Comments on: Are South African Event Planners Missing An Opportunity?

By: Marcel

Marcel — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:35:26 +0000

Hi Nicki!

Firstly, it's so nice to see one of my regular “business partners” here

I will be in touch with you in this regard – I think the opportunities for event managers to put the “social” back into “social media” in South Africa are massive! Keep working with LinkedIn for now as it can prove to be a very useful tool …

Best wishes & in thoughts,
- Marcel

By: Marcel

Marcel — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:35:26 +0000

Hi Nicki!

Firstly, it's so nice to see one of my regular “business partners” here

Best wishes & in thoughts,
- Marcel

By: nicolaomolony

nicolaomolony — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:37:23 +0000

Hi Marcel

I haveonly recently joined LinkedIn and have found your article very interesting. I would very much like to receive more information on how to use Social Media in Event Management and Donae and I would also be interested in attending your one day conference. I look forward to receiving the info from you!

Many thanks
Nicki from ECHO Events

By: nicolaomolony

nicolaomolony — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:37:23 +0000

By: Marcel

Marcel — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:17:55 +0000

@Guy: Thanks for your comment all the way from Nelspruit! Outside of the major cities of South Africa, the use of the technology I've suggested above has a limited use. But just because event planners don't “get” Social Media, doesn't mean that they should be using it. Many people don't “get” Twitter, but that doesn't mean it can be a very productive tool: I've attended two events in Cape Town that successfully used Twitter to augment the presentations and make them more interactive. What I am suggesting is that the “barrier to entry” here is not necessarily the cost, but rather the education of how and why Social Media can be used to easily enhance an event.

If you look at what's happening in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) industry in the US and Europe, the trend towards actively incorporating Social Media into your event is being adopted very quickly. It's just a matter of time before we see South African event management companies who are looking for an effective integration into their events.

By: Marcel

Marcel — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:17:55 +0000

@Guy: Thanks for your comment all the way from Nelspruit! Outside of the major cities of South Africa, the use of the technology I've suggested above is limited. But just because event planners don't “get” Social Media, doesn't mean that they should not be using it. Many people don't “get” Twitter, but that doesn't mean it can't be used as very effective tool: I've attended two events in Cape Town that successfully used Twitter to augment the presentations and make them more interactive. What I am suggesting is that the “barrier to entry” here is not necessarily the cost, but rather the education of how and why Social Media can be used to easily enhance an event.

By: guymclaren

guymclaren — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:35:13 +0000

South Africans are just not getting the web thing especially in outlying areas like Nelspruit. Email is still considered high tech, and you think event planners that don't even get facebook are going to use all these tools that are available free?

By: guymclaren

guymclaren — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:35:13 +0000

By: Free Tools To Plan Your Year-End Event Or Function » Featured Articles | Perform! Marketing Solutions

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:19:26 +0000

[...] My latest post on this topic can be found here: http://www.corporatemagician.co.za/blog/event-planning-tools-tips/are-south-african-event-planners-m… [...]