As a blogger I get invited to a lot of brand events. Brands like to connect with readers on a “personal” level as it allows them to share their core messages more intimately. Unfortunately, I miss 70% of the invites because I work full time. But when I get a moment to attend, and it’s a brand that I use/am interested in, I will attend.
Working in digital marketing, I also enjoy seeing how brands like to represent themselves and, more importantly, learn how they position themselves in the market. As with all things, a simple conversation can often shift perception.
I’ve decided to start a Diary of a Blogger series so that I can share these events with you. If you’re a new blogger and you have any questions, please feel free to leave them down below.
Thanks to all the brands who invited me to come along, visit, learn and generally be spoilt on the day. Here’s what I got up to in September.
LUX Signature Hotel Launch
Mr John and I were invited for a night’s stay at the new Signature LUX Hotel near the V&A Waterfront. We arrived at the new hotel and were immediately impressed with the attentive service. The hotel was not completed yet and they made this perfectly clear to us. This was a relief as I was feeling awkward about having to review a hotel with flat screen TV boxes still in the passageways and missing peepholes in doors! LOL!
We joined the other guests in the dining room for snacks, a toot and an opportunity to watch students from the Waterfront Theatre School singing and dancing! The premise of the hotel is affordable accommodation on the edge of the city which aims to support local talent. Having a brother who is a musician and as someone who went to City Varsity for Film, Acting and Radio presenting and acting, I fully support this initiative.
I look forward to revisiting the hotel now that it’s complete and sharing more images with you in the future.
Robertson’s World of Spices Experience at Avondale
Robertson’s invited me to join them for a media tour of Avondale farm in Paarl. Having visited the farm’s famous restaurant, Faber, I was keen to return during the day and get a better look at the grounds as well as to learn about our country’s most famous spice range, Robertson’s spices.
Myself, along with 2 dozen or so, were escorted around the farm for a fun day focused on nature and food production. We were taken to plant our own herbs (which we were able to take home, but mine’s almost dead already because I suck), wine tasting in the cellar, a tractor ride tour of the organic farming practices they use on the farm such as relying on ducks instead of pesticides to kill pests (I’ve never seen so many peacocks all on one farm!), followed by dinner at Avondale.
Unfortunately, I had to miss dinner in order to return to Cape Town for Pressure, which was such a pity as Avondale has amazing food that really leaves your mind engaged. But, hopefully, I’ll be able to return again in the not too distant future. Thank you to Robertson’s for having me, it was a really fun day out!
Pressure
Rudeone and Mr John’s drum n bass party is BACK! The Cape Town clubbing scene has been way too dead lately with legacy clubs like the Assembly and Mercury Live shutting down and Long street becoming increasingly unpleasant to visit.
After struggling for nearly 2 years to find a new venue, there were concerned about how the dnb community would transition to a new space. As a brand that’s built its success on being inclusive and passion for drum n bass, it was important for the venue to live up to those values. As we ourselves have become older and want to frequent venues with decent liquor options, clean bathrooms and appropriate seating for chatting and relaxing, Harrington’s provided the perfect location.
People had the time of their lives, drinks were affordable (with drink specials earlier in the night to help our student homies) there were plenty of places to relax, chat and jam. If you love drum n bass, make sure to join the next event on the 17th of November 2018.
Guest Speaking at She Said So
My bestie, Ang, invited me to chat as a guest speaker at her women in the workplace empowerment night, She Said So. SheSaid.So is a global curated network of women with a passion for creative work, “with a focus on creating an an environment that supports collaboration, creativity and positive values”. – SheSaid.So.
The lineup was shared with PR maven, Shakirah Sky Dramat and musician and artist, Amy Ayanda. I really enjoyed having an opportunity to talk about my transition from radio presenting to digital marketing and my passion for blogging, YouTubing and paid social media.
I’d love to help more young people with their blogs or understanding of digital media, but it’s not easy to know how to do that.
Thanks to my friends Chelsea, Sarah, Rory, Suraya, Shane and Kathryn for coming out and supporting me. It was great to see some friendly faces in the audience 🙂
Fire & Ice Hotel for Heritage Day
I was kindly invited to join the Fire & Ice Hotel in Cape Town city for a celebration of South African food. I met a few interesting guests including 2 of the girls from Pap Culture. I had a really amazing time talking to Bongeka Masango about her work as an agency account manager and former editor at E-TV.
And that’s a wrap for now! More events in October, coming soon 🙂 Thank you to all the brands for including me in your events and activations.
