The latest Fizz news - September/October 2013

October is here and this year just seems to have flown. Our team at Fizz Marketing spent the winter months this past quarter staving off the chill by keeping extremely busy, with the exciting and innovative Microsoft Technology Centre launch, to the re-launch event for Women in IT.

In this newsletter we look back on these events, we also chat to our intern Lindsay Grobler about her thesis, plus our very own Celeste Whitaker offers some insights into ROI on corporate events.

Venue feature: The Venue Green Park, Sandton

This quarter’s venue feature is the breathtaking The Venue in Green Park. With glamorous decor, an in-house chef offering amazing catering options and a huge variety of services available for clients, The Venue is the ultimate place to hold any and all functions, be it corporate or personal.

The Venue’s offer breakfasts and brunches, to cocktails and buffets. It’s located only 10 minutes away from the Gautrain station and is within walking distance of accommodation at the Michelangelo and Sandton Towers.

The Venue also features technical add-ons such as public address system, sound system, lighting system, screen and video/data projector, and audio visual equipment, as well as an in-house technician. To top it all off, a doorman welcomes all guests, there is a cloak check-in facility and bathroom attendants for both ladies and gents.

Find out more about The Venue Green Park here 

Fizz intern Lindsay tells us about her thesis

Five months ago, Fizz Marketing welcomed Lindsay Grobler to the team as an intern. Lindsay is currently studying towards her Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Hospitality. She is now currently working on her thesis, using her time at Fizz to help her formulate her study on the no-show rates of corporate events. Says Lindsay, “I want to come up with a conclusion on what we can do to get more delegates to attend, based on time, date, the type of event and communication of the event.”

Lindsay explains that she learnt much of the theory behind events management during her time studying for six in Thailand and Indonesia. Her time at Fizz Marketing has meant that she has been able to put these theories into practice. “I have really been able to experience what it’s actually like to manage events and prepare for them, which is a great learning experience,” says Lindsay.

Best of luck to Lindsay on her studies as well as her thesis!

Past events

Just when we thought the year couldn’t get any more busy, the past few months at Fizz Marketing have been crazy! We have done some amazing events, with concepts and ideas that have really broken the mold.

Opening of the Microsoft Technology Centre (MTC)

In July, we managed the internal launch of the Microsoft Technology Centre (MTC). The lead up to the event  held a lot of excitement, as we used new and innovative ways to spread the word and get the invitations to the event out there. The invitations sent via email featured a video of comedic musician Deep Fried Man playing his guitar and reaching out to people to attend the event. Invitees were then able to accept or decline the invitation on the video itself. A different video was then sent out based on whether invitees accepted or declined the invitation, with Deep Fried Man utilising a different musical genre for each. For those who accepted, a follow up video was sent as a reminder, and another video was sent out after the event to thank those who attended. The event took place on the 4^th of July 2013 and was a resounding success. This internal launch was then followed up with the official launch of the MTC to partners, on the 31^st of July 2013 and was officially opened by the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Derek Hanekom.

These launches were fantastic for us as a company to stretch our legs and expand ourselves creatively. The use of videos and comedy to spread the word of the event was something we had never done before, and we were absolutely blown away with the results.

Women in IT relaunch event June 2013

Women in IT is an organisation that has always been close to our hearts and we have been involved with it since day one. This year saw the forum claim its new identity as a non-profit organisation and to celebrate, we organised and managed the relaunch event at The Venue in Melrose Arch.

The turn-out blew us away, and really reassured us that Women in IT’s members are onboard all the way. Attendees at the event were treated to a fabulous breakfast, and the new Women in IT spokeswoman Amory Somers-Vine was the official MC for the day. The guest speaker was internationally-recognised speaking coach Lynn Baker, who had everyone entertained as well as educated with her insightful talk on “Executive Presence”.  All in all it was a morning well enjoyed by everyone in attendance and it was a fantastic way to welcome the new chapter in the Women in IT forum. 

Future events

We’ve got a busy few weeks ahead of us with some exciting events on the horizon.

The big ones for October will be the Microsoft Tech Days events happening in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. On the 28^th the Cape Town event will take place at the CTICC and we will be expecting 700 delegates to the event. Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg will play host to the Joburg Tech Days event on the 31^st, and we expect about 900 delegates to the event. Tech Days is an exciting Microsoft initiative that brings together IT developers and other IT professionals who are passionate about technology and innovation.

We are very excited to be organising an event for new clients Performanta and Check Point, taking place at Tintswalo on the 18^th of October. The event includes a customer briefing followed by some fun and creativity teaching guests the art of cocktail mixing.

From the 16^th to the 18^th October, Yvette will be jetting off to Gaberone, Botswana to manage the event for the fourth FIP Implementation Regional Learning Platform. Attendees will include Ministries of Finance and Central Banks. This forum is hosted by the SADC (South African Development Community) and GIZ.

On the 23^rd of October, Yvette will then be managing a seminar for SAP and AxizWorkGroup at their auditorium. The event will run until 1pm and will include a light breakfast. This event will demonstrate everything delegates will need to know about SAP Business Objects Edge BI Solutions.