seeing art as a conversation.

Curated by Michaelis’s Prof Andrew Lamprecht and guest curator, Ernestine White, the Art Fair showcased over 34 leading SA galleries, including heavyweights Stevenson, Goodman and Everard Read, which displayed artworks by masters as well as a huge array of emerging talent from all over the African Continent. The fair was punctuated by a series of talks, debates, tours, book signings and even a special live performance by an Afronaut, portrayed by one of the country’s leading artists, Gerald Machona. Howard Bilton said that this Art Fair is bound to grow rapidly and his company has signed up to sponsor The Cape Town Art Fair for three years.

A sense of celebration pervaded the Art Fair and infected everyone involved. Some of the artists had fun designing some special cocktails for the Stevenson party which Copy Shop then created. The list included Athi-Patra Ruga’s Azanian Clutterf**k (using Jameson, vodka and rum) and Zander Blom’s untitled cocktail of just two shots of tequila, each of 25ml.

At the Vernissage and VIP events on the evening prior to the Cape Town Art Fair opening, most of the artwork was sold. Director of Fiera Milano, which organized the Fair, Louise Cashmore says: “This just demonstrates the value, appeal and relevance of holding an Art Fair in this city. We should be showcasing our talent and Fiera Milano is very proud to be able to facilitate this important event and make it an annual fixture on the international art calendar.

The Cape Town Art Fair will take place again next February. www.artfaircapetown.co.za

30 | COUNTRY SPOTLIGHT

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KENYA A Leader in East African Events

K

enya is a vibrant and friendly country located on the horn of Africa. The nation has cosmopolitan metropolises like Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa. From the mighty, snow-capped Kilimanjaro to expansive deserts and savannahs teeming with wildlife, the nation has a wealth of natural beauty just waiting to be explored.

Although it is a popular destination for photographers, filmmakers and tourists, Kenya is also home to a thriving business events industry. It is the powerhouse of the East, with international conglomerates often setting up regional headquarters in the capital of Nairobi.

Kenya is also beginning to realise its potential as an emerging African market and has recently begun working towards growing its middle class. The country is already miles ahead in terms of techonology, and plans to reach its development goals by 2030, opening further doors for business relations with both the East and the West.

What’s Happening Now Kenya Hospitality Trade Fair & Hotel Summit East Africa The Kenya Hospitality Trade Fair (KHTF) is East and Central Africa’s largest food and hospitality industry event and takes place from 14 to 16 May 2014. The show brings together international manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and solution providers in all sectors of the hospitality industry. The three-day event is run in conjunction with the Hotel Summit East Africa and is expected to attract over 10,000 professionals for business networking, exhibition and conferences.

Key Venues Kenyatta International Convention Centre Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) is an iconic, 30-storey edifice on the Nairobi skyline. Designed specifically for conference tourism, KICC helped pioneer Kenya’s rich meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions heritage since

its official opening in 1973. It is the only building in the region with a helipad and boasts eight meeting halls and exhibition areas – the largest having a capacity over 4,000 delegates. Each conference room is fully equipped with cutting-edge technology.

Getting to Kenya by Air Kenya is extremely accessible and its flagship carrier, Kenya Airways, offers regional and international flights to and from major airports. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi serves as a base between Central and Southern Africa, whilst 34 local airports in the region will allow you to connect to outlying areas.

Climate Because Kenya sits on the equator, it enjoys a tropical climate. It is hot and humid along the coast, but temperate inland near the capital. Rainy months are March, April, October and November, but there is generally plenty of sunshine all year round.

COUNTRY SPOTLIGHT | 31

Did you know?

Gorgeous Kenyan starlet Lupita Nyong’o took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Oscar-winning film, ‘12 Years A Slave’ this year – beating Jennifer Lawrence and Julia Roberts.

© Bruno Verbeken

“

Masai & Colourful Houses © Jonathan Hillis

“

The country is already miles ahead in terms of techonology, and plans to reach its development goals by 2030.

© Andreas Krappweis

© Subhadip Mukherjee

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32 | REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

THE NORTH WEST A Place to Play

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REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT | 33

www.theevent.co.za

F

Key Venues

and one of the biggest casinos in Africa. It can hold up to 6,000 delegates and has a host of accommodation and entertainment options including some superb golf courses.

The resort also has a theme park with a wide variety of rides and games to keep children occupied. On warm days, guests can relax poolside at the Valley of Waves, visit one of the many award-winning restaurants or see a live music show.

Tau Game Lodge A five-star lodge with international accolades, the Tau Game Lodge in the stunning Madikwe Game Reserve offers conference goers a remarkable experience.

The convention centre caters to 120 delegates and also has luxurious spa facilities for some true relaxation. The reserve is right up against the Botswana border and since its development in 1991, it is one of the best places to see the Big Five.

© SA Tourism

© Nicholas Raymond

© Sias Van Schalkwyk

You can go on a hot air balloon safari in Broederstroom. Bill Harrop’s Balloon Safaris offer top class sunrise flights departing from Harrop’s exquisite Clubhouse Pavilion and Restaurant situated in the Magaliesberg River Valley.

Nature has blessed the North West with breathtaking scenic beauty, so pack your camera. Now that’s travelling in style!

© Sias Van Schalkwyk

Sun City Resort Sun City is a world-renowned entertainment centre with top-notch conference facilities

Did you know?

Getting to the North West

by Air Pilanesberg International Airport serves the province, and is primarily a tourist service to the game reserves and casino complex at Sun City. Visitors can fly into either OR Tambo International Airport or Lanseria in Johannesburg and catch a connecting flight.

Mafikeng Airport has serves the capital and its surrounds.

Climate The North West enjoys a warm climate with plenty of sunshine. The region has late afternoon, summer rainfall between October and April, with temperatures ranging from 31 degrees Celsius in summer to a little as 3 degrees Celsius in winter.

Population 3.5 million (Census 2011, Statistics South Africa)

Pinnacle Point Beach and Gold Resort, Garden Route, Western Cape Province © SA Tourism, www.greatstock.co.za

rom luscious game reserves to exciting resorts, the North West province has a bounty of unique and unforgettable nooks to explore.

It is located to the west of Gauteng, and its capital, Mahikeng, is a melting pot of history, culture and outdoor adventure. The North West is the agricultural epicentre of South Africa and is also known as the ‘Platinum Province’ because 80% of the world’s platinum comes from here.

The region is a wildlife mecca and known for its game and nature reserves.

The Barberspan Bird Sanctuary is a pioneer in ornithological research, while Borakalalo National Park is a remote and peaceful bushveld of unusual beauty set in the Kalahari woodland country. Mafikeng Game Reserve is the home of the white rhino, and Molopo Game Reserve, located against the Botswana border, is an arid savannah that’s ideal for the wildlife enthusiast.

The charming people of the North West – the BaTwana – have a rich and colourful culture. Visitors can learn more about it in places like Lesedi Cultural Village and similar spots. For an even deeper understanding of where we came from, explorers can visit Taung, a hominid fossil site that’s part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

34 | EVENTS

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MAY THE WINE SHOW 08 – 10 Sandton, Joburg INDABA 2014 10 - 12 Durban 2014 CEM AFRICA SUMMIT 13 - 14 Cape Town MARKETING INDABA 15 – 16 Cape Town THE BROADCAST SHOW AFRICA 20 – 21 May Sandton, Joburg THE RURAL TELECOMS SHOW AFRICA 20 – 21 Cape Town SATCOM AFRICA 20 – 21 Sandton, Joburg

JUNE MTV AFRICA MUSIC AWARDS 7 Durban 4th SOUTH AFRICAN TB CONFERENCE 10 Durban SOUTH AFRICAN BOOK FAIR 13 - 15 Cape Town

North West Province, SA Tourism © www.greatstock.co.za

TOTALLY CONCRETE 25 – 27 Sandton, Joburg

SOURCE AFRICA TRADE SHOW 19 - 20

FOOD HOSPITALITY WORLD 26 – 28 Cape Town

TOP GEAR FESTIVAL 21 - 22 Durban

SECURITY SUMMIT 27 – 28 Sandton, Joburg

AFRICA’S BIG SEVEN 22 - 24 Gauteng

GOOD FOOD AND WINE SHOW 29 - 01 Cape Town

SAITEX 22 – 24 Gauteng

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EVENTS | 35

36 | INDUSTRY MOVES

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New SAACI General Manager Appointed

A

driaan Liebetrau has been appointed as general manager of the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI), with effect from May 2014.

SAACI National Chairperson Zelda Coetzee says Liebetrau’s appointment follows a thorough process to find a suitable candidate for the position.

“We received 19 applications and shortlisted four candidates, who each did an extensive interview with a panel of SAACI board members,” she says. “We are very pleased to have someone with extensive industry experience and intimate knowledge of the association, its roles and strategic plan.”

Liebetrau is a former SAACI national board member and former chairperson of the association’s Conferences and Events (C&E) Forum.

He studied Hospitality Management at the University of Johannesburg and completed a number of industry leadership and professional development diplomas.

He started working in the conference and events industry as a part-time worker while still in secondary school and has extensive hospitality industry experience, most notably with Protea Hotels and Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts.

He joined Travel with Flair in 2010 as C&E Team Leader and was promoted to C&E Operations Manager. Later, as National C&E Operations Manager, he managed

Adriaan Liebetrau

seven offices with over 50 team members, overseeing 12 000 conferences and events per year with approximately 3 000 suppliers in South Africa.

“I see this as an opportunity to play a significant role within our industry at large.

This is a dream job, no matter how you look at it. During my interview with the board I presented them with a possible 10-year strategy plan. Now it is to merge the plans and focus on the sustainability and growth of the association. I would like to request our members to make a concerted effort to join us at the annual congress where we will share our vision in more detail,” says Liebetrau.

“We welcome him to the SAACI head office and trust he will find the environment stimulating and rewarding,” says Coetzee.

“We look forward to working with him to grow SAACI and the business events industry in Southern Africa.”

“

I see this as an opportunity to play a significant role within our industry at large. This is a dream job, no matter how you look at it.

“

EVENT GREENING | 37

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Purchasing your way to

A GREEN EVENT

E

verything you use for your event has an impact on the environment.

Imagine the impact of all the products, services and materials used at events every year. Now imagine the golden opportunity for the events industry to make a paradigm shift towards reducing the negative impact, simply through educated, responsible purchasing decisions.

What is responsible or green procurement?

Responsible procurement means selecting products and services that have the lowest negative impact on the environment. That is, the lowest impact on the earth’s ecosystems and people.

Unfortunately, the concept of green procurement can be daunting. It can be a minefield of allegory, misinformation, conflicting research, controversy and constantly evolving definitions of green criteria.

Green management, operations and procurement are generally neglected.

A major shift in buying habits requires resolve, education and considerably more effort, with every single thing that is bought, used or consumed at your event chosen with care.

Websites like www.greenstuff.co.za have done the work for you and endeavour to select ‘greener’ or the ‘greenest’ versions of products used for functions, conferences and exhibitions. The Greenstuff website includes a category called ‘Conference and Event Stuff’, especially created for members of the Event Greening Forum. The Greenstuff team also consults and runs workshops to explain the rationales and criteria applied to green credentials.

In order to green your procurement process you need to consider the following: • Buy locally whenever you can, because that will enhance the economic and social health of a region, promote small economies instead of corporate institutions, and negate the large carbon footprints of transport.

• Be aware of ‘green washing’, where a manufacturer deliberately provides misleading information about the ‘greenness’ of a product. We need to be

•

•

•

•

alert to this type of deception, challenge suppliers and demand honesty.

When you tender for goods and services, the way you define standards and specifications needs radical change; you need a sound understanding of why and what must change, how to change and where to find solutions.

Professional Purchasing Managers need to adjust the Key Performance Areas of their Supplier Evaluation Template to include eco criteria. Decide which aspects of greening take priority for you and have either one overall green segment, or subcategories for energy, water, waste and operating equipment KPAs. Each product purchased should be selected based on its overall green credentials - its Lifecycle Analysis (LCA).

That means evaluating the environmental consequences of a product through all the different stages of its life, referred to as ‘cradle to grave’. Or better still, consider the product’s ‘cradle to cradle’ impact.

You need to consider where and how raw materials are sourced, the manufacturing process, handling, transport, safety, and finally, the disposal of the product.

When selecting products for your event, your display or exhibition stand, use the LCA for each product, then choose the greenest you can find. And, if you find a product worthy of consideration share the

•

information with your colleagues.

Be firm with your suppliers. The manufacturer of a product should be able to furnish you with information on the green compliance at each level of his supply chain. He should continue to monitor this for as long as his company remains a preferred supplier.

Greening the event industry is not about cost. It is about price, the price our children will pay for our apathy. It is not about being better than your competitor. It is about everyone collaborating to clean up our industry.

Don’t wait until government legislation forces change. Be proactive. Start somewhere; anywhere. It’s actually easier than you think.

With thanks to Lorraine Jenks, founder of Hotelstuff and/Greenstuff – Event Greening Forum member

38 | ASSOCIATIONS

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North West Province © SA Tourism | Great Stock Images

Middle East Meetings Tripled Says ICCA

SAACI and KWV Sign Partnership Agreement

The Number of International Association Meetings in the Middle Eats has more than tripled in the last 10 years, the ICCA announced in a recent release.

“Looking at aggregated figures for each five year period,” it said, “the number of regularly-occurring, internationally-rotating association meetings in the Middle East has doubled in each decade in the last 50 years, ad more than tripled in the last 10 years.”

ICCA’s 50-year statistics report “A Modern History of International Association Meetings: 1963-2012”, which was published as part of ICCA’s 50th anniversary, shows that the total number of regularly-occurring, internationally-rotating association meetings is increasing by 100% every 10 years, and has been consistently doing so for the last half century, with no signs of a slowdown.

“Our statistics are proving what we have long suspected: that the world is experiencing an unprecedentedly revolutionary period in terms of knowledge creation,” ICCA CEO Martin Sirk said.

“The Middle East joined the Information Revolution more recently than most regions, so it is not surprising to see some of the world’s fastest growth rates here, now that excellent meetings infrastructure has been developed, governments have created knowledge strategies to underpin their economic development agendas, and local demand for education and knowledgetransfer is at an all-time high.

The 50-year report is publicly available online at www.icca50.com.

The Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) and KWV, pioneers of the South African wine industry and one of the leading wine and spirits producers in the world, have signed a partnership agreement. This is a part of SAACI’s new five-year business strategy. In terms of the agreement, the brands in the KWV family will be introduced to SAACI members on various platforms.

“We are delighted to be part of this association with SAACI,” Werner Swanepoel, Commercial Director at KWV said in a recent statement. “We believe our premium portfolio of wines and spirits will offer a high quality product for each and every event and with a brand image consistent with that of the South African conference industry.”

SAACI members will receive a tailored service when purchasing KWV products for their events and conferences. In addition, edu-workshops will be arranged which could include wine and food pairing and cocktail mixing, specifically aimed at educating younger professionals and entrants to the industry.

ASSOCIATIONS | 39

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UFI Education Award Announced

SkyTeam Boosts Support for ACTE

The UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, recently honoured “The Milton Graduates Trainee Programme” (MGTP) as the winner of the 2014 UFI Education Award. The awards recognise the need for continuing education in the trade fair sector – this is the second education award to date. “The selection of the MGTP programme recognizes that operational efficiency and creativity can indeed go handin-hand,” the UFI said in a statement.

UFI’s Education Committee selected three finalists meeting UFI competition criteria: Feria de Madrid, IFEMA (Madrid), Milton Exhibits Group (Hong Kong), and Reed China (Shanghai). During their recent meeting in Milan, the jury selected the 2014 winner after in-depth presentations by each finalist.

Through its annual programme of education, ICT, marketing, operations, sustainable development and art of the fair poster competitions, the UFI recognizes notable achievements in the field of exhibitions. Milton will receive their UFI Education Award trophy before an audience of industry leaders at the 81st UFI Congress in Bogota in October 2014.

SkyTeam – the global airline alliance spanning over 1,064 destinations in 178 countries – has increased its commitment to advance business travel education through the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE). ACTE’s newest “Chairman Circle Sponsor”, SkyTeam recently joined the highest level of industry suppliers to recognize the content and value of the association’s global travel conferences and extensive international forum programmes.

“SkyTeam is pleased to play a bigger role in providing more innovative and exciting educational opportunities to the business travel industry through ACTE,” said Mr Jerome D’Anglejan, SkyTeam’s Sales Director. “Our alliance brings people and ideas together, just as ACTE creates networks and opportunities for our industry to share ideas and grow.”

The association is equally pleased by this development, with Executive Director Greeley Koch saying, “We are delighted they have increased their contribution to help launch our most ambitious conference agenda to date, plus an international educational program with 63 events in 22 countries.” Koch went on to say that SkyTeam’s insight would also contribute to developing new membership benefits.

40 | DIRECTORY LISTINGS

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ADVERTISERS COMPANY

TELEPHONE

EMAIL

WEBSITE

Expocentre

+27 11 494 1920

info@expocentre.co.za

www.expocentre.co.za www.expocentre.co.za

Sandton Convention Centre

+27 11 779 0000

scc.info@tsogosun.com

www.saconvention.co.za www.saconvention.co.za

Idea Lab

+27 11 880 0058

diego@idealabevents.co.za

www.idealabevents.co.za www.idealabevents.co.za

Showgroup

+27 11 888 5000

info@showgroup.co.za

www.showgroupworld.com www.showgroupworld.com

Intercape

+27 21 380 4400

charters@intercape.co.za

www.intercape.co.za www.intercape.co.za

Concept G

+27 86 122 2678

info@conceptg.co.za

www.conceptg.co.za www.conceptg.co.za

Prosperis Technology

+27 86 178 2266

info@prosperis.com

www.prosperis.com www.prosperis.com

Blu Cube

+27 861 blucube

studio@blu3.co.za

www.blu3.co.za www.blu3.co.za

Protea Hotel Parktonian

+27 11 403 5740

accom@parktonian.co.za

www.parktonian.co.za www.parktonian.co.za

RSVP Agency

+27 11 656 3645

terry@rsvpagency.co.za

www.rsvpagency.co.za www.rsvpagency.co.za

Specialised Exhibitions

+27 (0) 11 835-1565

info@specialised.com

www.specialised.com www.specialised.com

Riverside Hotel & Spa

+27 31 563 0600

reserve@riversidehotel.co.za

www.riversidehotel.co.za www.riversidehotel.co.za

Crossroads Hotel

+265 1 750 333

reservations@crossroadshotel.net

www.crossroadshotel.net www.crossroadshotel.net

CONTACT US

Cover Image: Shutterstock Š lcswart Publisher: Lance Gibbons lance@filmeventmedia.co.za Executive Editor: Katie Reynolds katie@filmeventmedia.co.za Head of Design: Jess Novotnå jess@filmeventmedia.co.za Designer: Sheree Steenkamp sheree@filmeventmedia.co.za Editorial & Design Co-ordinator: Kim Muller kim@filmeventmedia.co.za

Digital Co-ordinator: Tammi Klein tammi@filmeventmedia.co.za Production Co-ordinator: Siyasanga Denga siyasanga@filmeventmedia.co.za Manager, Special Projects: Taryn Fowler taryn@filmeventmedia.co.za Brand Manager: Penni Will penni@filmeventmedia.co.za Sales Manager (Outside SA): Shaun Ross shaun@filmeventmedia.co.za 57 2nd Avenue, Harfield Village, Claremont 7708, Cape Town, South Africa Tel: +27 21 674 0646

Join us www.filmeventmedia.co.za www.theevent.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.

MEETING IN AFRICA? MEET EPG

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tel: 021 674 0646 | email: taryn@filmeventmedia.co.za