The Event Academy Africa is the brainchild of industry experts, Gwynneth Matthews and Zelda Coetzee-Burger and based in Stellenbosch (South Africa). The Academy offers part-time event and conference management courses and master classes geared at individuals and teams looking for hands-on training in the latest conference and event management techniques and best practices.
Classes are presented in small, intimate groups by experienced industry facilitators who are experts in their field. Participants will have the opportunity to subscribe to optional add-ons such as online learning forums and one-on-one coaching. The Academy also offers training programmes for corporate teams across Africa.
Tourism a major job creator
“According to Statistics South Africa, the tourism sector is a major job creator, employing over 686,000 people in 2016, outnumbering utilities (118,000) and mining (444,000). People working in tourism made up 4.4% of the South African formal and informal workforces, up from 3.8% in 2015, and this continues to rise. In order to support this growth, our industry needs a competent, skilled workforce with a sound understanding of the Events Tourism Industry. It is for this reason that Event Academy Africa has been launched”, says co-founder Gwynneth Matthews.
Who can benefit?
Zelda Coetzee-Burger adds: “Our courses and classes are perfect for students who have completed a degree or diploma or entrepreneurs who need to learn or brush up on critical skills to excel as professional conference organisers, venue coordinators, meeting planners, conference directors or incentive planners. With the growing number of large conferences and events hosted in Africa, we want to offer a professional event management training experience for professionals and entrepreneurs”.
New jobs for Stellenbosch
“We congratulate The Event Academy Africa for choosing Stellenbosch to be their home. Stellenbosch is one of the leading intellectual capitals and conference cities in Africa and we are excited to host the Event Academy Africa in our beautiful town. Our members and their staff will benefit immensely from the new Academy and we are look forward to enrolling a number of start-up tourism entrepreneurs. Stellenbosch has been awarded a number of future conferences and we are currently working on numerous bids. We believe that the programmes offered by The Event Academy Africa will positively contribute to job creation, ensuring a bright future for Stellenbosch’s event and conference community”, says Annemarie Ferns, Chief Executive Officer of Stellenbosch 360, the official tourism marketing agency for Stellenbosch.
In 2019, The Event Academy Africa will offer three academic programmes:
Master Classes – designed for attendees to select from specialised topics. Each class is 3 and a half hours and is presented by a team of experienced event professionals. The Master Classes are aimed at individuals looking to develop a specific set of skills to set them apart in their current jobs or for levelling up to that next position.
The Certificate in Conference & Event Management is a 4-week short course and the course will run for four consecutive classes on Saturdays, 6 hours per day. Each class will be offering an in depth look into the many facets of the events industry, how it operates and what is needed to be a successful role player in it. The short courses will be presented in February/March, June/July and September/October. The short courses are designed for both individuals employed in the events industry as well as business owners; established or start up, to equip them with the hands-on tools to thrive in a highly competitive industry.
The Event Academy Africa Leadership Retreat will be hosted at an inspiring venue from 26 – 28 July. Running from a Friday evening to a Sunday morning, it serves as a professional development programme in event management for new and established managers.
For further information, contact:
Event Academy Africa Pty Ltd
Email: connect@eventacademyafrica.co.
Tel: +27 (0)84 657 5476 (Zelda) or +27 (0)82 414 4378 (Gwynneth)