Cape Construction Expo – Why you should be there

 

Cape Town International Conference Centre
Cape Town International Conference Centre

 

When last were you in the Cape? It is like Cape Town and surrounds are the mecca to visit in South Africa. Honestly, each Province in my opinion has it’s own special attraction, but the Western Cape ….. well, I have a bit of a soft spot for it, so it may have more to offer than some other Provinces. So if you are anything like me, if a potential work opportunity arises it is hardly considered work – it is an absolute pleasure. It doesn’t mean I don’t think competitively though. It turns into a Sharks vs Stormers derby in my head I guess. Not just in the sense that I am trying to one up my second favourite Province with what KwaZulu-Natal has to offer, but also from a business aspect.

 

Well, here is the opportunity! If you want to strut your stuff, get your show on, tell people about how fantastic you are – you would be amiss in leaving out the Cape Construction Expo (unless of course you do something totally unrelated to the Construction industry). Yes, I hear your point that it is a fairly new enterprise, only being in it’s third year; but you could also hear my point and tell me what you think…

 

Western Cape ranks as one of the top two provinces to live in with regards to business and socio economic factors according to Business Report. But let’s all be honest, who doesn’t want to at least visit what is considered one of the trendiest and most alluring Provinces in our amazing Country? So how much better is it then to exhibit in this hotbed of innovation, design and great business concepts? This off the back of the fiercely contended WDC14 competition with the added bonus of the world’s attention now being focused on the Cape’s initiatives.  The objectives of the Expo are:

 

CCE Objectives
CCE Objectives

 

Some stats for those of us who like figures:

  • Western Cape contributes almost 14% to the national economy
  • Growth for the Western Cape is predicted to be 2.1% this year, increasing to 2.8% by 2018
  • Western Cape has earmarked a further R17.3 billion for infrastructural public works
  • Cape Town has allocated R6.5 billion ($535 million) for infrastructure investment for 2015
  • R5.2m had been set aside for local contractors to apply for subcontracting tenders.

 

CCE is being held at the Cape Town International Conference Centre between the 12 – 14 August. The organisers, Hypenica, have some contemporary ideas on how to keep people intricately involved and connected in the seminars with Question and Answer platforms so that the conversation can not only be creative but hopefully bring solutions to relevant issues. They also boast that there will be more than 100 of the most innovative suppliers to the construction industry (can you really afford not to be there?). That, along with the fact that the conference is very socially connected, is evident through the Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn presence they already have. So be aware that your reach would go beyond just being a delegate and exhibitor. It will be travelling out onto the web to give you extra coverage, opinion and reach.  Capetonians are considered social beings anyway aren’t they?

 

The Conference times are as follows :

 

  • Wednesday, 12 August 2015
    9:30 – 17:00

  • Thursday, 13 August 2015
    9:30 – 17:00

More information can be found at: Conference Overview

 

The Exhibition times are as follows:

  • Wednesday, 12 August 2015
    11:00 – 17:00
  • Thursday, 13 August 2015
    10:30 – 16:00

More information can be found at: Exhibiting at CCE

 

Leads 2 Business, being at the forefront of Construction Industry Information supply, is very pleased to be exhibiting at the Cape Construction Expo. Being the generous folks that we are, we would like to extend an invite to those reading this blog. You can access a free invite by clicking here, pop in for a visit and soak up the amazing offerings from both the workshops and the exhibition, keeping in line with where the Construction Industry is heading. While there, come in and chat to us at Stand 411.

Can you really afford to not come? Besides, who turns down an offer to spend time in the Cape right?

See you there 🙂

 

 

About Carmen Barends

Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.

Get your Golf Swing on

We are counting the hours…

It’s usually hard to stay focused the last week before our Annual Golf Day. There is so much to organise for the actual day to make sure our Subscribers have an absolutely amazing experience. It makes it kind of tough to focus on doing your everyday tasks as well. But we are fortunate in that we have a team that is dedicated to the cause and always seem to pull the proverbial rabbit (or backhoe) out of a hat. Along with the amazing staff at Randpark Golf Club, we are going to make this year extra special because it is the 10th Golf Day held by Leads 2 Business (which in anyone’s books means celebration time). Meaning it’s a sentimental occasion and  those at L2B will add extra ‘oomph’ to make sure that this is a day that our subscribers won’t easily forget.

 

The day commences with our subscribers being greeted with goodie bags by our lovely staff and registering to start their golf day. Then, as they step out they may happen upon the Audi Q5 (that we have sponsored) hoisted into the air with a crane sponsored by Eqstra. This acrobatic feat is in fact the prize for the person who can achieve a Hole in One on the 15th. That is quite something #JustSaying. Our Sponsors have gone out of their way planning their stands on both Tee and Green to keep the subscribers well hydrated (and highly entertained) along the course. You can see from some of the photos of the stands by sponsors in previous years what we mean. This year’s supporters also got additional branding by having their logos displayed as proud sponsors on an insert in Engineering News supplied by Leads 2 Business. To make sure you and your Company get extra brand coverage, we also encourage our subscribers to log onto social media and post pictures of their day. Tag us on Twitter at @L2Bcoza or the hashtag #L2BGolf or find Leads 2 Business on Facebook. Watch out for those selfies 🙂

In the evening, once our intrepid golfers have driven, chipped and putted to their hearts content, there is an amazing dinner and prize giving hosted by Emcee Dave Usendorff who is a fellow PGA Professional, Operations Director at The Els Club Copperleaf, Supersport Presenter and absolute golf nut!! (his words, not mine). You can check him out on Twitter as well at @DaveUsendorff.

 

After the festivities of the day and the evening our valued subscribers head off for the weekend with an armload of goodies and grins on their faces and (hopefully) many good memories. On this note though, over the years we have picked up a few golf tips and thought we would mention them to maybe assist in the smooth running of your game.

 

Tip 1: No matter how bad your last shot was, the worst is yet to come. This law does not expire on the 18th hole, since it has the supernatural tendency to extend over the course of a tournament, a summer and, eventually, a lifetime.

Tip 2: Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.

Tip 3: Brand new golf balls are water-magnetic. Though this cannot be proven in the lab, it is a known fact that the more expensive the golf ball, the greater its attraction to water.

Tip 4: Golf balls never bounce off trees back into play. If one does, the tree is breaking a law of the universe and should be cut down.

Tip 5: No matter what causes a golfer to muff a shot, all his playing partners must solemnly chant, “You looked up,” or invoke the wrath of the universe.

Tip 6: The higher a golfer’s handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.

Tip 7: Every par-three hole in the world has a secret desire to humiliate golfers. The shorter the hole, the greater its desire.

Tip 8: Topping a 3-iron is the most painful torture known to man.

Tip 9: Kikuyu grass eats golf balls.

Tip 10: Sand is alive. If it isn’t, how do you explain the way it works against you?

 

 See you on the course.

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.tensionnot.com/jokes/golf_jokes/golf_tips_beginners

About Carmen Barends

Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.

Getting a chance at the Worm

Getting a chance at the Worm

 

 

“The early bird gets the worm”

I have heard that it’s not much fun to rise early, or should I say very early. However research is rarely wrong. Not a morning person?  Well, according to Forbes “Love it or hate it, utilising the morning hours before work may be the key to a successful and healthy lifestyle”.

So why don’t more people start their day in the right way? Poor time management, late nights, too much to do…. the reasons run on.  But early mornings are often touted as the most beautiful time of day and getting up early could actually set the pace and tone for the rest of your day.

Why? Well apparently numerous influential thought leaders and CEOs get up early and follow some great habits to get themselves ready for the day (so maybe we could learn something from them?).  The top five listed habits quoted by these successful people are:

 

Exercise

Yes, it’s been said loads of times! But a quick workout at the beginning of the day can give you energy and improve your mood (which often carries through the day).

 

Map out your day

Think about what your goals are for the day. This time in the morning is often the only peaceful time you will get without any interruptions and putting in a little planning can help your day run a little smoother.

 

Eat a healthy breakfast

A good breakfast ensures no growling stomach half way through the morning (and one less thing to worry about). It puts a person in a good mood and helps improve your outlook on the day. It is also a great time to chat to your family and do a bit of bonding and set the tone for their day too.

 

Visualisation

The mental version of staying healthy. Think about your day and the success you are going to have. Spend a couple of minutes in your head. See yourself walking tall!

 

Make your Day Top Heavy

Do the most unpleasant tasks first. Get them out of the way so you don’t have to have them looming over you all day. That leaves the things you enjoy for the rest of the day.

 

So if this has touched a heart string for you, you will know that perhaps it’s time to consider changing your routine up a little.

 

 

Remember, the early bird gets the worm.

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennifercohen/2013/10/02/5-things-super-successful-people-do-before-8-am/

About Carmen Barends

Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.

Interbuild Africa 2014 from the Inside Out

 

 

 

 

Leads 2 Business attended and exhibited at Interbuild Africa 2014 Exhibition.    I came to thinking post event how one would determine if an event has been successful or not.  In my musings, I came up with a few possible factors influencing a successful event.

 

  1. Location of event
  2. Number of visitors seen
  3. Number of leads gained
  4. Branding Exercise
  5. Networking and relationship building

Depending on who you are asking you will probably get a combination of the above as an answer.

The L2B stand was situated in Hall 6 down the main centre aisle and near the ‘Free to Attend Seminars’ area where Industry visitors could attend relevant workshops and Professionals attending could tick off getting their CPD points on a their checklist of things to do.  We weren’t too far from the food area (which is always a good thing in my opinion – both for the exhibitors and the visitors) and we were surrounded by some great looking exhibits too. It also wasn’t a bad thing that our stunning staff were standing by, ready to chat to visitors from our well branded and beautifully designed stand.

 

The coffee bar also ensured that the throngs of visitors (Interbuild had almost 7000) stopping by had something hot to drink and also tended to get folk curious about what we ACTUALLY do.  Yes, the cappuccinos were that good.  It was something that ensured repeat visits and reinforcement of our brand and its services.  But I digress…. The competition we ran also ensured we had no lack of willing participants dropping their business cards in the designated competition box to try their luck.  As it turned out, Niels Eichhorn of Aluglass Bautech is one lucky man; walking away with the coveted Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, 2014 Edition tablet.  Not bad for 5 seconds work!

 

We had no lack of genuinely interested parties in what our Construction Information can do and how it can be tailored to their business systems.  Some it turns out, have joined us post Interbuild and are already up and running!  I daresay that Interbuild is the beginning of some very sturdy business relationships and the networking definitely gave us an opportunity to begin building these relationships.

 

So in summary, I would say that it is a combination of the above listed factors that make a successful exhibition and with this reasoning in place, it was most definitely a success.

 

Leads 2 Business would also like to thank the organisers for putting together such a polished event and making sure that we were well taken care of during our time there.  Also, a big thank you to all our visitors.  It was great meeting everyone and hearing more about what it is our visitors do for a living as well as their opportunities and challenges.  I don’t think I’d be overstepping the mark in congratulating and thanking the dedicated staff that made it all happen.  You are amazing.

 

Personally, being the person that spent the most time behind the cappuccino machine, I believe that we were definitely the most hospitable stand there.  Just saying.

Me? Biased?   Not at all. Why would you think that?

Reporting post event from KwaZulu-Natal, that’s a wrap for now.  See you at the next event!

 

 

 

About Carmen Barends

Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.

How to be an Exhibitionist

How to be an Exhibitionist

 

 

 

How to Exhibit at Interbuild Africa 2014 in 5 easy steps

 

  1. Take a stand at the largest Construction related Exhibition of its kind in Africa, with over 8000 visitors forecasted to attend.
  2. Set up multiple “windows of opportunity” into your service by giving visitors the chance to see your product or service at work (or in our case, see how many construction projects we have in our pipeline) and get some sound business leads.
  3. Have coffee, cappuccino and decadent chocolate biscuits for your visitors to enjoy.
  4. Gather a handful of professional staff to show visitors why you are so amazing (which translates to demonstrating our awesome website).
  5. Set up a competition box, run a competition and hand out various spot prizes to visitors at your stand;

 

… and Voila!

 

Oh! Did I mention what brilliant competition we’ll be running on our stand…? Pop in, drop off your business card in the competition box and you could be the winner of a Samsung Note 10.1 2014 edition Tablet valued at R9 900!!

 

Come see the Leads 2 Business Exhibition stand at Interbuild Africa.  We are in Hall 6, Stand K31 – whether you are an existing subscriber, new to our service, or want to join the L2B family.   Pop in for a chat or a live demonstration of our services and who knows…

 

you could be a winner!

 

 

 

About Lee Finch

I started my journey at Leads 2 Business in 2004 as an account executive. In 2006 I moved over to MAPRO (Marketing, Advertising and PRO), and in 2012 I became a Director. It’s exceptionally rewarding being a part of the Leads 2 Business team. I’m incredibly proud of the achievements and business ethos and I’ve always firmly believed we offer a valuable service, fine-tuned to our subscriber needs. I am a Mom of two beautiful children, a lover of human interaction, laughter and light, sprinkled with a generous dose of fun.

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