2012 JOBURG PRIDE

EMBRACING OUR SEXUALITY!



LOVE ME FOR ME: Attenders at the pride
(source: www.iol.co.za)

PINK AND PROUD: A man at the event
(source: www.timeslive.co.za)

 

Joburg Pride 2012; an event I have been hearing a lot about in the past couple of months. Although I couldn’t attend the event myself, it sounded like an epic venture to be a part of. Joburg Pride has been known as the largest gay and lesbian event in Africa. For its 23^rd year running; it invited a range of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender citizens to join in the fun and support the Joburg Pride event. This event is definitely a great initiative; because it offers a specific platform for an often misunderstood cluster of members in our community. At the end of the day; our country preaches equality and a democracy, why not embrace our true selves. To make things even better; attendees are not limited. Any citizen with interest can join in the Pride! For 23 years of successful event execution; I give big-ups to the organisers and publicists for the Joburg Pride. Not everyone in the country would respond well to an event like this; but the team managed to make it a success. It really looks like something you would not want to miss. Anyone would want to be a part of this!

 



PERFORMING FOR THE CROWD: Crazy White Boy
(source: www.joburgpride.org)

ON THE STAGE: Artist Nancy G
(source: www.joburgpride.org)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year’s event took place at the Zoo Lake Sports Club on the 6^th of October 2012. The parade then ended with great festivities in the form of performances and various stalls. The event also provided a kiddies area, these indicates just how this was for the whole family as well! Gates opened at 8h00 and stage performances started at 9h00. With performances from the likes of Crazy White Boy, Divas of Drag, Nancy G, Pabi Moloi, Simply Blue and many more. This definitely sounds like it was worth attending!

 

Idols8 SA Season Finale

SPEECHLESS: Khaya Mthethwa after being crowned the winner
(source: citypress.co.za)

 

 AND THE WINNER IS…KHAYA!!

It has been weeks of competition and anticipation. Until Khaya Mthethwa; was crowned as the first Black winner of South African Idols. The 8^th season of Idols SA has been my favourite season of the show, to date! I always made sure I tuned into the show every Sunday at 17h30 and the results show on Tuesdays at 18h30. Originally from Durban in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Khaya Mthethwa became a fan favourite at a very early stage in the competition. It was through his solo performance during Sun City week. Khaya sang a soulful rendition of Nicki Minaj’s hip hop song; Super bass (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZar0k39eZ4). A day after that episode; newspapers such as The Times featured an article on Khaya, already predicting his win! This actually had me worried a bit, because I felt as though more pressure was given to him to do well in the competition. However; Khaya proved me wrong by always standing his ground because he performed at his best, every single week!

COINCIDENCE OR NOT?



RACE TO THE FINAL: 2012 finalists, Khaya Mthethwa and Melissa Allison
(source: gatewaynews.co.za)

In a way; I actually think South African Idols had a lot of pressure to make Khaya the winner this year. This is because; a lot of past allegations have been made with regards to just how the show has been running for 8 years and the country had not received a Black winner yet!  Khaya was up against Melissa Allison (Coloured) in the final show, upon the fact that the show had already crowned a couple of Coloured winners. I seriously think Idols SA would be faced with a lot of controversy right now if things hadn’t turned out the way they did. To top it all off- Several South African celebrities campaigned for Khaya to win the show; such as Minnie Dhlamini, Kabomo, Bonang, Somizi Mhlongo and RJ Benjamin. Personally after listening to Khaya numerous amounts of times and watching his new music video, Move. I strongly believe that he did deserve the title. Both Melissa and Khaya were great, but at the end of the day: the best man always walks away with the price!

 

5th Annual South African SEXPO

HOT AND HAPPENING

One of the sponsors: Playboy
(source: www.groupon.co.za)

This week I decided to take a risk and talk about an event some would consider explicit. However; I really consider it to be very interesting! The 5^th Annual South African Sexpo, which will be taking place from the 27^th September to the 30^th. You probably have noticed the banners on the roads and in certain stores: SEXPO-Health, Sexuality and Lifestyle Expo. The event will be taking place at the Nasrec expo center’s hall 6. From Friday up until Saturday; it will begin at 11h00 until midnight. Then on its final day (Sunday); it will take place from 11h00 to 21h00. The South African SEXPO is very different from any other ordinary event. Visitors will experience new products, stage shows and workshops hosted by professionals. There large stage will cater to great acts such as former miss nude Australia Suzie Q and pole fitness instructor, Alicja Grawleska.

GOOD OR BAD?

Official banner: The South African SEXPO banner
(source: www.whatson.co.za)

Personally; I think the event marketing for the South African SEXPO is great! Large and small billboards publicizing the event are placed around different areas and cities. Their line-up looks very exciting (well for all those who find this type of venture fun). However; there are always two types of people in this world, the ones who agree and the ones who disagree. Some people may find this a bit too explicit to be placed at certain areas and be seen by every citizen who passes by (including young kids), especially considering the types of pictures accompanying the billboard itself. At the end of the day, many people became aware of the event and gained an interest for it. If you want to experience the South African SEXPO; you can view the ticket details on www.computicket.com. To all those attending the event, all I can say is ENJOY!

2nd Annual Spring Fiesta 2012

MASSIVE MARKETING TURN AROUND!

IT'S BACK: 2nd Annual Spring Fiesta banner
(source: www.whatson.co.za)

 The 2011 Spring Fiesta came and went. I am specifically saying this in this manner because not many people really knew about it; with myself included. I only got to hear about the 2011 event weeks after. However; the 2012 Spring Fiesta is all I hear about these days. Every street corner I take a turn at has a banner of the event. Various radio stations are publicizing the event. What takes the cup for me is how the event’s marketing used South Africa’s largest television station, SABC for publicity. Plus I must admit; every time I see the 2012 Spring Fiesta advertisement while watching the channel, I just gain a desire of being there and experiencing what seems to be the event of the season!

WILL IT ALL BE WORTH IT?

EVENT OF THE SEASON: The event's DJ line-up
(source: www.imixwell.com)

The advertisement informs us of how the event is happening on the 22^nd of September 2012 (during the long weekend) from 12h00 until late, at Wild Waters complex in Boksburg. My friend and I took the time to check Computicket for ticket prices. Ranging from R131 to R1290, we were really shocked! The true question is for a R1290 priced ticket, what does one receive in return. Well for one; the line-up looks very convincing. With performances from international act The Layabouts, Imaani, Oli Lazarus from Reel People, DJ Kent, Liquideep, MiCasa, Black Coffee, Oskido, Lulo Café and many more acclaimed acts! With 4 stages lines up for more than 50 acts; I guess a true party enjoyer will see something worth paying R1290 for. For more information, visit www.springfiesta.com.

Annual Vaal Tropika Beach Party

THE BANNER: The Vaal beach party banner
( source: www.masiasound.com)

Goodbye winter and hello spring! The heat is on and I mean this literally; we are just a few days to a lot of people’s favourite season: spring. After the cold days tucked in our beds, and even the memorable snowy moments South Africans have shared this week, the heat is starting to make its way back. I blog about events and this is not me discussing season changes; instead I will be talking about the Annual Vaal tropical beach party 2012. A fun packed event where the youth meets up to celebrate the hot weather. The event takes place at the Vaal show grounds in Vereeniging, and will be taking place on the 1^st of September 2012. Prices range from R150 to R200, with performances from popular South African artists and DJ’s.

 

 

MUCH MORE ENJOYMENT FOR THE SUPPORTERS



 The event organizers have decided to add even more to the festivities, by including a few other events to support the main beach party: A Vaal beach comedy showdown on the 30^th of August, a Vaal beach pre-party on the 31^st of August and a Vaal beach Sunday chilling on the 2^nd of September 2012. Personally, I think this is great way of getting more supporters for the event, and even sustaining current supporters. It is nice to see such great event execution being created for the young generation of our country.  The only sad part is finding out about sad happenings; such as irresponsible drinking and accidents caused by drunk driving. Let us all enjoy without any negativity in the end!

THE SUNDAY AFTER: The banner for the beach Sunday session on the 2nd of September
( source: www.yomzansi.com)





Soweto Wine Festival 2012

Details of the Soweto Wine Festival
(source: www.sowetowinefestival.com)

The eighth annual Soweto Wine Festival will be taking place from: September the 6^th to the 8^th 2012. This festival, which takes place at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto Campus; brings together a mix of wine lovers and trendsetters. In association with Spar’s Tops and The Food Network, it promises to bring enjoyment to everyone attending! Visitors to the festival are treated to up to 900 different wine tastes, a lounge to hang out at and a food court to indulge at.

AN APPROPRIATE VENUE FOR THE EVENT

An advert for the festival
(source: www.sowetowinefestival.com)

This is a great event and I honestly feel like a venue in Soweto is perfect for the festival. I firmly say this because most classy events are placed at inaccessible venues sometimes, and it ends up categorising them in one cluster. However; I also wonder if it really is a good idea for the events to be at an educational institution. Higher education keeps getting negative commentary because some students end up getting distracted from their school work, because of corruption, drugs and even alcohol. I am not trying to stand against the festival being at the university in any way, I just have a little concern with the fact that some people might see this as a contradictory situation!

Totalsport's Ladies Race

National Woman’s Day is known as a day to celebrate the beauty and freedom of every South African woman. Whether it is: treating themselves to breakfast in bed, a massage or even a day out with their girlfriends. Some of the women however; choose to spend their woman’s day challenging themselves in the Totalsport’s Ladies Race. This race happens every year on the 9^th of August at Stellenbosch, Durban and Johannesburg. This race is especially dedicated to women. There is a 5km and a 10km long race for the ladies; to take part in.

The Ladies Race Logo
(source: www.topevents.co.za)

JUST FOR THE WOMEN

Once the women reach the finish line of the Totalsport’s Ladies Race, they receive special medals and get free photos of themselves; which were taken during the race. After getting a breather, they are then treated to a special performance by any one of the South African music artists. The likes of The Bala Brothers, Gift Gwe and Lloyd Cele have graced the Totalsport’s Ladies Race’ stage.  I strongly believe that this is a great PR tactic to get women motivated each time they come to the race each year. At the end of the day; which lady doesn’t want to be treated to a great musical performance from a hunky artist after a good workout?

MORE CAN BE OFFERED



ALMOST AT THE FINISH LINE: Ladies enjoying the race
(source: www.topevents.co.za)

As a woman and of course a Public Relations student; I am always hungry for more! In this case, I do think that the Totalsport’s Ladies Race can include a little goodie bag for the ladies. I think this will be yet another tactic which will make women want to keep coming back for more races each year. This race has some sponsors which can help organise this, one of them including the main sponsor: Totalsports. All good things can be better, and I feel the same when it comes to the Totalsport’s Ladies Race. It is a very motivational and fun experience for women and can even be more fun as time goes by!

LONDON OLYMPICS 2012

A PROUD MZANSI



South African swimmer Chad Le Clos with his gold medal
(source: www.globalpost.com) 

Whenever you turn on your television or even your radio, all you hear about are the 2012 Olympics which are taking place in London. This event which brings together different countries all over the world by means of competition, takes place every 4 years. South Africa qualified in different categories this year. These include the swimming, female soccer, long jump, rowing and athletics. We already have 3 gold medals and 1 silver, needless to mention just how proud South Africans are!

FRONT ROW SEAT AT HOME

The 2012 London Olympics
(source: www.en.wikipedia.com)

 

Some people might wonder how we know all of these things about the 2012 Olympics. South African’s are given a chance to get a front row seat of the event from the comfort of their own home. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and Supersport channels on satellite decoder DSTV; have been broadcasting the 2012 Olympics since day 1! This gives us the viewers, a chance to support our country with even more involvement.  To top it all off, a daily wrap up of the day’s events at the 2012 Olympics is broadcast for all those who couldn’t watch the2012 Olympics all day. I honestly think that this is a good Public Relations move to avoid multiple complaints from viewers during this 2012 Olympic period. No matter what time it is; everyone gets a chance to root for their country during these challenging games!

MACUFE

IS THIS THE ONE FREE STATE EVENT WORTH ATTENDING?

FREE STATE'S VERY OWN: The Macufe festival



PARTY TRAIN: Oneof the event's sponsors, Shosholoza Meyl

Macufe is an arts and culture event that has been taking place for the past 15 years now. It always happens during late September and early October in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The festival features various musical performances, theatre performances, poetry shows and traditional arts and craft performances. The festival attracts over 140 000 people since its first year and I would personally say that the event sounds like one worth attending! An even greater addition to the event is the fact that the event organisers have great sponsors with different contributions to the success of the event; such as Mageu and South African tourist trains Shoshola Meyl. The train offers what they call a party train, for the festival. The party train transports people to Bloemfontein to attend the festival and also offers a wide range of entertainment such as a dance coach and refreshments during the trip! Factors like these and competitions held by other sponsors also contribute to more attendees at the event. Taking place again in early October this year; I truly believe that this is an event one shouldn’t turn a blind eye to!

South African Music Awards 2012



COULD THIS BE THE EVENT OF THE YEAR?

Better than ever: SAMA's 2012

Top nominees: From left, Zahara and Mi Casa vocalist

The 18^th Annual South African Music Awards are right around the corner and will be hosted at Sun City in the North West, on April the 30^th 2012. I really think this will be the most memorable event of 2011 for South Africa because of all the planning that has been executed into this event. There will be an amazing 18 hosts for the awards; which include TV favourite Sizwe Dhlamini and Afro-soul singer Unathi. There will be goodie bags handed out to every guest at the event; these goodie bags will include great gifts such as designer sunglasses, trendy jeans and pampering treatment. All of this and more will be possible due to the sponsors the show has; they have popular channel and award broadcaster SABC1, clothing outlet Edgars, car company KIA and many more! In addition to the amazing event planning; the actual event will be even more worthwhile. There are numerous nominee categories this year, with the most nominated artists being newcomers such as Zahara and group Mi Casa. If that isn’t enough; there will even be performances from artists such as hip-hop star AKA and a Lifetime Achievement Award segment for two of South Africa’s musical legends; Ray Phiri and Vusi Mahlasela. I honestly predict that this event will be really packed, plus the tickets to attend (which were found at Computicket ticket sales) are already sold out! This will definitely be a great introduction for the new CEO of the awards; Mr Randall Abrahams, who is also known as a judge on music competition South African idols. 

http://samusicawards.co.za/




6th annual Back to the city

SOCIAL MEDIA DOES IT AGAIN!

The official poster for Back to the city

No matter how many times older people can say social media and technology are confusing the youth, it still proves to be a very powerful factor in spreading the word about events and uniting people! I believe it has proved this right yet again by assisting in spreading the word about a hip hop and youth culture celebration event; the 6^th annual Back To The City event  which will be held on the 27^th of April 2012 on Henry Nxumalo Street in one of South Africa’s biggest cities; Johannesburg. The event includes live performances from great South African hip hop artists, dancers, street art and exhibitions. The event surely sounds like one to not miss out on!

The power one Blackberry Messenger or Facebook status message has towards the promotion of any event is really tremendous! I myself didn’t know much about the event but learnt a lot about it and even want to attend it all because of what I have been exposed to on different social media platforms. Blog posts have been created for the event; such as http://noblegrinders.blogspot.com/2012/03/back-to-city-2012-announcement-list.html , the event has an official Facebook page: Back to the City Festival and a page on the top micro blogging site Twitter @BacktothecitySA.  From what I have observed on these social media platforms; I believe that this event which will be celebrated on one of South Africa’s biggest public holidays (Freedom Day on celebrating our countries liberation) will be a huge success!

Masters of Rhythm

BACK TO THE STREETS

Taking it to the streets:The Masters Of Rhythm Logo

Masters of Rhythm; also referred to as MOR is known as a youth movement towards the celebration of dance. A major part of the movement has to do with hip hop. The event usually takes place at a venue and takes one day, whereby dancers and dance crews battle until there is one ultimate winner! The venue is usually referred to as “the streets” by the dancers. Last year however; the event organisers decided to take a different approach for the event by making it a weekly show on top youth channel VUZU (channel 123 on DSTV).  This brought the event a lot of publicity and a lot of followers for the dance crews that took part in the competition; especially for the winning crew The Reptiles. The show had plenty of viewers and although great judges such as rapper AKA were featured; the show is set to be going back to ‘the streets” again this year during the mid-year. We can all look forward to yet another celebration of dance in our country!

http://www.mastersofrhythmsa.com/index.php

The Rand Easter Show

The banner used for this year's expo

What is the event most South Africans look forward to during Easter? I would say it is the Rand Easter show. It is held each year at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg. It takes place during the Easter time and is taking place from Friday the 6^th of April to Sunday the 15^th of April this year. It features food shows, children’s activities, garden shows, performances, extreme zones and many more fun activities. However; as a PR student, I do not feel like there was proper marketing put into place for this year’s show. In the past years, every person would be talking about the show because of how great it was marketed; but now some people even forgot about it. This is because of the little advertising and broadcasting which was put around the event. However; word of mouth and social media became good tools for the show this year, so I trust that a lot of people will be able to enjoy the great festivities which will be offered this year!

http://www.randshow.co.za/?gclid=CKzkidSDpa8CFc4LtAodqnT-ZA

Cape Town International Jazz Festival

Music at the Mother City: festival's logo

The 13^th annual North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town; promised fans an unforgettable experience this year. Performances from the likes of Hugh Masekela, Allen Stone, Atmosphere from the US, Unathi Nkayi, Jakes Bantwini and many more talents from South Africa and other countries. However; fans were promised a performance from international Neo-Soul singer, Jill Scott and had to be told that her appearance would be cancelled. This caused a lot of chaos for the event planners because fans were complaining, especially those who had bought tickets to the festival just to see Jill Scott perform. The PRP’s working on the event made a major comeback by filling in her performance with well known international artist, Lauryn Hill. A total of 34000 tickets were sold and this shows a large growth for the event, comparing this year to the year 2000; where only 14000 people attended. The festival takes place on Friday the 30^th of March and on Saturday the 31^st of March 2012. Like all the past years, the event takes place at The Cape Town International Convention Centre. I strongly believe that attendees will enjoy a fun-filled experience this year!

Performances at the festival

http://www.iol.co.za/tonight/music/lauryn-hill-bra-hugh-up-jazz-fest-fever-1.1266489

SAFTA's 2012

The 6th Annual South African Film & Television Awards

The ultimate prize: The goldem horn given to every award acceptor

Some people might see them as the South African version of the well known Golden Globes. Whatever the case; the SAFTA’s are an event where actors, producers, editors etc in South Africa get recognition for their remarkable performances. The 6^th Annual Awards took place on Sunday the 11^th of March 2012 at Gallagher Estate in Midrand and were aired on SABC3. Among the biggest winners of the night was the new series on Mnet; The Wild, SABC1’s educational drama Intersexions, SABC2’s Ga Re Dumele and the winner of the night’s Public Vote Award for Best Soap; Isidingo.

A shocking withdrawal

Besides the fact that the awards failed to begin airing at the correct time of 19h30; there was yet another PR blunder which took place. Popular South African television channel; ETV decided to withdraw its entire programme and presenter participation from the awards.  Although they disagreed to provide a reason for doing this; the SAFTA team believed it was due to ETV not agreeing with their way of judging.  This was a very bad move by the channel because it reflects to their stakeholders in a very bad way, especially with concerns to the Public Vote category. Any supporter would be disappointed to find out that the votes they contributed for their favourite shows would completely go to waste!

http://www.drum.co.za/articles/Entertainment/etv-withdraws-from-Saftas

FunMaster's Picnic

GROWTH FROM THE EYES OF MASTERS

FunMasters is a word used to define a group of guys from various parts of Soweto, that have created a trend of fun picnics hosted to unite the youth of our different communities. The FunMasters picnics were first created to unite young people through various activities like music, games, food and drinks. The ‘FunMasters’ include Mikaele Ramalebo, Mabhuti, Musa Makhanya, Tinyiko Nxumalo, Nhlanhla Ndlovu and Shakara Thobejane. What this group of friends started with only 50 attendees; has now grown to an entertainment event filled with up to 5000 people! The first picnic they hosted was in October 2010 at Pimville, Soweto; which was followed by 2 more within the following months. The FunMasters decided to take their 4^th picnic to Mogwase, a location in the North West. As a whole; they have had 8 successfully executed picnics.

A massive turnout!

The much different 8^th FunMasters picnic was hosted next to The Orlando Towers in Soweto; which went all the whole night, had thousands of people showing up! With a very reasonable entrance fee of R20, the venue was packed! I believe that the FunMasters usage of social media to promote their events is very effective! Electronic flyers are distributed through social networks such as Twitter (@fun_Masters) and Facebook (FunMasters SA), other means of branding used by the team is specially designed t-shirts for FunMasters picnics and specially marked water bottles. This method of marketing themselves has clearly worked out for them, considering the growth that has been observed throughout all of their events. People can expect the next picnic to take place in October, at the end of the day; it’s all about having fun!

The ultimate answer to fun: The FunMaster's famous image

Thousands in celebration: People attending the event

Grammy Awards 2012

The 54^th annual Grammy awards: one of the

 most memorable music events of our time

6 is a charm!: The biggest award winner of the night, Adele

Just as it has been for the last 54 years, the Grammys took place to acknowledge great musicians from various music genres. This year the awards took place on the 12^th of February 2012, the night after the tragic death of one of music’s greatest singers of all time; Whiney Houston.  The pop star’s death caused a stir and many hearts at the award ceremony were broken because of this. The Grammy Award’s event planners dedicated a segment in the show to remembering the musical icon, which also came with a touching performance from Rhythm & Blues singer Jennifer Hudson. 

Stand-out performances

Just like any other awards show; a lot of focus was on the award winners of the night. The biggest winner this year being pop superstar Adele, of whom scored an amazing six awards at the ceremony. People might think all the focus was on the pop-soul singer but that wasn’t the case. Nicki Minaj caused stir after the ceremony due to her performance and appearance at the awards. She arrived dressed in all red with a Catholic Father as a date. Her performance displayed a group of choir boys and altar servers on stage with her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc6j5z78LxA. Some people might have enjoyed this performance however; faith-based organisation, The Catholic League issued a statement that they didn’t appreciate the hip hop star’s actions. This could affect her public image especially if she had any Catholic supporters who also didn’t appreciate the performance.

Whether it was the loss of a music icon the night before, amazing wins from big stars or performances; the 54^th annual Grammy awards were truly memorable!