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

AWARDSTHE Loerie Awards’ CEO An-drew Human has been in-volved with the International Andy Awards, the One Show, the Art Directors Club Annual Awards and the London Inter-national Advertising Awards so it’s safe to assume that he knows what he’s doing when it comes to putting together an awards show.

THIS year’s Loerie Awards take place from 16-18 Sep-tember 2011 at the Cape

Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), a big change from the Good Hope Centre which gave organisers carte blanche in terms of décor and design. “The challenge with the Good Hope Centre was that it was a big empty shell,” explains Andrew. “It required a lot of production work just to get the chairs inside and a lot of work to get the venue up to standard.”

This year’s Loerie Awards will take place inside the CTICC auditorium, which fea-tures plush seats and a ready-made stage. “It’s really fi rst class. Ticket holders will walk into a fi rst class environment that is of a fi ve-star standard,” he says.

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

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

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

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

But despite the fairly dras-tic changes, Andrew insists that his team will be raising the bar this year. “We want the awards to be more about the awards, and not just a party. For this reason it will be strictly two hours and focus on the

winning work. We want people to be inspired by the winning brands that use creativity and innovation in their businesses. The awards will be a showcase of this creative work.”

Andrew says that this year’s structure is a step up and that includes the legendary party. “The after party will be big-ger and better. The agencies have agreed to only host their individual parties on the Sat-urday night so that the offi cial Sunday night after party at The Fez can take dominance. We

have a lot planned.”There won’t be a Long

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

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

Andrew hints at other inno-vative uses of transport which may include ferries on the ca-nal linking the CTICC and the V&A Waterfront.

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

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

Sally Fink

BIG CHANGES AT THE LOERIESAndrew Human

2

OPINIONCAROL Weaving, managing director of the Thebe Exhibi-tions and Projects Group, was recently named Top Perform-ing Businesswoman of the Year

at the African Access National Business Awards.

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

“AT the outset I should say that the exhibition busi-ness is probably one of

the most complex and dy-namic businesses around,” says Carol.

She explains that successful exhibitions depend on a num-ber of factors – among others the emphasis placed on the ex-hibition in the company’s mar-keting strategy, actual business conducted by exhibitors, effec-tive measuring tools and, to a lesser extent, visitor numbers.

For example, a show of 150 exhibitors or less will attract around 5 000 visitors and un-der, while a show with 200 to 300 exhibitors can attract dou-ble the number of visitors, ie. 10 000 visitors.

“There is often a correlation between exhibitor numbers and visitor numbers, especially when exhibitors have mar-keted their presence at the exhibition among existing and potential clients. This comple-ments more generic marketing done by the exhibition organ-iser and mostly applies to con-sumer exhibitions,” she says.

Carol says that often the correlation between exhibitor numbers and visitor numbers is less in the case of trade events. “At any point an industry – for instance media technology – has a certain number of po-tential exhibitors and no more,

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

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

“They also differ hugely in terms of marketing. Here the exhibition organiser relies on market research, media preference, buyer patterns, competitors’ offerings and, of course, available budget! For instance, marketing to consumers often involves ra-dio and television and is more costly. This does not mean that marketing in a specific in-dustry is less challenging, as in-dustries have different market-ing channels that need to be understood by the marketer.”

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

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

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

The African Access Nation-took place in Johannesburg in July. Presented by Topco Me-dia, candidates competed in 20 categories.

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

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

Sally Fink

CAROL WEAVING ON THE FORMULA BEHIND EVENTS

Carol Weaving

3

OPINIONSPONSORSHIP plays a major role in sports business and has helped the sports industry weather the global economic recession. But just what role does sponsorship play in the events industry?

SPONSORSHIP can take an event to new heights and add that much needed

“wow” factor. An increased bud-get can affect everything from catering to delegate capacity and even choice of venue. But of course, sponsorship isn’t just a matter of accepting money to do with what you want. It’s im-portant to remember that spon-sors are not financial backers but also partners. Scott McCune, Co-ca-Cola’s vice president, Global Partnerships and Experiential Marketing said, “We used to be seen as a big red bank. That bank is closed. We can put mon-ey into something, but we are re-ally looking for shared value.”

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

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

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

Craig explains that through exhibitions and events, the or-ganiser offers sponsors captive markets, databases, informa-tion relative to audience pat-terns, demographics and re-search opportunities. “They also allow for the sponsors to capi-talise on unique promotional opportunities and be creative in ways in which they broadcast their message.”

Craig believes the thinking behind business partnerships is about access to target mar-kets. “Sponsors need opportu-nities to leverage their brands or products. These opportuni-ties have to illustrate a direct route for return on investment for the sponsor and the event. For sponsorship to be sustained, there has to be a “win win” situ-ation, clearly illustrated.”

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

its participation and these must all form part of the sponsorship agreement. Event organisers must understand what is re-quired to work with sponsors for the duration of the event. There should be structured cost-sharing agreements and release clauses to reduce risk and lay out a clear framework for engagement.

When compiling a proposal for potential sponsors it’s essen-tial to be clear about what the sponsor will receive in return. Offered benefits can include, among other things, display-ing the sponsor’s banner at the event; mentioning the sponsor’s name during proceedings; dis-playing the sponsor’s logo on the podium; including the spon-sor’s logo in all formal commu-nication both printed and elec-tronic; inclusion of the sponsor’s logo on event website; clothing printed with the sponsor’s logo and exclusivity.

Setting sponsorship levels is a good way of securing a wide range of sponsorship offerings. Event organisers can create sponsorship levels such as plati-num, gold, silver or bronze de-pending on what each level provides, whether it’s monetary, equipment or other services.

Lastly, organisers must en-sure that every requirement in the sponsorship agreement has been addressed and that spon-sors are achieving the best return on their investment. Agreements

should include clear mecha-nisms for the resolution of issues.

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

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

Sally Fink

WHY SPONSORS ARE NOT BANKS?

Craig Newman

4

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

ON 18 July 2011 Tony Romer-Lee (CEO of The Collection by Liz Mc-

Grath) wrote an open letter to

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

“There is no doubt that South Africa provides a vast array of experiences that are difficult to match anywhere in the World. Compared to a destination such as Australia, South Africa wins hands down in every fac-et of tourism: quality, service, value, diversity, history, culture, natural adventure, food and wine… So why is it that this year Australia expects to attract six

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

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

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

The effects of the recession are still apparant, but in South Africa many believe the slump has more to do with the World Cup than anything else. The Site seminar aimed to investi-gate this and was facilitated by Tes Proos, president-elect for Site South Africa, and Site international board member David Sand.

Some of the major causes of the current slump were high-lighted as:•High prices•A drop in service levels•High airport taxes•The exchange rate•Undercutting•World Cup hangover•Competing destinations

It was unanimous that one major issue that needs urgent attention is undercutting. Ac-comodation providers have resorted to drastically cutting their prices in order to attract business. Smaller DMCs and PCOs are also guilty of under-cutting and it’s affecting larg-er companies and their sup-pliers. Undercutting is a short term solution that can have devastating effects on the smaller establishments.

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

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

At the Site conference held in South Africa last year out-going South African Tourism (SAT) CEO Thandiwe January-McLean echoed Marthinus’s statements. “Our aim is to in-crease the business tourism vol-ume as well as create a more balanced geographic spread,” she said. But during her speech, she only mentioned the various congresses and conventions that her department helped to secure rather than the organ-isation’s successes in the incen-tive travel arena.

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

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

But despite this Peter cau-

IS INCENTIVE TRAVEL IN CRISIS?

Cultural tourism is seein as one of South Africa’s biggest attractions

5

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

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

Daryl believes the indus-

try is slowly starting to recover. “We are unfortunately expe-riencing a slump in incentive groups, however having spent five weeks overseas at trade shows and visiting clients dur-ing the past few months I can report that incentive travel is recovering. The major source markets of Europe and the USA are seeing more incentive pro-grammes travelling and the cli-ents are once again looking at long haul destinations.”

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

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

“We also need to inves-tigate the question of South Africa no longer being the perceived ‘value for money’ destination. The weakening international currencies are not helping. At least, we have seen most hotels holding rates

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

The seminar ended on a postive note with David out-linining some of the possible resolutions that need to be actioned in order for incentive travel to see some much wel-come growth including a call to meet with SAT to discuss the situation. “We need to call for a formal meeting with SAT to dis-cuss outcomes of meeting and research conducted in the val-ue of lost business for this half of 2011. Further research must be commissioned. I suggest a fo-rum to discuss the issue regard-ing taxes and levies and the ACSA issue,” says David.

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

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

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

tonomy, reporting regularly to the minister of tourism and to the industry, to move ahead and unite the national tour-ism effort. Without a single, fo-cused driving force this industry will continue to flounder and underperform and more busi-nesses will close, more people will be out of work. Surely the

government and more impor-tantly the people of SA do not want this…”

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

Sally Fink

Tony Romer-Lee

5

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

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

Daryl believes the indus-

try is slowly starting to recover. “We are unfortunately expe-riencing a slump in incentive groups, however having spent five weeks overseas at trade shows and visiting clients dur-ing the past few months I can report that incentive travel is recovering. The major source markets of Europe and the USA are seeing more incentive pro-grammes travelling and the cli-ents are once again looking at long haul destinations.”

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

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

“We also need to inves-tigate the question of South Africa no longer being the perceived ‘value for money’ destination. The weakening international currencies are not helping. At least, we have seen most hotels holding rates

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

The seminar ended on a postive note with David out-linining some of the possible resolutions that need to be actioned in order for incentive travel to see some much wel-come growth including a call to meet with SAT to discuss the situation. “We need to call for a formal meeting with SAT to dis-cuss outcomes of meeting and research conducted in the val-ue of lost business for this half of 2011. Further research must be commissioned. I suggest a fo-rum to discuss the issue regard-ing taxes and levies and the ACSA issue,” says David.

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

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

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

tonomy, reporting regularly to the minister of tourism and to the industry, to move ahead and unite the national tour-ism effort. Without a single, fo-cused driving force this industry will continue to flounder and underperform and more busi-nesses will close, more people will be out of work. Surely the

government and more impor-tantly the people of SA do not want this…”

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

Sally Fink

Tony Romer-Lee

6

AWARDSTHE finalists for the Loerie awards have been announced, includ-ing the best Live Events.

Volkswagen Sedan ShowcaseBLUE Moon Corporate Commu-nications conceptualised Volk-swagen’s Sedan Showcase by utilising a purpose built, 37-meter long set for a 40-minute HD pres-entation. The audience was then invited to test drive the vehicles. A total of 11 656 test drives were conducted nationally. Later that same evening, the 2010 Grand Prix Awards took place in the same venue. The show culminat-

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

The Walking DeadIRELAND/Davenport called on the services of event manage-ment company At Vogue Com-munications to launch Top TV’s new show The Walking Dead. The Team conceptualised a Zombie Walk where members of the public lurch around Johan-nesburg made up as corpses, putting the wind up unknowing

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

Silverstar Casino Card Stacker TO celebrate Silverstar Casino’s third birthday King James RSVP brought out Cardstacker ex-traordinairé and multiple Guin-ness World Record Holder, Bryan Berg. Performing in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, Bryan spent ten days in a per-spex box building a 3 metre high number 3 as well as replicating the Silverstar Casino using 63 000 freestanding playing cards. The event generated millions of rands worth of free national and

international media as well as global exposure for the casino.

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

The brief was to raise San-lam’s annual Benchmark Sym-posium to a new level and to re-iterate Sanlam as thought lead-ers in the industry.

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

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

Breast Cancer Awareness PUBLICIS put together an inter-nal campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month for Sanofi-Aventis staff. Customised T-shirts had to be worn on ‘Pink Friday’ where male and female staff at-tended an informative lunch to learn more about Breast Cancer. The Breast Cancer Month was used as a 31 day activation, en-couraging staff to do something meaningful for change.

Edgars Shoe Affair THE Jupiter Drawing Room in-vited some of South Africa’s

top fashion photographers and stylist duos to create bespoke artworks, bringing to life their in-terpretation of a woman’s love affair with shoes. The original prints of each of these bespoke artworks were auctioned off to the highest bidder on the night of the event and all proceeds went to the SOS Children’s vil-lages. The campaign was short-listed at the WGSN Global Fash-ion Awards.

Scotland From Home THE Jupiter Drawing Room to-gether with 2.0 Media concep-tualised and implemented TV spoofs for Brandhouse to show-case the company’s various whisky brands. The campaign was also linked to the FNB Whis-key Festival. A secondhand car-avan was purchased, and host Bruce Campbell set up camp in the CTICC exhibition hall.

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

LOERIES LIVE EVENT FINALISTS

Scotland from Home

GENERAL INDUSTRYIF you have any news highlightsto share please visit our web por-tal www.theevent.co.za and loadyour own stories for considerationin next month’s edition.

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

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

“These appointments are an indication of the extent to which

South African Tourism prioritises its relationship with the global and domestic travel and tourism trade; its commitment to build-ing mutual partnerships with the trade to grow arrivals to South Africa; and its determination to be a partner for profitability with everyone who sells South Africa,” said Roshene Singh, chief mar-keting officer at SAT.

EXSA tip-off line to prevent crimeEXSA will implement a country-wide tip-off line to prevent crime in industry.

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

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

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

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

consecutive AAD that Expo Solu-tions has been involved with.

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

Thebe to manage stadiumTHEBE Exhibitions and Projects Group have been contract-ed to handle the commercial management of the Moses Ma-

bhida Stadium in Durban, on behalf of BKS.

“This spectacular facility, which is just a stone’s throw from the Durban beach front, offers unlimited possibilities for the stag-ing of major concerts, sporting events, conferences as well as exhibitions. Thebe is already in the process of securing some fantastic line-ups and has ap-pointed Grant Medcalf, the gen-eral manager of the Coca-Cola dome, as the new commercial manager of the Stadium. His relo-cation to Durban has led to Cyn-thia Penprase being appointed acting general manger of the-dome,” says managing director Carol Weaving.

Sally Fink

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Silverstar Casino Launch

MINI Countryman Launch

7

8

EXHIBITIONSAFTER a successful leg in Jo-hanesburg that attracted 9 700 visitors and corporate buy-ers, Specialised Exhibitions are bringing their marketing and promotions expo, Markex, to Cape Town.

MARKEX Cape is a bi-annual event al-though it skipped last

year because of the Soccer World Cup. The 2008 event at-tracted 3 379 visitors. Organis-ers are expecting 3 600 visitors

this year as well as 130 exhibi-tors, a notable increase.

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

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

Markex and World of Events is an important industry resource. In 2008, the top business activi-ties listed by visitors were suppli-ers, promotion and promotional gift companies, event manage-ment companies and advertis-ing agencies, indicating the tar-geted nature of the audience.

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

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

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

Exhibitors are as keen about the Cape Town leg of the show as they were of the Joburg event. “Our aim is to raise awareness of our presence in the Cape mar-ket, as well as to network with po-tential users of our services and offerings. We believe Markex Cape Town to be a forum that will draw marketing people to our showcase, and be a meet-ing of minds and ideas that will benefit all who participate into the future,” says Andrew Keymer, 3D Cape director.

Justin Hawes from Scan Dis-play says, “We will be exhibit-ing at Markex Cape in August, in part because of the success of Markex Johannebsburg, but also because there has not been a show in Cape Town for a while. We want to continue to grow our presence in the West-ern Cape, as it is an important segment of South Africa’s mar-keting industry.”

John Binns from John Binns Marketing says his main objec-tive is to highlight the fact that there is an active and repre-sentative body for marketing practitioners in South Africa with representation in Cape Town. He also plans to interact with the broader marketing community

such as advertising, PR, and Di-rect Mail.

Lauren Weaver from Vic Bay Leisure Wear says, “The South Af-rican clothing industry has taken one knock after another lead-ing to many job losses and fac-tory closures. Markex provides a platform whereby we get an op-portunity to meet many market-ing people in a short time under one roof. This allows us to pro-mote our garments as Proudly Made in South Africa amongst mostly imported products.”

Richard Jermyn from Crea-tives says, “We exhibited at Markex in Johannesburg last year for the first time and had an amazing response. This year we decided to make a real state-ment and had a 56 square me-ter stand which we custom de-signed to give people a feel for our creativity. We will be using the same stand in Cape Town. Rather than try exhibit our entire business, we took carefully se-lected elements which we have chosen to highlight. We also made use of technology, en-couraging customers to use our website as a resource - all our products and prices are online.”

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

Sally Fink

MARKEX RETURNS TO CAPE TOWN

Markex World of Events

GENERAL INDUSTRYIF you have any news highlightsto share please visit our web por-tal www.theevent.co.za and loadyour own stories for considerationin next month’s edition.

SAT calls for unitySOUTH African Tourism (SAT) board chairperson Jabu Mabu-za has issued a statement in re-sponse to industry’s growing con-cerns over the current economic climate. “We’re very conscious that business in the travel and tourism industry is taking strain at the moment, as is the case in most parts of the world. We’ve noted the recent Tourism Busi-ness Index registering a perfor-mance index of 74.5 in the sec-

ond quarter of 2011, lower than expected.”

He lists some of the causes of the slump as South Africa’s strong currency, changing travel pat-terns, including the increasing tendency of tourists to buy more affordable accommodation and other tourism-related prod-ucts, increasing unemployment in most First World countries and high fuel prices. “The domestic market has also been weaker than anticipated, which exacer-bates the impact of lower occu-pancies on the very substantial increase in room inventory that happened in the run up to the World Cup.”

Jabu believes that it is now even more critical for the tour-ism industry to band together.

“But in these challenging times, it is now even more important for us as the entire tourism sec-tor to work even harder as a co-hesive, co-ordinated collective to analyse and react to tourism trends and aggressively promote our destination locally and inter-nationally as a value-for-money destination, given tourism’s sig-nificant contribution to our coun-try’s economy and sustainable job creation. Adverse economic conditions in many of our target markets are not expected to sig-nificantly improve over the next 2–3 years and unless we succeed in aggressively promoting our val-ue-for-money tourism product of-fering internationally in the face of an increasingly competitive in-ternational tourism environment,

the sustainability of our industry will come under even more pres-sure by 2014, when one of our key competitors will have the benefit of the FIFA World Cup.”

“We are also looking at the African business and leisure trav-el market with new eyes and in-vesting over R60-million this year on our marketing efforts on the African continent, identifying in particular significant potential for travel and high tourism spend in South Africa from tourists in Africa air markets such as Nigeria, An-gola, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

SATSA and RETOSA join forcesTHE Southern Africa Tourism Ser-vices Association (SATSA) and the Regional Tourism Organisa-

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

In terms of the agreement, RETOSA member states, which include Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mazambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swazi-land, Tanzania, Zambia and Zim-babwe will contribute editorial content pertaining to their coun-tries tourism trade for publication in the Tourism Tattler magazine, which will now become the Of-ficial Trade Journal of both SATSA and RETOSA.

Sally Fink

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Scan Display at Markex

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

The Wine Show5-7 August, Coca Cola dome, JHB

Baba Indaba5-8 August, CTICC, CPT

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

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

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition5-12 August, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, Gauteng

Durban International Fair5-14 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

STOP Fashion Show6 August, Val De Vie Polo Club, Paarl, Western Cape

Hermanus Food and Wine Festival6-8 August, Wine Village, Hermanus, Western Cape

The Used8 August, Grand Arena, Grand West, Cape Town, Western Cape

Women on the Move with excellence9 August, Boschendal, Cape Town

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

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

Nando’s Comedy Festival9-14 August, The Artscape Theatre

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

The Green Expo 12-14 August, CTICC, Cape Town

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert:Zebra & Giraffe14 August, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Night of 100 Stars15 August, Sunzone, Suncoast, Dur-ban, Kwazulu-Natal

SA Coal Conference 16-18 August, Graceland Casino, Secunda, Mpumalanga

Shop SA17 August, Sandton Convention Cen-tre, Johannesburg

South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress17-19 August, Durban ICC, Kwa-Zulu Natal

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

Idols - Top 8 Concert19 Aug, Mosaiek Lifestyle, Roode-poort, Gauteng

Swan Lake19-26 August, Artscape Opera House, Cape Town

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert:Hot Water21 August, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Markex Cape 23-25 August, CTICC, Western Cape

Sexpo23-29 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Sign Africa24 August, Sandton Convention Cen-tre, Johannesburg

South African Automotive Week Conference25-26 August, East London, East London

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition25 August- 2 September, North West University, Potchefstroom

Standard Bank Joy of Jazz25-27 August, Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, Gauteng

African Jazz Pioneers 26 August, Dinaledi, Mary Fitzgerald Square, Johannesburg, Gauteng

Creative Class Awards 26 August, City Hall, Pietermaritzburg

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

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

Dr Myles Munroe`s Women in leader-ship27 August, IDC Auditorium, Johan-nesburg

SA Entrepreneurship Conference28 August, Lowveld National Botani-cal Gardens, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga

James Blunt28 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Old Mutual Roadshow28-29 August, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

SeptemberSAACI Western Cape Branch Committee Meeting1 September, Cape Town, Western Cape

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

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

Sustainable City Exhibition2 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert:Louise Carver3-4 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Franschhoek Uncorked3-4 September, Franschhoek

Shoprite Checkers Conference4-8 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Institute of Retirement Funds Conference5-7 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

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

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

RMB WineX 8-9 September, CTICC, Cape Town

SAPSOL9-11 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Wedding Expo10-11 September, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg

Hike by the light - Klapmutskop 11 September- 10 December, Delvera wine farm, Western Cape

Afriwater 13-15 September, Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec

Design in Hospitality15-16 Sepetember, Turbine Hall, Newtown

EVENT LISTINGS

AUGUST

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition5-12 August, Tshwane University of

Technology, Pretoria

Presentation Skills17-18 August, PRISA ProComm

House, Ferndale, Randburg

SATSA NG19 August, Cape Town

Markex Cape Town23-25 August, CTICC, Cape Town

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition25 August–2 September, North West University, Potchefstroom

Reputation Management26 August, PRISA ProComm House,

Ferndale, Randburg

GeoSynthesis 201128 August - 2 September,

CTICC, Cape Town

HISA 201129-30 August, Birchwood

Conference Centre

SEPTEMBER

SAACI Western Cape Branch Committee Meeting

1 September, Cape Town

Effective media release writing1 September, PRISA ProComm

House, Ferndale, Randburg

Sustainable City Exhibition2-4 September, ICC Durban,

KwaZulu Natal

Effective Public Relations Planning6 September, PRISA ProComm

House, Ferndale, Randburg

FEDHASA Cape Board Meeting8 September, Cape Town

Creative writing for the media9-11 September, Free State

Professional editing and proofreading

12-13 September, Free State

4th Annual E-Tourism Africa Summit 2011

15-16 September, CTICC, Cape Town

The Loerie Awards 201116-18 September, Cape Town

HASA 201121-22 September, CTICC,

Cape Town

DIARISE

John Cleese will bring his unique comedic perspective to audiences across South Africa as part of his Alimony Tour in October 2011

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

Loerie Awards16-18 September, CTICC, Cape Town

SA Shoe Expo16-18 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert:Wrestlerish18 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Coal Energy Africa19-21 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Hydropower19-23 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Gideons International in South Africa21-24 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Open Book Festival21-25 September, Cape Town

SA Principals Association Conference22-24 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Joburg Art Fair 22-25 September, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Good Food and Wine Show 22-25 September, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg

Khoisan Festival22-25 September, Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape

SMME Fair23-25 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert:Captain Stu25 September, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Telkom Business Michael Fridjhon Wine Experience27-28 August, Hyatt Regency Johannesburg

White Mountain Festival 29 September-2 October, White Mountain Lodge, KwaZulu Natal

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

Baba Indaba30 September- 2 October, Bloemfontein

OctoberOrion Gala Dinner1 October, Southern Sun Hotel, Grayston, Sandton

Andy Lund and the Mission Men2 October, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Reliability and Maintenance Week3-5 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition3-17 October, Stellenbosch Academy, Stellenbosch

IT&CMA and CTW 20114-6 October, Bangkok Convention Centre, Thailand

HR Africa Exhibition & Summit 20114-6 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Africa Mining and Marine Conference4-7 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Coldplay 5 October, Cape Town Stadium

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

Johannesburg International Motor Show6-16 October, Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec

Look & Feel Good Expo7-9 October, Coca Cola dome, Johannesburg

Coldplay 8 October, FNB Stadium Johannesburg

Christian Business Expo8-9 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

Disabled People International World Assembly8-14 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert:Dan Patlansky9 October, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

FEDHASA National Imvelo Awards9 October, Johannesburg, Gauteng

IMEX America11-13 October, Las Vegas

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

Diwali Fair13-31 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

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

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

Viridis Africa17-18 October, Johannesburg

Audio Video & Appliance Expo 2011 20-23 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

John Cleese Alimony Tour21-22 October , Cape Town International Convention Centre

Retirement Expo21 -23 October, Coca Cola Dome, JHB

Propak Cape25-27 October, Cape Town Int. Convention Centre, Cape Town

John Cleese Alimony Tour25-29 October, The Teatro at Montecasino Johannesburg from

Kings of Leon26 October, Cape Town Stadium, Western Cape

Winex26-28 October, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

SA Menopause Society Congress26-30 October, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Black Glamour27-30 October, the Coca-Cola dome, Johannesburg

Good Health & Wellness Expo 201128-29 October, Docklands Hotel, Durban

Kings of Leon29 October, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng

Silver Tree Restaurant Winter Concert:Heather Mac 30 October, Silver Tree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town

Consulting Engineers of South Africa Conference31 October- 2 November, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Compiled by Charl Fourie

DIARISE

SEPTEMBER (CONT’D)

SA Principals Association Conference

22-24 September, ICC Durban, KwaZulu Natal

SMME Fair23-25 September, ICC Durban,

KwaZulu Natal

12th International Housing & Home Warranty Conference

24-28 September, CTICC, Cape Town

How to delegate effectively30 September, PRISA ProComm

House, Ferndale, Randburg

OCTOBER

SAACI Western Cape Branch Committee Meeting

1 September, Cape Town

Effective media release writing 1 September, PRISA ProComm House, 108 Bram Fischer Drive,

Ferndale, Randburg

Effective Public Relations Planning 6 September, PRISA ProComm House, 108 Bram Fischer Drive,

Ferndale, Randburg

FEDHASA Cape Board Meeting 8 September, Cape Town

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

Professional editing and proofreading

12-13 September, Free State

The Loerie Awards 2011 16-18 September, Cape Town

NOVEMBER

The Loeries Travelling Exhibition7–11 November, DV8 Saatchi &

Saatchi, Namibia

WTM7 November, Cape Town,

Western Cape

Chamber Forum24 November, TBC

EIBTM29 November - 1 December

Barcelona, Spain

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

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

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

AFTER a slow start on Sunday 24 July 2011 the SAACI An-nual Conference kicked

off with a lively debate entitled ‘Hold your line’ featuring an im-pressive panel of industry leaders chaired by Dirk Elzinga. This was followed by an introduction by SAACI national chairperson Nina Freysen-Pretorius to the newly formed SAACI forums consisting: Venue, Services, Technical, Ex-hibitions, Transport, Destination Marketing and Conference and Events. Nina explained that the forums aim to assist members of the association to grow their busi-nesses.

DAY TWO HIGHLIGHTS:

The national chair’s opening addressDURING her welcome speech Nina pulled no punches. “We

need to put our differences aside to create a common goal,” she said, referring not only to the historical rivalry between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, but also members of industry vying for the same busi-ness. “We don’t understand the importance of working as a collective. As much as we are competing with each other we are also being watched by in-ternational clients and buyers. We need to up our game. Our products and services need to be more competitively priced.”

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

She even called into ques-tion the new events bill . “The SA police have taken upon them-selves to be project managers of events and conferences. We

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

Alan Winde lauds Cape TownTHE minister of finance, eco-nomic development and tour-ism spoke excitedly about Cape Town’s shortlisting for the World Design Capital in 2014. “We need to be more innova-tive and aggressive and we have to up our game. Most importantly we have to start to position ourselves in the global economy. “

Alan advised that this drive is only achievable if industry is committed to its own growth. “Government has to listen to allow you to do what you do best. We find ourselves in a very difficult time. SA has core markets, and we have to change, go out and find new markets. Those industry play-ers that are aggressive cause prices to go down and that stimulates the market.”

He said government’s com-mitment going forward involves two big marketing opportuni-ties. The first was the Asian mar-kets. We will be attending ITB

Asia. But we need to go there with a united focused market-ing face to change our offering. It’s competitive out there.”

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

The Minister of Tourism’s re-sponse to Nina’s comments“I BELIEVE in an industry led sec-tor and resist over-involvement of government in the tourism sector. Once there is over-in-volvement of government the industry will be difficult. Private sector tourism strategy. There must be a partnership between private sector and government. It is difficult when the structure represents industry. Rather say to government: listen to us. We will respond to the Tourism Busi-ness Company. We must chal-lenge each other. This is how

we move forward.” The minsiter then spoke

about his target for 2020. “I want us to achieve these tar-gets together. Deregulate – get airlines flying into this country, doesn’t matter if they fly on SAA, we just want them here. That’s our broader focus: to get as many people here. It doesn’t matter what airline they fly here on. We have doubled the amount of airlines flying into SA. Our National Tourism Strategy represents our commitment to strategic planning. Our targets are achievable.”

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

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

Matthew Lester on the credit crunchTHE associate professor from Rhodes spoke about global re-covery and how Europe sees us and how we see Europe. “The global economy is not looking so good. The US deficit is 1,1 trillion dollars. When the Dollar weakens the emerging market currency strengthens. When the Dollar weakens oil goes through the roof. Consumer confidence takes a dip. Recov-ery takes time.”

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

He warned that change is coming. “Youtube is fast be-coming a training channel. The world is still recovering. Market-ing is the answer.”

SAACI CONFERENCE CALLS FOR INNOVATION AND UNITY

Nina Freysen Pretoeius

13

An Inside look at the bidding processNEXT up was a panel consisting of SAT’s Timothy Scholtz, West-ern Cape Convention Bureau’s Calvyn Gilfillen, Kwazulu Natal Convention Bureau’s James Seymour and Joburg Tourism’s Lindiwe Kwele

Tim stressed the importance of collaborating and working together and said a National Convention Bureau is imminent.

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

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

Menu planningONE of the most overlooked as-pects of conference planning is menu. Maryke van Zyl from Woolworths spoke about how something as simple as food choice can transform a dele-gate’s experience of an event. She explained that a healthy balanced meal can sustain and stimulate the delegate through-out the day. She explained that light, low fat and low GI foods can battle the slump periods (usually after lunch)and keep delegates vitalised and awake.

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

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

DAY THREE HIGHLIGHTS

The risky business of event safe-ty and security. PATRICK Ronan gave a stra-tegic overview of Saferty at Sports and Recreational events act. “SA is a desirious destina-tion for mega events and it’s government policy to attract these events,” he said. “The Act protects the public to en-sure their safety.”

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

In the past, several challeng-es faced the SAPS such as mul-tiple events on the same day which stretches resources

“The Act ensures that event organisers take responsibility for event safety and security deliv-ery and that the minimum safe-ty and security measures are in place at events.”

“Event organisers have to have capacity, resources

and experience to produce an event. Stadium and venue owners have to apply for safety certificate. Public liability insur-ance is compulsory. Account-ability is a key factor. “

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

“You need an integrated strategy,” says Beryl. “You have to add social media to the mix to have an integrated platform. Use social media to cover all bases and talk one on one with your client base.”

Lynn gave some practical figures. “Social media is like put-ting a drop in the ocean and the message spreads and spreads. The message stays there.” 39% of urban South Africans and 27% of rural users browse the in-ternet on their phones. At least 6 million South Africans have in-ternet access on their phones. African Facebook users stand at 17 million. Twitter and You-tube rank among most visited

websites in African countriesIn Africa 10 million people

use mxit, 3.8 million use Face-book and 800 000 use Twitter. That’s 13.8% of the population.

Her most valuable advice was, “Social media is not a shout channel. It’s a conversa-tion,” and “Don’t run a confer-ence without a hashtag.”

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

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

end of meetings if event or-ganisers don’t realise the value of experience.”

He used the World Econom-ic Forum (WEC) as an exam-ple. “Its about the total expe-rience economy. At the WEC anyone can get any content at any time. It was very inter-active. Why don’t we do it at our conferences?”

He believes the future of conferences is about the ex-perience. “People want to sit in comfort tuning into a lecture. Meetings should be like that too. Its about the experience. Meet-ing architrecture. Look at space, mentor protégé sessions, I have a passion for making meetings work differently. How do we in-still this passion our clients? No one dimensional conversations. We should be saying, when you come to Africa your conference must be different.”

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

Sally Fink

Marthinus van Schalkwyk

14

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

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

THE idea for Madame Zinga-ra’s Theatre of Dreams struck when owner Richard Griffin

attended the Glastonbury per-forming arts festival in England. At the time, he was trying to fig-ure out what to do about the 60 staff members who had lost their jobs as a result of the fire and when he came across a tented theatre he knew he had found the answer.

He tracked down the manu-facturers of antique Spiegel mir-ror tents, had one shipped to Cape Town, and created a din-ner cirque featuring a staff of 80, including performers.

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

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

Unit manager Warren An-dresen, who started out as a

waiter at the show, explains that an 80 tonne crane is re-quired to move the containers around the kitchen tent, which is always erected first. “Every piece is pre-organised for un-packing; the kitchen tent and floor of the site is marked out. Laying the 24 tonnes of stone give the tent that ‘lived in’ look. To top it all off, each time Victo-ria settles in a new city, a fresh coat of paint is added to fit the new show theme.”

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

A common issue that can arise is zoning. In 2008 the show had to be moved to Cape Town’s Foreshore and has since been moved to Century City. Another hiccup that can crop up is space. During its initial Jo-hannesburg leg, an open field across the street from Monte Casino had to be levelled in

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

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

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

Madame Zingara will cel-ebrate its tenth anniversary in Cape Town from 1 September 2011.

“In celebration we are plan-ning the most incredible show yet,” says Richard. “We’re bring-ing back some of the crowd fa-vourites from South Africa and across the globe, all with fan-tastic new acts. It will be a show filled with warm, fond memories of the magical love affair audi-ences have enjoyed with Ma-dame Zingara over the years.”

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

For more information visit www.madamezingara.com.

Sally Fink

THE BUSINESS OF MOVING MADAME ZINGARA

Madame Zingara Theatre of Dreams

Photography © Jess N

ovotna

15

SUPPLIER PROFILEA WELL designed and eye catching exhibition stand is a sure-fire way to create a stellar impression among visitors and hosted buyers. A little bit of ex-tra time spent on creative think-ing and design is well worth the time and effort.

AS an exhibitor there is noth-ing worse than watch-ing visitor after visitor and

buyer after buyer pass your stand without even bothering to pick up a brochure as they pass.

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

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

The team behind stand de-sign company Amaquondo see themselves as creative thinkers. The company has been around for ten years and specialises in custom designed stands and shell schemes with custom ele-ments as well as conference de-

sign and event management. Owner Mike Upham under-

stands the competitive nature of the exhibition world, and insists on innovation and creative de-sign right from the concept stage to the end product.

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

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

“We recently supplied a Sea Harvest stand which was con-structed in Brussels for the largest sea food show in the world, the European Seafood Exposition. The stand was 12m by 4m and consisted of an office, kitchen and bar area.

“Our client wanted to show off our beautiful country so we included an 8M by 2.5M collage which was designed by Chaz Art. The stand followed smooth curves and flowing lines, using the company’s simple colours. Once the design was finished Amaquondo truly made Sea Harvest and South Africa stand out at the show,” he says.

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

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

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

Mike insists that he can pro-vide a custom designed stand within a shell scheme budget. “It really bothers me how much companies charge for a shell scheme stand when it can be included in the design process. We challenge our clients to let us design a custom stand within

their shell scheme budget.”The Amaquondo team all

share the same passion for what they do. “We mainly focus on design work but we manu-facture as well. All work is done locally,” says Mike.

The team are already hard at work with designs for Meet-ings Africa, Dive Expo and the forthcoming European Sea-food Exposition.

For more information visit www.amaquondo.com.

CREATIVE THINKING ESSENTIAL FOR EXHIBITION SUCCESS

Sea Harvest stand

15

SUPPLIER PROFILEA WELL designed and eye catching exhibition stand is a sure-fire way to create a stellar impression among visitors and hosted buyers. A little bit of ex-tra time spent on creative think-ing and design is well worth the time and effort.

AS an exhibitor there is noth-ing worse than watch-ing visitor after visitor and

buyer after buyer pass your stand without even bothering to pick up a brochure as they pass.

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

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

The team behind stand de-sign company Amaquondo see themselves as creative thinkers. The company has been around for ten years and specialises in custom designed stands and shell schemes with custom ele-ments as well as conference de-

sign and event management. Owner Mike Upham under-

stands the competitive nature of the exhibition world, and insists on innovation and creative de-sign right from the concept stage to the end product.

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

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

“We recently supplied a Sea Harvest stand which was con-structed in Brussels for the largest sea food show in the world, the European Seafood Exposition. The stand was 12m by 4m and consisted of an office, kitchen and bar area.

“Our client wanted to show off our beautiful country so we included an 8M by 2.5M collage which was designed by Chaz Art. The stand followed smooth curves and flowing lines, using the company’s simple colours. Once the design was finished Amaquondo truly made Sea Harvest and South Africa stand out at the show,” he says.

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

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

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

Mike insists that he can pro-vide a custom designed stand within a shell scheme budget. “It really bothers me how much companies charge for a shell scheme stand when it can be included in the design process. We challenge our clients to let us design a custom stand within

their shell scheme budget.”The Amaquondo team all

share the same passion for what they do. “We mainly focus on design work but we manu-facture as well. All work is done locally,” says Mike.

The team are already hard at work with designs for Meet-ings Africa, Dive Expo and the forthcoming European Sea-food Exposition.

For more information visit www.amaquondo.com.

CREATIVE THINKING ESSENTIAL FOR EXHIBITION SUCCESS

Sea Harvest stand

16

STIMULATING EXHIBITION GROWTH

THE latest UFI barometer sur-vey indicated that 52% of SMMEs expect their turnover

to increase by more than 10% in the first six months of 2011 when compared with the first six months in 2010, increasing to 78% for the second half of 2011. Exhibition organisers are particularly buoy-ant in this regard with 86% indi-cating an increase in turn-over in the first six months this year. Yet this positive outlook is balanced with 75% indicating that the im-pact of the ‘economic crisis’ on the exhibition business is not yet over. With only 25% of South Af-rican respondents believing that it is over, it is not surprising to see that a significant 34% identified the state of the national/regional economy as the single most im-portant issue to be addressed.

Complete Exhibitions has mir-

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

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

pediment to the ability of SMME’s being able to take advantage of this to the fullest. While small business owners acknowledge that they need more staff in or-der to grow their business, they report that they either can’t find the right people or are too nerv-ous to employ because of the country’s rigorous labour laws. A practical example is that ac-cording to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act any person employed for more than 24 hours a month is entitled to paid leave, paid sick leave and paid family responsibility time.”

Nigel belives there is a bal-ance to be strived for between growth as a result of being able to take advantage of opportu-nities as they arise, and manag-ing administrative and overhead costs. “It is not surprising that

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

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

resources being focused upon safety. Our experience is that for the majority of projects our safety procedures and documenta-tion meet requirements, that the goal posts are constantly mov-ing. As an ‘extreme’ example, earlier this month all our employ-ees and sub-contractors had to undertake a medical prior to the completion of the build-up as a compulsory requirement, in or-der to prove that everyone was fit for work. We were, on a posi-tive note, allowed to forego the required ‘end of contract’ medi-cal, that would have proved no-one had been injured during the project’s implementation.”

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

Exhibition Case StudiesSponsored by Complete Exhibitions

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

MARKEX celebrated 25 years of being South Africa’s premier events,

marketing and promotions exhi-bition and attracted in excess of 10 000 visitors over three days and more than 250 exhibitors.

Complete Exhibitions par-ticipated this year to showcase their unique package design stand elements. This on-line stand design module, avail-able on their website, allows clients to explore the design of functional packaged stands. The client can independently select from a range of various options and configurations in-cluding adding graphics, light-ing effects, LCD screens, floor-ing and furniture options. Once all selections are complete, they are then issued immedi-ately with an accurate quote.

Robert Walker, Business De-velopment manager for Com-

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sally Fink

Complete Exhibition’s Markex stand

Sally Fink

17

ON 22 July 2011 the Services SETA (SSETA), together with the Depart-ment of Higher Education and Training (DHET), invited all stakeholders to at-tend an information sharing session in Cape Town. The Minister of Higher Edu-cation and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande addressed delegates on the new SETA landscape and the way forward.

“WE are all concerned about skills development as a whole,” began the minister during his speech at

The Pavilion Conference Centre in Cape Town. “We have learned a few lessons, one of which is that it is critical to have regular interactions with the stakehold-ers at large. It is mostly due to this inter-action with the stakeholders, that most of you got a better understanding of the changes that government is instituting in the skills development sector and that the impasse between the SSETA and the DHET got resolved.”

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

“While it has always been the inten-tion of the democratic government to create an integrated educational and training system, in the fi rst years of democracy, education - from basic to universities - was located in the Depart-ment of Education while training was lo-cated in the Department of Labour. This division has taught us a lot and the les-sons and challenges experienced were infl uential in the President’s decision to establish a department of higher learn-ing and training,” he explained.

Naturally the transfer of functions from department to department had its challenges and Minister Nzimande ad-mits that legislation must be changed for the various subsystems in existence. “It is not easy for an FET graduate to continue into university to obtain a higher qualifi cation. We are also aware that the SDA and some regulations thereto do not make it easy for SETA ETQAs to accredit universities and FET colleges as service providers for train-ing. We cannot have legislations that do not speak to each other and do not promote the goals and objectives of the DHET which are also of the nation as a whole.”

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

market,” he said. Another challenge is that South

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

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

The minister believes that it is important for a skills development structure to achieve numerical targets. “There is an urgent need for SETAs to support programmes that are consis-tent with economic skills needs and priorities,” said Dr Nzimande. “Imple-mentation has been focused on mass programmes at lower levels that do not enable learners to access opportunities nor enable them to pursue learning and career opportunities. There is celebra-tion of the achievement of the accredita-tion of large numbers of SMME provid-ers that cannot off er quality education and training.”

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

He explained that he expects the SE-TAs to play a central role in interpreting the skills requirements in the context of economic demand. “They (SETAs) are expected to understand the changes in the composition of jobs in the econo-my and changes in the skills require-ments of individual occupations.” He explained that the SETAs must produce credible estimates of skills shortages in their respective sectors, and conse-quently, they must ensure that the train-ing programmes they fund are intended to alleviate the skills shortges in the economy, are aimed at enhancing pro-ductivity and employability of partici-pants and enhancing human resources through improving skills for young job seekers, while simultaneously fulfi lling the needs of labour demand.”

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

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

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

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

tution to address a number of issues. New initiatives include:•Introducting independent chairper-sons•Limiting number of board meetings•Reducing size of boards•Ministerial approval•Two Ministerial appointees on board•Standard remuneration for board members•Accountability for duties•Ministerial approval of SETA CEO ap-pointments

“It is time we build a single skills development system in this country. The NSDS III provides a good enough base from which all SETAs have begun their planning. SETAs are expected to implement the strategy and they will be

monitored and evaluated on this,” said Dr Nzimande.

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

Sally Fink

Customer Carecustomercare@serviceseta.org.za

Head Offi ceTel: 011 276 9600Fax: 011 276 9623

BloemfonteinTel: 051 430 6223Fax: 051 430 8771

Cape TownTel: 021 425 0417Fax: 021 425 1575

DurbanTel: 031 207 1761Fax: 031 207 1766

East LondonTel: 043 743 5410Fax: 043 722 9587

KimberleyTel: 053 833 7447Fax: 053 833 7452

NelspruitTel: 013 752 2207Fax: 013 752 6434

PolokwaneTel: 015 296 4858Fax: 015 296 4729

Port ElizabethTel: 041 582 2033Fax: 041 582 2040

Training and education highlights

www.serviceseta.org.za

MINISTER DR BLADE NZIMANDE ON THE WAY FORWARD

Minister of Higher Education and TrainingDr Blade Nzimande

16

STIMULATING EXHIBITION GROWTH

THE latest UFI barometer sur-vey indicated that 52% of SMMEs expect their turnover

to increase by more than 10% in the first six months of 2011 when compared with the first six months in 2010, increasing to 78% for the second half of 2011. Exhibition organisers are particularly buoy-ant in this regard with 86% indi-cating an increase in turn-over in the first six months this year. Yet this positive outlook is balanced with 75% indicating that the im-pact of the ‘economic crisis’ on the exhibition business is not yet over. With only 25% of South Af-rican respondents believing that it is over, it is not surprising to see that a significant 34% identified the state of the national/regional economy as the single most im-portant issue to be addressed.

Complete Exhibitions has mir-

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

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

pediment to the ability of SMME’s being able to take advantage of this to the fullest. While small business owners acknowledge that they need more staff in or-der to grow their business, they report that they either can’t find the right people or are too nerv-ous to employ because of the country’s rigorous labour laws. A practical example is that ac-cording to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act any person employed for more than 24 hours a month is entitled to paid leave, paid sick leave and paid family responsibility time.”

Nigel belives there is a bal-ance to be strived for between growth as a result of being able to take advantage of opportu-nities as they arise, and manag-ing administrative and overhead costs. “It is not surprising that

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

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

resources being focused upon safety. Our experience is that for the majority of projects our safety procedures and documenta-tion meet requirements, that the goal posts are constantly mov-ing. As an ‘extreme’ example, earlier this month all our employ-ees and sub-contractors had to undertake a medical prior to the completion of the build-up as a compulsory requirement, in or-der to prove that everyone was fit for work. We were, on a posi-tive note, allowed to forego the required ‘end of contract’ medi-cal, that would have proved no-one had been injured during the project’s implementation.”

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

Exhibition Case StudiesSponsored by Complete Exhibitions

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

MARKEX celebrated 25 years of being South Africa’s premier events,

marketing and promotions exhi-bition and attracted in excess of 10 000 visitors over three days and more than 250 exhibitors.

Complete Exhibitions par-ticipated this year to showcase their unique package design stand elements. This on-line stand design module, avail-able on their website, allows clients to explore the design of functional packaged stands. The client can independently select from a range of various options and configurations in-cluding adding graphics, light-ing effects, LCD screens, floor-ing and furniture options. Once all selections are complete, they are then issued immedi-ately with an accurate quote.

Robert Walker, Business De-velopment manager for Com-

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sally Fink

Complete Exhibition’s Markex stand

Sally Fink

17

ON 22 July 2011 the Services SETA (SSETA), together with the Depart-ment of Higher Education and Training (DHET), invited all stakeholders to at-tend an information sharing session in Cape Town. The Minister of Higher Edu-cation and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande addressed delegates on the new SETA landscape and the way forward.

“WE are all concerned about skills development as a whole,” began the minister during his speech at

The Pavilion Conference Centre in Cape Town. “We have learned a few lessons, one of which is that it is critical to have regular interactions with the stakehold-ers at large. It is mostly due to this inter-action with the stakeholders, that most of you got a better understanding of the changes that government is instituting in the skills development sector and that the impasse between the SSETA and the DHET got resolved.”

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

“While it has always been the inten-tion of the democratic government to create an integrated educational and training system, in the fi rst years of democracy, education - from basic to universities - was located in the Depart-ment of Education while training was lo-cated in the Department of Labour. This division has taught us a lot and the les-sons and challenges experienced were infl uential in the President’s decision to establish a department of higher learn-ing and training,” he explained.

Naturally the transfer of functions from department to department had its challenges and Minister Nzimande ad-mits that legislation must be changed for the various subsystems in existence. “It is not easy for an FET graduate to continue into university to obtain a higher qualifi cation. We are also aware that the SDA and some regulations thereto do not make it easy for SETA ETQAs to accredit universities and FET colleges as service providers for train-ing. We cannot have legislations that do not speak to each other and do not promote the goals and objectives of the DHET which are also of the nation as a whole.”

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

market,” he said. Another challenge is that South

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

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

The minister believes that it is important for a skills development structure to achieve numerical targets. “There is an urgent need for SETAs to support programmes that are consis-tent with economic skills needs and priorities,” said Dr Nzimande. “Imple-mentation has been focused on mass programmes at lower levels that do not enable learners to access opportunities nor enable them to pursue learning and career opportunities. There is celebra-tion of the achievement of the accredita-tion of large numbers of SMME provid-ers that cannot off er quality education and training.”

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

He explained that he expects the SE-TAs to play a central role in interpreting the skills requirements in the context of economic demand. “They (SETAs) are expected to understand the changes in the composition of jobs in the econo-my and changes in the skills require-ments of individual occupations.” He explained that the SETAs must produce credible estimates of skills shortages in their respective sectors, and conse-quently, they must ensure that the train-ing programmes they fund are intended to alleviate the skills shortges in the economy, are aimed at enhancing pro-ductivity and employability of partici-pants and enhancing human resources through improving skills for young job seekers, while simultaneously fulfi lling the needs of labour demand.”

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

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

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

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

tution to address a number of issues. New initiatives include:•Introducting independent chairper-sons•Limiting number of board meetings•Reducing size of boards•Ministerial approval•Two Ministerial appointees on board•Standard remuneration for board members•Accountability for duties•Ministerial approval of SETA CEO ap-pointments

“It is time we build a single skills development system in this country. The NSDS III provides a good enough base from which all SETAs have begun their planning. SETAs are expected to implement the strategy and they will be

monitored and evaluated on this,” said Dr Nzimande.

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

Sally Fink

Customer Carecustomercare@serviceseta.org.za

Head Offi ceTel: 011 276 9600Fax: 011 276 9623

BloemfonteinTel: 051 430 6223Fax: 051 430 8771

Cape TownTel: 021 425 0417Fax: 021 425 1575

DurbanTel: 031 207 1761Fax: 031 207 1766

East LondonTel: 043 743 5410Fax: 043 722 9587

KimberleyTel: 053 833 7447Fax: 053 833 7452

NelspruitTel: 013 752 2207Fax: 013 752 6434

PolokwaneTel: 015 296 4858Fax: 015 296 4729

Port ElizabethTel: 041 582 2033Fax: 041 582 2040

Training and education highlights

www.serviceseta.org.za

MINISTER DR BLADE NZIMANDE ON THE WAY FORWARD

Minister of Higher Education and TrainingDr Blade Nzimande

18

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

IF you think about the amount of mess that accumulates during the build-up stage of

large exhibitions it makes sense for event organisers to consider temporary fl ooring. Even high traffi c areas such as registration would benefi t from portable fl ooring to ensure that venue owners don’t bewail the dam-age done to their expensive

carpeting. But that is only one aspect of fl ooring. What about outdoor events and large bare areas that need to be covered; exhibition stand fl oors and out-of-the-box dancefl oors?

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

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

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

Chris explains that the com-pany was designed by the own-ers of the business and is manu-factured in Durban, using 85% locally manufactured compo-nents, such as Aluminum framed profi les, MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), 8.3mm High Density Tropical Hardwood Fiberboard impregnated with ‘Aluminum Oxide’ surface fi nish for high abrasion resistance.

Connecta-Floor are able

to create anything from wood and vinyl fl ooring for exhibition stands to synthetic grass for out-door events. Chris explains that the product is benefi cial to the events industry as it can be rent-ed/leased for either one day or 24 months, saving the event or-ganiser from having to lay out capital for purchases.

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

“Our panels are available

in three wood fi nishes, namely Planked Oak, Cherry, and Pearl Teak, as well as Synthetic Grass and vinyl overlay in various co-lours. They can fi t into most areas due to the various sizes available which range from 925 x 925mm and 750 x 750mm to suit exhibi-tions,” says Chris.

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

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

For more information visit www.connecta-fl oor.co.za

Sally Fink

ONE, TWO, THREE, FLOOR

Vinyl fl ooring

GENERAL INDUSTRY

IF you have any news highlightsto share please visit our web por-tal www.theevent.co.za and loadyour own stories for considerationin next month’s edition.

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

The last ILO regional meeting was in 2004.

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

Tshwane Tourism Company Board meetsTHE Tshwane Tourism Company’s board held its fi rst meeting in July,

following its establishment in April. Board chairman Mike Gcabo

says the company is geared to set tourism in the country’s capi-tal city on a new path.

“Tshwane’s time has come and we will market the city as a preferred destination to the world and prove that we are not just a pass-by destination. While Tshwane is the place where presidents from over the world meet, it should become the place where they, together with other international tourists, remain for a while to see what we have to offer.”

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

He welcomed the City of Tshwane’s commitment of R2,5 million seed money in the next fi nancial year to set up the com-pany. The city will also provide of-fi ce space at the visitors’ centre in Hatfi eld.

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

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

“Tshwane’s tourism industry is still outperformed by those of other metros and our visi-tor numbers are still well below the master plan target of 6,9 million by 2012. Current fi gures indicate that some 3,4 million tourists visit Tshwane every year, compared to more than 6,8 mil-lion to Johannesburg and more than four million to eThekwini. This we aim to rectify, sooner than later,” says Mike.

Sally Fink

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

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

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September booking deadline31 August 2011

September material deadline02 September 2011

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19

GENERAL INDUSTRYSOUTH Africa celebrated for-mer president Nelson Mande-la’s birthday on 18 July 2011. All around the country, com-panies and individuals devot-ed 67 minutes to giving back to society. The events industry was no exception.

FOR Mandela Day Cape Town International Con-vention Centre (CTICC)

partnered with Table Mountain National Parks (TMNP) to offset its local carbon flight footprint to commemorate Nelson Man-dela Day. The centre planted 38 shade trees in the lower Tokai plantation forest as part of an en-vironmental heritage project.

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

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

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

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

On the other side of the country, Sandton Convention Centre (SCC) visited the Ink-wenkwezi Primary School in Diepkloof and donated car-pets for 15 classrooms.

“We are experiencing a

piercing cold winter, and the learners are suffering while they are trying to concentrate on their lessons,” says karin White: GM sales and marketing SCC.

“We refurbished the Ballroom and the Pavilion at the SCC, and since the carpets were still in very good condition, we decided to donate it to the school to ensure that the children are warm and comfortable while they are pre-paring to be the leaders of to-morrow,” says Karin.

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

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

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

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

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

In Cape Town, the Gearhouse Academy students got involved in setting up sponsored technical equipment for the handover of a brand new hostel for the Them-balethu School for the disabled. “It was both heart rending and an overwhelming experience for the Gearhouse students and staff alike”, said Lisa Smit who conducts the Gearhouse Train-ing Programme in Cape Town.

Sally Fink

EVENTS INDUSTRY CELEBRATES MANDELA DAY

The CTICC teamThe SCC team in Diepkloof