SA Celebs for Radio Station VUMA 103FM, Indaba News and Blackberry Apps

VUMA 103FM is attracting Top SA Celebs



L’loyd Cele - VUMA 103FM - Photo by Val Adamson

VUMA 103FM attracts Top SA Celebrities and Veteran Radio Stars

Fast making its mark on the country’s radio landscape, VUMA 103FM, the commercial isiZulu inspirational lifestyle radio station, which went live to air in November last, year, has attracted a stellar line-up of exciting additional presenters to its studios.

The station based in Umhlanga Newtown in Durban, announced today (April 25) that four new presenters would be added to the schedule from May 6 complementing the current vibrant line-up. New to the airwaves are businesswoman, model, and the first South African Survivor winner Vanessa Marawa, who is joined by Idols personality and singing sensation, L’loyd Cele. Two veterans of radio, the seasoned Lucky Sefatsa and the legendary Grant Shakoane, promise to add a wealth of experience to the dynamic established team.

“As Kwazulu-Natal’s only inspirational radio station we are strengthening our current talented roster with the introduction of some exciting new voices to the radio landscape and also re-introducing some beloved and familiar names for our listeners.” explains new Programmes Manager Thando Makhunga, “With Vanessa and L’loyd we will be bringing a fresh new approach to the airwaves and we are confident that Lucky and Grant will add their veteran savvy and warm charm to the station.”

“With the introduction of these new presenters, we have had to make some alterations in our scheduling,” explains Phindi Gule, Station Manager. “We are delighted to announce that Leleti Khumalo, co-host of the Kwasa Breakfast Show, is pregnant, and she will be taking maternity leave from July. We have therefore persuaded Vanessa, to take up the challenge and join the fun and madness of the breakfast show with Felix Hlophe. We are confident that Vanessa, who has a great voice for radio and a charming warm personality will slot in very comfortably with the morning drive team and add her appealing sense of humour to the show.”

“An amazing electric on-air chemistry has developed in the afternoon drive time show with current hosts Linda Ndimande and Ndoni Radebe.” says Gule. “We want to now channel this energy into the lunchtime slot, and Lucky Sefatsa will now host the afternoon drive show. Lucky, brings almost twenty years of radio experience to the station, and has a natural and connected rapport with his listeners.”

“I am very excited and have always wanted to venture into a new format of radio.” Says Sefatsa. “It’s the same feeling that I had when I started off in radio, and it’s a breath of fresh air.”

“The gracious and genteel Dumi B, who is currently in the afternoon slot will now host the 7pm to 10pm programme. Dumi will be joined by Leleti on Mondays to Wednesdays. Leleti, who will be reshuffling her priorities in preparation for motherhood, will also be hosting her own show on Thursday evenings.”

Veteran radio legend, Grant Shakoane who captured the hearts of listeners around the country and who will be remembered for coining the catchphrases “If it’s good, it’s Grant” and “For the time of your life, and life of your time”, promises to add a compassionate ear and warmth of heart to the Sunday 12 to 3pm slot. This will  be followed by the enchanting and personable star of stage and screen, L’loyd Cele  from 3 to 7pm.

“I have been away from radio educating and helping to raise my grandchildren.” says Shakoane aka Mr Shibababoo Shibaboo . “I am really very excited to be coming back to the airwaves. I come to Vuma as a blank canvas that wants to be painted by inspiration.”

“We are truly excited with this new line-up and we look forward to the extra dynamics that these presenters will add to the mix and, of course to the response from our loyal and ever-increasing listenership.” says Gule.

“We have been encouraged, through the prolific interaction and engagement on our social media platforms, that we are providing the much-needed inspirational authentic isiZulu content that out listeners are wanting.” concludes Nolan Vernon, Chief Operating Officer. “We have used these initial start up months to develop our internal processes and fine-tune our programming. We believe that by introducing these extraordinary additional talent to the station, that we will be able to offer even more uplifting and inspirational radio content to the people of KZN.”

The new programme will be available on www.vumafm.co.za on May 6.  Follow on Facebook  VUMAFM  or Twitter @VumaFM.

(Source - Vuma 103FM)








What's new at Indaba 2013?

South African Tourism’s plans for INDABA 2013 are well advanced as we set out to ensure Africa’s top travel show offers unrivalled opportunities to the global travel trade and new innovations in a market where tourism is growing exponentially above the rate of global growth. We embarked on a process of gaining extensive industry feedback and comments post INDABA 2012, with a view to enhancing and strengthening INDABA’s standing and relevance for the Southern African tourism industry. Through extensive industry engagements and roadshows, as well as an online feedback process, we have taken these comments on board and implemented a variety of the suggestions received. We’ve responded to industry and INDABA Bid Parties feedback to ensure we retained a four-day show and we have made considerable enhancements to ensure INDABA continues to be a major business platform with the primary aim of stimulating and facilitating tourism trade. We will continue to leverage our “Shaping our Future Together” theme – which paid tribute to the joint efforts of South Africa’s tourism industry and its global partners in achieving the phenomenal growth experienced in recent years – but it will be underpinned with a strong ‘Heritage and Culture’ message. For all global and local companies, individuals or tourism industry stakeholders keen to share in this growth story, we are confident INDABA 2013 at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre from 11-14 May 2013 will be an unmatched event on the regional African tourism calendar not to be missed. Some of the new and improved additions to INDABA 2013, of benefit to buyers this year are:

Heritage and Culture Pavilion A “Heritage and Culture Pavilion”, located at the Durban Exhibition Centre, will innovatively showcase South Africa’s world heritage sites, its leisure offerings, culture, art, design and music. With our research showing more and more tourists are looking for intimate, personal connections with South Africa’s people, its history, culture and attractions, the Pavilion will tell South Africa?s story, strongly promote its heritage sites and give better insight into its people. The pavilion is a major project undertaken by the National Department of Tourism, South African Tourism, and the MOJA Heritage Collection, and will be an exhibition of some of the country?s best heritage and culture tourist offerings and distinctively South African tourism products. Speed Marketing Sessions The INDABA Speed Marketing sessions, which were very popular at INDABA 2012, will again be an even more integral part of the show this year, with the focus on National Parks of South Africa on Saturday, Heritage and Culture on Sunday and Wine Routes of South Africa on the Monday. The speed marketing sessions will give hundreds of international buyers the invaluable opportunity of being exposed to - and to do business with - a wide cross-section of South African tourism products. It will also give exhibitors an opportunity to interact with quality international buyers. Tourism Grading Council of South Africa Masterclass with TripAdvisor The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) will again at INDABA 2013 host a master class with TripAdvisor, the world’s biggest and most influential travel website with 60 million unique monthly users. The workshop will be open to all star-graded accommodation establishments and will be an invaluable session, providing tips first-hand from TripAdvisor experts on how best to use the platform to market your establishment to a worldwide and increasingly socially-engaged audience. Travel Bloggers Conference On the eve of INDABA this year, we will be hosting the biggest travel blogging event of the year to share insights with the trade on how critical the travel blogging fraternity has become in promoting destinations and tourism businesses online. Working closely with the influential iAmbassador network, South African Tourism will be hosting 20 bloggers from all over the world in the build up to and during INDABA. Covering fashion, lifestyle, travel and food, these bloggers will be embarking on different itineraries that will cover the broad spectrum of activities, experiences, attractions and accommodation that South Africa has to offer. These bloggers will be sharing their stories with the trade at a special event in Durban on 10 May. Practical sessions from the bloggers will unlock how travel bloggers can cover and promote a destination, using their own tools and techniques, with the bloggers showcasing their stories of how they have ‘met’ and interacted with South Africa’s people and its tourist offerings through their eyes. The trade will be given access to some of the world’s top travel bloggers, and the sessions promise to be informative and innovative. Indaba Connect At INDABA this year, particular attention has been paid to making sure that exhibitors, buyers, media and stakeholders are able to connect with all the key people, places and things they need for a successful INDABA. One of the innovations we are adding this year, besides the information we have available via our website, mobile app and social media coverage of the event, is technology specifically designed to allow easy connections - which we are calling ‘INDABA Connect’. INDABA Connect is a simple, but powerful platform that allows information, contact details, images and presentations to be easily shared among show delegates, in a very simple integrated way. By simply touching a delegate or exhibitor’s tag at an exhibitor’s stand, presentation, event or activation, users will have all the information attached to their online INDABA Connect profile. All of the information will be stored in one place and will make getting in touch easier and more productive than sharing business cards, brochures and CD-Roms or USB sticks. Going green and going digital means that buyers and exhibitors are able to connect and share information more effectively than before, enabling better engagement before, during and after the show. It’s not just about sharing contact information, but making all of the relevant INDABA content available online for easy reference and better connectivity. This will allow for more meaningful connections this year, which is also going to be measurable for everyone using the platform. We will be sharing more information about how the INDABA Connect platform will function closer to the show, while the Matchmaking diary system designed to facilitate important business connections at INDABA will again be in place. Increasing Hosted Buyers is a deliberate Strategy INDABA is of course first and foremost a major trade show and as SA Tourism we have set ourselves the target of gradually increasing the number of international Hosted Buyers attending INDABA under our auspices. Over 1 165 main and sharing exhibitors and 2 000 international and local buyers - 250 of them top international buyers hosted by South African Tourism - have already confirmed their attendance at INDABA 2013, with that number growing daily. And while the emphasis is on ensuring the INDABA Hosted Buyers number remains substantial, we are also conscious of ensuring the quality of buyers selected is stringently vetted to ensure only those with serious intentions of doing business with South Africa’s tourism trade are invited to INDABA . We are again expecting well over 500 journalists to cover INDABA this year, over 100 of them top trade and leisure journalists hosted by our Country offices at INDABA and on a number of pre- and post-tours all across South Africa. Another exciting innovation at INDABA 2013 is the introduction of Live Host Radio and Television broadcasts. We are busy finalizing arrangements with a top information and business radio station and the country’s top national broadcasters to interview, broadcast and disseminate daily news from INDABA 2013. Key industry players, exhibitors, buyers and leading tourism figures will be given interview opportunities at this year’s show for anyone wanting to do business with South Africa and its Southern African neighbours and to get a better feel for the regional African tourism industry, INDABA 2013 will be a treasure trove of key introductions, business opportunities and exposure to hundreds of exhibitors across the tourism spectrum. For the tourism industry, there is the opportunity to interact and forge strong business links with some of the world’s top travel buyers. INDABA remains the premier regional African tourism platform for global buyers to gain easy access to the widest possible cross-section of the South African tourism industry - all under one roof – and we are very excited about the show this year.

INDABA will also make news, trends and the latest data impacting on the South, Southern and regional African tourism industry completely accessible and available to hundreds of local and international news journalists covering the show. A number of news-gathering events have been planned, including topical briefings to give insight into South African Tourism’s market outlook, in-market campaigns and activities. We are confident that INDABA 2013 is taking shape as one of the best shows we have ever produced and we encourage you to use the platform to stimulate the critical tourism business needed to sustain our industry.

(Source - South African Tourism)

Check out the following BlackBerry Q10 apps you’ll be sure to love:

Social:

·         BlackBerry Messenger

·         Facebook

·         Foursquare (Foursquare)

·         LinkedIn (LinkedIn Corporation)

·         Twitter (Twitter, Inc.)

·         WhatsApp (WhatsApp Inc.)

Entertainment:

·         Maxim (Maxim)

·         Nobex Radio (Nobex Technologies Inc.)

·         Soundtracker (South Ventures USA)

Business Tools:

·         Box (Box, Inc.)

·         Canvas Business Forms Mobile Productivity (Canvas)

·         Dropbox

·         SalesNOW (Interchange Solutions Inc)

News & Photography:

·         InstaPhoto (Smarter Apps)

·         New York Times (The New York Times)

·         Paper Camera (JFDP Labs Ltd)

·         Press Reader (NewspaperDirect, Inc.)

·         USA Today (USA TODAY)

·         Wall Street Journal (The Wall Street Journal)

Gaming:

·         Angry Birds (Rovio Entertainment Ltd)

·         Bejeweled 2 (Electronic Arts Inc.)

·         Need for Speed Undercover (Electronic Arts Inc.)

·         New York Time Crosswords (Magmic)

Latest App News: Keep an eye out for ATP Tour, Cut the Rope and Viber apps which will be available on the BlackBerry Z10 and the Q10 in the upcoming weeks.

You can also submit your nominations for the Best Built for BlackBerry App from now until April 28th. The top 4 nominations will be voted on between May 1st and May 10^th, and the winners will be announced at the BlackBerry Live Developer Tweetup on May 15, 2013 in Orlando, Florida.

For a look at all BlackBerry 10 apps, head to BlackBerry World.

For the latest BlackBerry news follow @BlackBerryNews and @BlackBerry_ZA on Twitter.

(Source - Blackberry)

The highlights from #TechEdZA 2013 Part 2 and an Infographic

This is the second part of our article on the Microsoft Conference TechEdZA 2013 held recently
in Durban at the ICC.



One of the nice things to see was how they had quite a bit of social media activity
for this event including this Twitter Wall where you could see the latest Tweets
about the conference.



I sat in on two sessions all about building apps and selling them.

The panelists shared these tips with the delegates:

• There are many ways to sell your app
• Pay per download
• In app advertising
• In app purchasing
• Freemium apps
• Trial purchase apps
• They encouraged developers to keep their apps alive
• Keep building new versions or upgrades
• You have to make that app addictive
• We heard of one company that makes $1 million dollars a day through in app adverts
• Your aim is to get new users for your app
• Send this site info on your app - http://www.wpcentral.com/ 
• Try and use social chat within your app
• Ask yourself  'what is this app going to do?' 
• Keep it simple.
• If you have a bug in your app fix it
• Make that app look sexy

At another session we heard about the latest windows products and devices:

• Microsoft will end support for Windows XP on 8 April 2014.  
• The latest devices can now boot up to usable desktop in under 8 seconds.

Below is a handy infographic of some of the interesting stats from #TechEdZA 2013

All in all it was a wonderful conference and much was learned.



At the closing keynote we saw just how quickly idea's can turn into reality.
At the beginning of the conference idea's were asked for, for apps and at
the end of the conference these idea's were ready in the form of apps.

A great example of the talent we have in South Africa and Africa.

Article and Pictures by Fred Felton (@fredfelton)


Related articles

• The Highlights from #TechEdZA 2013 Part 1

The Highlights from #TechEdZA 2013 Part 1

Last week I was invited to TechEdZA the Microsoft Conference held in Durban at the ICC.

Covering all things tech from laptops to mobile phones to dev to apps and all things in between.



With over 2000 people reported to be in attendance this was indeed a massive conference.

I started off attending the session with @SimonStewart  and what an interesting session it was.
He gave us some wonderful tips:

• He encouraged people at the conference to meet other people.  
• Get out there and introduce yourself and chat to others.
• He encouraged companies to have in-house suggestion systems.
• How much time in a day can you spend on being productive?  
• He recommended you send weekly progress emails to clients.
• By the way he also gave away lots of swag including Planning Poker Cards.

Next we heard from Gary Hope and Laura Kotlinksi about Data Warehouses.

These were the highlights:

• Business is moving online
• Social Media is teaching people to collaborate and learn online
• Look out for Zettabytes.  Already the NSA is reportedly getting a data warehouse that will accommodate 4 Zettabytes of Data.  By the way, that's a lot of data
• 1 Zettabyte = 1000 Petabytes
• 1 Petabyte = 1000 Terabytes

Next up we heard from Rudi Grobler all about Apps.  These were his tips:

• Use programs like Bug Sense and Little Watson to debug your apps
• Test your apps with real world data and monitor your heavy objects
• A useful twitter account to follow is @msdevsa 

On the next day we heard about Social Collaboration from @GarthLuke



His highlights included:

• Find people with common interests
• Social Media allows your company to learn faster than others
• Remember in this day and age everyone has their own device now
• Location does not matter, you can work anywhere.

In the Consumerisation of IT session we heard the following:

• Microsoft manages over 290 000 devices in SA
• Interesting point - Microsoft does not stop its workers from using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.  They believe it is good for business. It has huge business value for them.

You can find more highlights here: 

https://storify.com/fredfelton/a-week-in-the-life-of-techedza

Finally for those of you that attended this conference you will recognize this.
The ICC is big and it is a long walk from one side to the other.
Sometimes you just had to sit on the floor and chill:



Look out for Part 2 of this article later in the week.

Article and Images by Fred Felton (@fredfelton)

Fred Felton was a guest of Microsoft South Africa.

TechEd 2013 has just kicked off in Durban at the ICC

Azure takes centre stage as TechEd kicks off

 Durban – April 17, 2013 – Microsoft has kicked off its TechEd 2013 conference with a strong statement of intent in the cloud computing space, including the announcement of the general availability of Windows Azure Infrastructure Services (IaaS), which allows users to move existing apps to the cloud to save time and money.

With this announcement, Microsoft is now the only cloud provider offering customers a fully supported, comprehensive hybrid cloud solution with platform and infrastructure services, said Microsoft South Africa’s developer platform head, Clifford de Wit.

“This is a significant step in our cloud computing strategy, which has been influenced directly by our discussions with customers and partners around the world,” said De Wit. “Customers don’t want to rip and replace their current infrastructure to benefit from the cloud; they want the strengths of their on-premises investments and the flexibility of the cloud.

“It’s not only about Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS), it’s about Infrastructure Services and Platform Services and hybrid scenarios.  The cloud should be an enabler for innovation, and an extension of your organisation’s IT fabric, not just a fancier way to describe cheap infrastructure and application hosting.”

Delivering the keynote address at TechEd 2013, which runs until Friday at Durban’s ICC, De Wit said Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform was gaining momentum in the marketplace, with nearly 1000 customers signing up for Azure daily. More than 200 000 customers are using the Windows Azure platform to date, with “strong growth” in the South African marketplace as customers started seeing the benefits of the platform.

Not surprisingly, a major area of focus at this year’s event is expected to be Microsoft’s Server solutions, which are driving the modern enterprise’s drive towards cloud computing. Other areas which will enjoy a good deal of attention are the company’s Office 365 offering, and its Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms within the enterprise.

However, this year is also expected to see a surprising amount of attention being paid to apps, with a specific track around apps and developing apps on all of the company’s platforms.

“Since the last TechEd event 18 months ago, we’ve seen new versions of practically every product and service in our portfolio,” De Wit told the 2500 delegates. “The drive behind this massive wave of innovation is a focus on cloud-enablement, which we see as a key area of focus for all businesses.”

(Source - Microsoft)

For more details on the conference visit their website - http://www.teched.co.za/

If you are going to the conference tweet your input using the hashtag #techedza 

You can see some of the tweets on this hashtag here -  #techedza

Useful Twitter Accounts to follow.  These Tweeps are at the conference. 

@MicrosoftSA

@MarcForrest

@SamanthaPerry

@AMG133 

Time for the BASA Awards and INDABA 2013 has a travel bloggers conference

Here comes the BASA Awards

Entries open for South Africa’s only awards celebrating partnerships between business and the arts

The Business Day BASA Awards, supported by Anglo American, are the only awards celebrating the varied ways that business partners with the arts in South Africa – and entry to the 2013 awards is now open.
Created 16 years ago to celebrate and advance excellence, innovation and value in business and arts partnerships, entry into the awards covers the period 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012 and can be done by the business, the arts project or even a third-party.
“This year, we want to throw the net even wider and are encouraging the nomination of arts-business partnerships through as many channels as possible,” says Business and Arts South Africa CEO, Michelle Constant. 
Twelve of the 15 categories at the 16^th Annual Business Day BASA Awards, supported by Anglo American, are now open for entry, encompassing all creative mediums and a wide spectrum of partnerships, from small and in-kind to large-scale or long term.
Covering all aspects of the arts, each of the twelve categories is of equal value, with winners each receiving a specially commissioned work of art. 
The prestige and significance of winning a Business Day BASA Award, supported by Anglo American, is based on the evaluation of the success of each partnership in achieving the objectives of the business and the artist or art project, and in bringing genuine value and benefit to both.  Factors such as the innovative nature of the partnership, value and success of the project are taken into account by an independent panel of judges, which will adjudicate the entries according to the specific criteria of each category. 
Among last year’s winners were Nando’s Chickenland Ltd which won the International Sponsorship award for the Nando’s Art Collection, Sasol, which was honoured in the Long Term Partnership category for the Sasol New Signature Art Competition and Santam Limited which won the Youth Development award for its Santam's Child Art Programme.
Entry into the 16^th Annual Business Day BASA Awards, supported by Anglo American, is facilitated by an online system on thebasa.co.za website that is continually streamlined to ensure ease of use, and will remain open until May 10^th 2013.
Over the past 15 years, the Annual Business Day BASA Awards, supported by Anglo American, have played an increasingly important role in Business and Arts South Africa’s mandate to ensure the relevance, advancement and sustainability of the arts in South Africa.
Specifically, the awards encourage, promote and celebrate mutually beneficial, equitable, and sustainable business arts partnerships and collaborations that will, over the long term, benefit the broader South African community.  Together with more recent additions to Business and Arts South Africa’s scope of work – like the BASA Arts Sponsorship Management Toolkit - the awards also play a crucial role in recognising the commercial benefit and success for businesses that support the arts.
The full list of categories now open for entry in the 16^th Annual Business Day BASA Awards, supported by Anglo American is as follows:
Innovation Award: This award recognises the most innovative and progressive partnership in all mediums of creativity; one that has served all the partners’ purposes effectively over the past 12 months and highlighted creativity and originality in the process.
First Time Sponsor Award: For a business supporting the arts for the first time, regardless of size, budget, or whether it is CSI or marketing.
Increasing Access to the Arts Award: For a partnership that has encouraged specific audience engagement with the arts or has made a significant contribution to brand, market and audience development, while still promoting the business through above-the-line media or a partnership that has made a significant contribution to regeneration or sustainable growth through a CSI budget.
International Sponsorship Award: Awarded to a global-level partnership that builds brand reputation and audience for both the business and arts organisations across international borders through an event or marketing project showcasing SA to the rest of the world, and/or bringing international arts projects to South Africa.
Long Term Partnership Award: A company which has significantly developed and expanded its commitment to an arts project over three years or longer. The value to the arts project, the broader community and the business, must be apparent.
Media Sponsorship Award: For consistent and innovative support given by electronic, print, broadcast and web based media.
Single Strategic Project Award: For an outstanding single sponsorship, with best use of a project, which is an integral part of the sponsors overall brand and marketing programme.
Small Business Award: For vital support given to the arts by a small company with one to 200 full-time employees and an annual turnover of no more than R10 million.
Sponsorship In Kind Award: For a company giving non-financial support to the arts.
Youth Development Award: For projects which involve young artists and/or young audiences; an educational and development element should be implicit in the sponsorship.
Arts and Environment Award, supported by Nedbank” For business support of arts and culture projects which contribute towards the sustainability of the environment.
Mentor of the Year Award, supported by Etana: Recognises the long-term contribution of a volunteer business mentor to arts organisations through the Mentorship Programme, and only mentors from the BASA Mentorship Programme are eligible for this Award
Categories to be awarded by the chairman and the judging panel:
Diplomacy in the Arts: Given in recognition of Foreign Missions which contribute to the development and preservation of the arts in South Africa as well as the continued prioritisation of cultural diplomacy between South Africa and the international community.
Art Champion Award: Awarded to an individual for outstanding achievement in the encouragement of business support for the arts.
Chairman’s Premier Award: This is made at the discretion of the Chairman of BASA and recognises sustained and extraordinary commitment to the arts in South Africa.
The Awards are audited by Grant Thornton.
The closing date for entries for the BASA Awards is May 10^th 2013.
The easy-to-use online nomination system can be accessed on the BASA website at www.basa.co.za. The awards section features tips, guidelines, rules and regulations and online nomination forms. Information about previous winners can also be found on this website. 
Those requiring more information can also call Lakin Morgan at the BASA offices on 011 447 2295 or  011 447 2289 - or email lakin@basa.co.za.

(Source - BASA) 

Heritage and Culture a major focus of exciting INDABA 2013

The South African Tourism INDABA 2013, Africa’s top travel show, is set to offer unrivalled opportunities, new innovations and networking platforms for the tourism trade and international buyers this year to stimulate tourism business in a market growing well above the rate of global growth.

Between January and November 2012, South Africa had attracted over 8.3 million international tourists and grown at 10.5% (against average global tourism growth of 4% in 2012), as the country continued to entrench its reputation as a world-class leisure and business events destination.

For all global and local companies, individuals or tourism industry stakeholders keen to share in this growth story, INDABA 2013 at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre from 11 - 14 May 2013 will be an unmatched event on the regional African tourism calendar not to be missed.

Last year’s INDABA theme of “Shaping our Future Together” - which paid tribute to the joint efforts of South Africa’s tourism industry and its global partners in achieving the phenomenal growth in recent years - will again be the theme at INDABA 2013, which will also have a strong ‘Heritage and Culture’ focus.

For anyone wanting to do business with South Africa and its Southern African neighbours and to get a better feel for the regional African tourism industry, INDABA 2013 will be a treasure trove of key introductions, business opportunities and exposure to hundreds of exhibitors across the tourism spectrum. For the tourism industry, there is the opportunity to interact and forge strong business links with some of the world’s top travel buyers.

Over 1 165 main and sharing exhibitors and 2 000 international and local buyers - 250 of them top international buyers hosted by South African Tourism - have already confirmed their attendance at INDABA 2013, with that number growing daily.

While South Africa is a destination of spectacular beauty, offering every conceivable tourist attraction under the African sun to suit every pocket, the destination’s differentiator is its warm, hospitable people and the memories they leave visitors with long after they’ve left.

A major new addition at INDABA this year will be a ‘Heritage and Culture Pavilion’ located at the Durban Exhibition Centre, which will innovatively showcase South Africa’s world heritage sites, its leisure offerings, culture, art, design and music - all of which combine to tell South Africa’s story, its history, its future and gives better insight into its people.

The pavilion is a major project undertaken by the National Department of Tourism and South African Tourism, in collaboration with the MOJA Heritage Collection, and it will be an exhibition of some of the country’s best heritage and culture tourist offerings and distinctively South African tourism products.

All delegates - exhibitors, buyers, media and visitors - are encouraged to visit the ‘Heritage and Culture’ pavilion, to experience South African stories woven in folklore, myth and history and the country’s globally celebrated sense of style in design, arts and crafts.

“Our market research shows that travellers are increasingly looking to experience the unique, authentic, personal South African stories. They are looking to meet the locals, experience where they live, eat where they eat and be part of the country’s culturally rich lifestyle, while learning about the history of this great country. The Heritage and Culture pavilion will be an exciting addition to INDABA 2013 and we have also included a number of new elements to the show this year which will be of major value to buyers and exhibitors,” says South African Tourism Chief Executive Officer Thulani Nzima.

INDABA is primarily a trade show and to this end the Speed Marketing sessions, which were very popular at INDABA 2012, will again be an even more integral part of the show this year, with the focus on National Parks of South Africa on Saturday, Heritage and Culture on Sunday and Wine Routes of South Africa on Monday. The speed marketing sessions will give hundreds of international buyers the invaluable opportunity of being exposed to - and to do business with - a wide cross-section of South African tourism products.

The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) will again at INDABA 2013 host a master class with TripAdvisor, the world’s biggest and most influential travel website with 60 million unique monthly users. The workshop will be open to all star-graded accommodation establishments and will be an invaluable session, providing tips first-hand from TripAdvisor experts on how best to use the platform to market your establishment to a worldwide and increasingly socially-engaged audience.

Another exciting feature at INDABA for the first time will be a Travel Bloggers conference on the eve of the show, attended by some of the most influential international and local bloggers, who will unpack the changing face of destination marketing and the importance of personalised, user-generated content and social media engagement and its impact for the tourism trade.

At INDABA this year, particular attention has been paid to making sure that exhibitors, buyers, media and stakeholders are able to connect with all the key people, places and things they need for a successful INDABA.

One of the innovations this year, besides the information on the website, mobile app and social media coverage of the event, is technology specifically designed to allow easy connections - which will be called ‘INDABA Connect’.

INDABA Connect is a simple, but powerful platform that allows information, contact details, images and presentations to be easily shared among show delegates, in a very simple integrated way. By simply touching a delegate or exhibitor's tag at an exhibitor's stand, presentation, event or activation, users will have all the information attached to their online INDABA Connect profile, which will make getting in touch easier and more productive than sharing business cards, brochures and CD-Roms or USB sticks. This will also enable better engagement for delegates before, during and after the show - allowing for more meaningful connections this year.

The Matchmaking diary system, designed to facilitate important business connections between exhibitors and buyers at INDABA, will again be in place.

“The South African tourism industry is a very exciting one to be part of right now and we are confident the growth we are experiencing will translate into increased business opportunities. Our potential is huge and to unleash it we are working hard to attract quality global buyers to INDABA 2013, who are committed to doing tourism business with South Africa and to tap into our destination’s unique and diverse offerings. Despite tough economic times, South Africa’s tourism industry has continued to see growth in recent years and as a collective we need to grow and shape the future of our industry together. INDABA remains the premier regional African tourism platform for global buyers to gain easy access to the widest possible cross-section of the South African tourism industry - all under one roof - and we are very excited about the show this year,” says Nzima.

Over 600 local and international journalists and broadcasters are set to cover all the tourism news and trends at INDABA. A number of news-gathering events and activations have been planned, including topical briefings to give insight into South African Tourism’s market outlook, in-market campaigns and activities.

INDABA will take place from May 11 to 14. For more information on the show and for details on how to register to attend, visit www.indaba-southafrica.co.za.

(Source - INDABA) 

Music Events

Cloud 9 will play at St. Clements garden restaurant this Friday 19 April at 7.30pm.

Tickets R35 at the door. Tel 031 2022511

 

Their music features Swing favourites, Blues from the American Deep South, Classic Rock and contemporary favourites, including some Country and Western Classics.

The band is arguably one of the most versatile groups in Durban and is sure to appeal to a wide rande of music lovers.

(Source - St Clements) 

News for Writers, Bloggers, Art Lovers, Events and More

Talking Heads - 20 April 2013














(Source - AfricaCentre)


Writing Tips from +Cath Jenkin

Great Interview



China-Africa Business Summit

We are very pleased to confirm our keynote speaker, Dr Wang Jianye, Chief Economist at the Export-Import Bank of China (China EXIM Bank) who will be presenting at the upcoming China-Africa Business Summit on the 17^th April in Johannesburg. Dr Wang Jianye is the second of two keynote addresses to be delivered on the day – the other being H.E. Arthur Mutambara – the Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

These keynote speakers are a powerful addition to the already impressive line-up of organisations and speakers sharing their knowledge and insights on China-Africa Commercial relationships this year at the China-Africa Business Summit. 

The Business Summit will hold a number of panel-discussions on the Mining & Resources Sector; China’s investment in Infrastructure and its Impact on African Economies & Integration; Evaluating the Potential for China’s Energy Sector to Power Growth in Africa; and the Outlook for China-Africa Trade & Investment.

Speakers participating include business leaders from China Construction Bank, Sinohydro, Shenzhen Energy, the China-Africa Development Fund, Sinosteel, China Geo-Engineering, China Harbour Engineering Corporation, Webber Wentzel, the South African Chamber of Commerce & Industry, AfraAsia Bank, Aveng, Deloitte, the Industrial Development Corporation, Zimbabwe Power Company, J&J Group, Marsh Africa, Wits Business School and Moneyweb.

Don’t miss the definitive China-Africa business forum of the year. Register at chinaafrica@frontieradvisory.com

(Source - Frontier Advisory )

(Source Ushaka)




To Book Follow the Link

http://www.fasa.co.za/showevent.php?event=25

Booking Fee - R100

(Source - FASA)

Art

Paul Senyol (Cape Town) Represented by Salon 91
& Wesley van Eeden (Durban)
Opening reception: April 11th, 7pm
Show runs: April 11th - May 25th, 2013

For the upcoming show titled "Transformative" Paul Senyol and Wesley van Eeden explored the notions of reality and society in a constant stage of change. Van Eeden was taken by the idea of how something we do today will have a certain influence on the way we live tomorrow, next week, a month from now and for many years to come. Trying to grapple for a grasp on the present moment, we find ourselves in eternal stages of change. Senyol took a deeper look at the very fabric of his everyday life and those who orbit his existence as a starting point for working towards a final outcome.
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/139586709556624/

Paul Senyol - Represented by Salon91

For enquires please contact Assistant Director Elmarie van Straten.
Cell: 072 226 9815
Landline: (021) 447 3994
Email: elmarie@a-word-of-art.co.za

Music 

Tim Wells Blues Band will play at St Clements this Fri 12 April from 19h30pm. R50 at the door. Tel 031 2022511

News for KZN Writers

The WGSA KZN committee would like to invite you to attend a meet and greet on Monday 15 April at 18h00.  During this session WGSA Council would like to get your input to put forward a programme for the rest of the year.

So, be there!

VENUE:
Smile Spa, Shop 2A, 136 Cowey Road
Musgrave

Entrance on Cowey Road
Free secure parking

Contact Details:

Thea Aboud
Writers’ Guild of South Africa

Mobile: 082 575 6901
Office: 011 888 4349
Fax: 086 654 1972
Email: admin@writersguildsa.org / wgsainfo@gmail.com
Website: www.writersguildsa.org
Skype: writers.guild
Office Address: 125 3rd street, Linden, Johannesburg
NPO registration: 081-261
PBO registration: 930-036-168

Event for Entrepreneurs

Pat Fleuriot started working 1 week after finishing High School and continues to enjoy doing so today. He completed his Articles of Workmanship through Price Waterhouse, spent 18 years in Accountancy and has been a Financial Advisor for 22 years and a Certified Financial Planner since 2007. 
Over the years Pat has participated in a number of business ventures including franchise outlets with Famous Brands and investing in Close Corporations. 
Pat is currently a Fellow Partner (with his son, Richard) and a Financial Advisor at Fleuriot & Associates. He is passionate about ascertaining client’s needs, assessing their financial strength, challenging and guiding them to protect and create wealth. 
He is married to Jacqueline, for only 26 years. They have a pigeon pair – Richard, his son and partner in F&A and Danielle, his daughter is doing her Masters in USA. 
Pat is a skilled learner, analytic, disciplinarian and activator – which is sure to challenge you! 

Come and join us as Pat shares his journey with us: 
Date: 19th April 2013 
Time: 7:30am-9:30am 
Venue: Three Peaks House, 22A Underwood Road, Pinetown 
Cost: R 114.00 incl. VAT. (Healthy breakfast and coffee incl.) 
Bring a business associate or customer who has never attended one of our workshops before and only pay for one seat. 
Seats are limited to encourage the interactive nature of this event so BOOK NOW to avoid disappointment. 
To book: Contact Janis on 0861 373 257 or email: janism@threepeaks.co.za

(Source - ThreePeaks) 

Attention Script Writers 

Twist Theatre Development Projects, in partnership with the National Arts Festival and PANSA, will be hosting the annual Novel-Script Project, a master-class for script writers, in Grahamstown from 22 to 28 June. 

This project brings together writers from South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands in an intensive 5 day workshop that focuses on writers honing their craft.

Participants are provided with travel, accommodation, a per deum, and an invaluable experience.
We will be selecting just two South African writers to be part of the project for 2013.

This is a professional programme, and writers must be mid-career, and meet the following criteria:

•Fluency in writing and conversing in English, 
•Experience with having staged at least 2 of their own original scripts on the professional stage,

•Computer literacy, and own lap-top for the duration of the project,
•Openness to constructive criticism and workshop processes,
•Full availability over the period 22-28 June,
•The project does involve some preparation, and participants must be willing to complete an assignment in May. 

Applicants should email an application to info@twistprojects.co.za by Monday 22 April. 
Applications MUST include the following:

1) A short Curriculum Vitae containing the following:
Personal Information  
Relevant Education and Training
Theatre Writing Experience

2) A short motivation for acceptance to the workshop, with names and contact details of two theatre-related referees 

3) A short 3 - 8 page sample of an original theatre script  (please do not send the full script). 

Applicants will be contacted by the end of April regarding the outcome of the selection process. 

Twist will be hosting a development workshop for less established writers later in 2013, and will make a separate call for this project. 

(Source - Pansa)