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Scan Display’s MD presented with IFES award

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Scan Display’s Managing Director, Justin Hawes, was presented with the Roger Taurant Award at the 2024 IFES (International Federation of Exhibition & Event Services) World Summit in Malaga, Spain last week.

The award was established by IFES’ founding President, Roger Taurant, and acknowledges Justin’s exceptional contribution to IFES and the global exhibition industry during his 13 years as an IFES board member. In 2011, he became the first African to be represented on the IFES board. He was Treasurer of the association from 2013-2016, Vice President: Finance from 2017-2020, and President from 2021-2022.

This year, IFES is celebrating its 40th anniversary. It currently represents 300 exhibition and event contractors and service providers from around the world, and works closely with 14 industry association members, sharing knowledge and enabling cooperation amongst exhibition and event industry peers.

 

Celebrate by sharing

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Gallagher Convention Centre celebrated their thirtieth birthday on 2 October 2023 on the Koi deck. The celebration started with a toast from the CEO, Charles Wilson.

Gallagher shared the birthday fun with New Jerusalem Children’s Home.

Gallagher Convention Centre has a history of involvement in charitable endeavours. While still a private farm and home, the property often fostered vulnerable children over weekends. The property was donated to a charitable organisation after the passing of the original owners. Today, the business still endeavours to make a difference.

Gallagher has a long-standing relationship with New Jerusalem Children’s Home. New Jerusalem Children’s Home, located in President Park, Midrand, is a place of safety for vulnerable children and was established in 2000.

Gallagher donated cupcakes to the kids & team at New Jerusalem Children’s Home as part of their birthday celebration..

The Perfect Package

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Gallagher Convention Centre offers DDP packages formulated with our clients in mind.

As a solution focussed venue, we have worked hard to formulate special packages that will suit our client’s budgets while keeping the comfort of our delegates in mind.

A DDP package (Day Delegate Package) is a packaged solution for conferences that includes meals, breaks and facilities. Gallagher Convention Centre currently offers two main DDP specials.

  • Thirty Years Young

2023 Standard Conference Package

 

This package includes the conference venue and a sit-down or standing lunch venue.

Secure parking is included, as well as a lectern and flip chart with pens.

The package includes an arrival refreshment- tea, coffee and something to eat.

A mid-morning break of tea, coffee, juice & something to eat is included.

The package offers a two-course lunch, sit-down or standing and

an afternoon break of tea and coffee.

 

Delegates will receive notepads & pens on their place setting as well as mints and water that will be replenished after every break.

 

Government- and parastatal entities are governed by specific procurement regulations. With that in mind, Gallagher Convention Centre created a package to accommodate these regulations.

 

This package includes the conference venue, a lunch venue for a sit-down or standing lunch.

Secure parking is included, as well as a lectern and flip chart with pens.

The package includes an arrival refreshment- tea, coffee and something to eat.

A mid-morning break of tea, coffee, juice & something to eat is included.

The package offers a two-course lunch with a conference lunch beverage per delegate.

An afternoon break of tea and coffee is also included.

 

Delegates will receive notepads & pens on their place setting as well as mints and water that will be replenished after every break.

Gallagher Convention Centre offers Halaal-certified meals at no surcharge to our organisers. We offer a delicious selection of refreshment options and a wide variety of lunch options.

DDP Refreshment options:

  • Assorted smoothies
  • Fresh fruit wedges
  • Filled bagels
  • Doughnuts
  • Assorted sandwiches
  • Savoury scones
  • Waffled & pancakes
  • Jumbo cookies
  • Muffins
  • Pastries
  • Scones with jam & cream
  • Museli bars, biscotti & biscuits

Having your conference at Gallagher Convention Centre means peace of mind, knowing that we have thought of solutions to any challenges you might face. We offer a full backup power solution in the case of load shedding. Gallagher has a million-litre water tank on the property.

We offer more than 5000+ parking bays on the property, so parking is never a problem.

Have a look at our specially formulated packages when planning your next event.

From strength to strength

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To inspire loyalty and dedication from your staff while truly offering opportunities for growth and developing your team is aspirational for any company.

Gallagher Convention Centre often boasts of our team’s experience and dedication. One such a team member is Anna Malaza. Anna’s is one of those stories that is intrinsically part of the Gallagher story.

Anna Malaza, or Mama Anna, as she is referred to by many on the property, started at Gallagher Convention Centre in 1993 when the business was officially opened.

As the company grew and vacancies became available, opportunities were created. Anna applied for the position of Switch Board Operator. She worked as a Switch Board Operator for three years when she was given a chance to assist in Gallagher’s Main Reception.

Noticing how much Anna enjoyed working with and assisting the clients, the company created the position of Guest Relations Officer for Anna to continue offering clients friendly and efficient service in Main Reception. Anna was later promoted to the role she holds today, Guest Relations Manager.

During her thirty years at Gallagher Convention Centre, Anna has seen the company grow into the premier event venue in Gauteng, offering superior, five-star service. To Anna, the high-profile guests she has met and assisted are some of her highlights of working at Gallagher. She is also very proud of the accolades she has been awarded in service to Gallagher.

In 2012 Anna was Awarded the Fernando Fontes Award. At Gallagher, this award is given to a staff member who has distinguished themselves during a particular year. In 2012, during a high-profile event, the guest speaker’s heel broke in reception minutes before she was to go onto the stage. Anna took off her shoes and gave them to the lady to wear. After the speaking engagement, Anna returned the speaker’s shoes, mended by our maintenance team.

Anna is very proud of her Gallagher long-service awards. As Gallagher celebrates our thirtieth birthday this year, Anna will celebrate thirty years of service.

 

IS A SIMPLE YES OR NO THAT SIMPLE?

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On the last week of August 2023, I facilitated the AAXO Board strategy session for the 2nd year in a row. This also included an induction of new members. I thank the AAXO Board for the opportunity and trusting me with this important work, especially the Chair Ms Devi Paulsen-Abbott.

One of the perks of doing this work for AAXO was being granted a lifetime associate membership of this prestigious association. As I considered myself to be a reformed accountant, I wondered what I would use the membership for, but God had and still has a plan. Since the first times facilitating their strategy session in August 2022, my company has run three very successful events, an industry that I knew nothing about before. Everything happens for a reason.

As an introduction to the session, we turned to the “Dean of Strategy for Guidance”: Michael Porter– “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do”. To understand what is meant by choosing what not to do, we turned to Michael Bungay Stanier’s teachings:

The strategic question: If you are saying Yes to This, what are you saying No To?

  • This is more complex than it sounds, to begin with, you are asking people to be clear and committed to their Yes.
  • What exactly are you saying yes to?
  • What could being fully committed to the idea look like?
  • But a Yes is nothing without the No that gives it boundaries and form.
  • There is the No of omission and No of commission.
  • The first type of No (No of omission) applies to the options that are automatically eliminated by saying Yes. If you say Yes to this meeting, you are saying no to something happening at the same time. Understanding this type of No helps you understand the implications of the decisions.
  • What will you say No to if you are truly saying yes to this.
  • The 2nd type of No is what you now need to say to make the Yes happen. It puts the light spotlight on how to create the space and focus, energy and resources that you will need to truly do that Yes.

You can use the 3P model to cover all the bases:

  • Projects
    • What projects do you need to abandon or postpone?
    • What meetings will you no longer attend?
    • What resources do you need to divert to the yes?
  • People
    • What expectations do you need to manage?
    • From what Drama Triangle dynamics will you extract yourself?
    • What relationships will you let wither?
  • Patterns
    • What habits do you need to break?
    • What old stories or dated ambitions do you need to update?
    • What beliefs about yourself do you need to let go of?

This was particularly important as strategy session involved allocating roles and members needed to apply their minds to what it meant not only to accept their roles but even also what agreeing to be part of the Board meant.

This obviously applies to all areas in our lives where we give a Yes or No answer as per the few examples below:

  • Yes to being a parent;
  • Yes to marriage;
  • Yes to a job;
  • Yes to a leadership role;
  • Yes to a community role;
  • Yes to a political role;
  • Yes to a political party on the ballot paper.

 

So my friends, I beseech you to be circumspect next time someone asks you to give them “a simple Yes or No answer”. Do consider whether an animal called “a simple Yes or No answer” does actually exist?

 

Slingsby Mda is a reformed accountant and the Managing Director of Esto Quod Es (Latin for Be Who/What You Are), a company that provides the following services:

  1. Transformational Coaching;
  2. Strategy Facilitation;
  3. Impact Speaking; and
  4. Financial and Project Management.

Booth Exhibits™ Expands to UK and USA

South Africa-based Booth Exhibits™ recently announced plans to expand their business to the UK and USA. The company, which specialises in trade show displays and exhibition stands, has seen impressive growth in the South African market over the past few years and is now looking to capitalize on their success by tapping into the international market. Booth Exhibits™ has earned a reputation for designing and creating stunning custom stands that attract attention and make an impact. The company has a team of experienced designers and engineers that use the latest technologies and techniques to produce high-quality stands that are both eye-catching and functional. Booth Exhibits also offers a wide range of services, including fabric printing, LED lighting, custom graphics, and installation. “We are thrilled to be expanding our business to the UK and USA,” said Booth Exhibits™ CEO, Patrick Wells. “This expansion will allow us to offer our services to a wider range of customers, and we are confident that our designs will make a lasting impression on trade show attendees around the world.”

Booth Exhibits is currently in the process of setting up offices in both countries and is officially offering their services to the European and American markets.

For more information, please visit www.boothexhibits.com

Celebrating our Industry Entrepreneurs

Our decision to join AAXO has so far shown to be a wise one. In addition to connecting us with former co-workers, it has given us a forum where we can interact and offer answers to problems or obstacles we face daily and create prospects for new business.

I think it is reasonable to say that everyone has experienced a day where things don’t go as planned. Days like these are simpler to handle when one is an AAXO member since it offers the required pillars of support to continue and handle the many scenarios in an amicable and professional manner.

 

The COVID pandemic appears to have come and gone very rapidly when examining the business today, despite the fact that the experience was brutally painful. We are honoured to have been permitted to return to the field and are currently engaged in a restoration exercise with the goal of ten-fold restoring what we already had.

 

As the various firms have started using new business strategies, the industry has redirected itself in a different direction. As each business seeks to protect themselves and prevent potential losses or unfavourable outcomes, however, not all new measures being implemented by them are advantageous. Though, I am certain flexibility is exercised where possible or trust is not an issue.

Our way of thinking has slightly changed, as we now recognize the importance of greater collaboration across the many businesses and competitors as opposed to mere competition for customers. Despite the spike in costs, we have also had to consider our clients’ budgets in order to appreciate the financial burden we have all had to undergo while still delivering beyond excellence.

 

Judging from how the year has played out, I anticipate that next year will be very busy from January through December. I welcome this assumption since it will ease the financial hardships the industry is currently experiencing as a result of having been sitting out the COVID duration.

The industry has embarked on more fancy and exciting designs for custom stands, modern themes of eventing along the non-exhibition space.

With the goal of continuing to provide our clients across the country and possibly the African continent with nothing less than the best service, I am personally thrilled to be on a rebuild and growth program as 2023 approaches.

 

Power of PR: Influencer Marketing

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Contrary to popular belief, the concept of ‘influencer’ isn’t a modern-day invention that transpired in the 21st Century with the rise of the internet and social media platforms. In fact, the evolution of influencers can be dated all the way back to 105BCE when Roman gladiators rose to celebrity status, often even promoting the occasional product like oil or wine. [1]

 

If the pandemic taught marketers anything, it’s that influencer marketing truly showed the value it can bring to a brand or business. During lockdown, brands and businesses had to pivot the way in which they reached their target audience. With potential customers retreating to their homes, and with no other way to communicate than through digital platforms, this opened up immense opportunity for influencer marketing.

 

With the fog of the early 2020s dissipating, one thing still stands: As much as 61% of consumers trust recommendations from influencers, with only 38% trusting branded social content.[2] By the end of 2022 alone, brands are projected to spend a whopping R270 billion on influencer marketing with the marketing medium proving to generate 11 times the ROI of traditional digital marketing. [3]

 

 

What is an influencer?

 

An influencer, also known as a content creator, is someone who has the power to affect the opinions and purchasing decisions of others based on their social media presence. Their influence can come from their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience[4]. These individuals have grown their audiences and built careers off the back of the content they create.

 

Within the influencer space there are categories; their ‘beat’, which is the sector their content speaks to and what their audiences are interested in, whether that be home, beauty, lifestyle, travel and so on.  They are also categorised by their following, for example: Nano influencers (1K–10K followers), micro influencers (10K–100K followers), macro influencers (100K–1M followers) and mega or celebrity influencers (1M+ followers).

 

 

Why does influencer marketing work?

 

Picture this: You’ve met up with a colleague for coffee – someone you respect and admire. He tells you about the latest gadget he has tried and how it’s worked for him. Are you interested? Will you go home and search for it online? Possibly.

Well, this is how influencer marketing works. Influencers communicate with their audience on their channels, packaging a brand’s messaging in an authentic way that their followers trust. Through influencer marketing, an influencer is providing a brand with endorsement and word of mouth advertising. They are able to do this because they have an audience who relates to them, admires them and most importantly, trusts them.

 

With referrals being one of the top reasons consumers purchase or buy into a product or brand,  endorsement from influencers not only means credibility for your brand but lead generation too.

 

How do you stand out?

Competing for attention online, amongst the plethora of engaging content, is no easy feat.

In order to stand out, your campaign needs to be engaging. The biggest mistake brands make is driving single campaigns once-off which may bring a burst of favourable results, but doesn’t truly build meaningful connections with your audience for longevity.  Longevity is key and building authentic relationships and long-term campaigns will contribute to the success of influencer marketing for your business.

 

Credibility and relevance simply cannot be bought, however, strategic influencer marketing can and should form part of your marketing plan.

Did you find this information useful? Visit www.pulsecomms.co.za for more or follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

 

 

[1] https://grin.co/blog/the-history-of-influencer-marketing/

[2] https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics

[3] https://incafrica.com/bill-carmody/influencer-marketing-delivers-11x-roi-over-all-other-forms-of-digital-media.html

[4] https://imm.ac.za/influencer-culture-in-south-africa/

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