#JoziMeetup August 2019: Beyond Blogging

So.. it’s been more than a year of absence of the #JoziMeetup, and it is back with a bang! We have three awesome speakers and a fab location and I’m really pumped to meet up with all of you local Jozi bloggers!

This time all the folk out in Pretoria/ Midrand / East will be happy not to go so far as we are meeting at the stunning Aviator Hotel which is near the airport.  (Yes, the rest of us are going to have to drive…) I’m thrilled about this location which blogger Nicola Subben alerted me to, as she is the Sales & Banqueting Executive there. They are our main sponsor for the event!

 

We discovered a lovely room which will be perfect for our meetup and had fun taking pictures. Nicky posed by some outside tables and Nicola looked all professional in front of some doors.

Also part of the hotel is the Tin Goose Restaurant which has this cute “Goslings” section for kids in their menu. (Excuse the very obvious reflection of my phone taking pics of these items!)

I really liked the decor on the Aviator theme too. Check out the bathroom fittings which looked just like the wings of the plane. There will be some awesome giveaways from their side.

 

If you’d like to catch the Gautrain and hop on the shuttle to the hotel here are the details:

Our shuttle runs 24 hours, it leaves the airport at a quarter to and a quarter past the hour, and leaves the hotel on the hour and half hour. The shuttle is a van with the hotel’s branding on it, and you’ll find it at the bus terminal as you walk through the main doors out of international arrivals. The shuttle is free and is scheduled – no need to book, but please let us know if you are arriving between midnight and 6am. If you run into any trouble, please contact us via Whatsapp on +2764 604 2058 or call reception on +27 11 921 8300 (or from inside South Africa, dial 011 921 8300).

 

And now, on to our speakers!!

First up we have Dr Sindi Van Zyl, which is the recommendation of blogger Funso. She will be talking on self care.

In Funso’s words: “Living with a new normal is so difficult and sadly because we have kids we have to be strong or we are expected to be strong even when all we want to do is be vulnerable. Dr Sindi was burnt out and dealing with the loss of her mom. Her husband had to intervene and eventually she had to be checked into hospital. She talks quite openly about it on Twitter.”

As a seasoned medical practitioner, Dr. Sindi van Zyl has amassed a huge following both on and offline, opening up her social media platform as a space for her followers to engage with her on a range of medical and social topics. Dr. Sindi, as she is affectionately known, has passionately shared her thoughts on important issues including; HIV – especially the Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT), mental health, as well as constantly busting medical myths.

 

After taking care of ourselves let’s get down to business.

First up we have an interview with both a blogger and a PR.

Blogger Shanèy Vijendranath  who is a wife, mom of three and an innovative business woman. She is the co-founder of the award-winning parenting blog – You, Baby and I – and recently launched her start-up: MomSays. She’s also the Chapter Lead for SoGal Johannesburg and was recently named in the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list.

“My mom is the reason I went into business, watching her work hard every day to try and provide for me inspired me to build something she would be proud of. She sacrificed everything for me”, she says.

 

PR Mokotse Legodi hails from Atmosphere Communications.

Mokotse has eight years of communications experience, an extensive background in consumer and corporate PR and has worked across a wide range of clients in travel, mining and technology, baby care and FMCG. She also has extensive media and influencer management experience, client relations, bespoke content creation and event experience.

These ladies want to answer your questions too, and you can fill these in when you book on Quicket. You can ask them all the blogging, PR and business questions you would like (anonymously) and I’ll try and summarise them.

Lastly we have Shelley Smith, who is a Launching Coach for heart-centered entrepreneurs and bloggers who are ready to expand their income and impact by launching a service package or digital products such as online courses. She combines her skills in copywriting, website design and teaching to support her clients to launch their offers successfully and in a way that feels fun.

Shelley’s talk at #JoziMeetup will reveal the many types of digital products and “productized services” bloggers could offer to monetize their blogs and make a bigger impact with their audiences. She’ll also introduce her Launch and Love It Formula, which you can use to launch your new offer with confidence.

We’ve featured Shelley on the blog before and you can read more about how she spoke about online courses here.

She also has a musical blog, Rocking the Playroom and you can also check out her website.

 

Tickets have been kept at R250 since there is a bit of a drive to get there and we really want everyone to come!

All you have to do to reserve your spot (places are limited) is go to Quicket.

https://www.quicket.co.za/events/79702-jozimeetup-august-2019/#/

 

Brands/PR who would like to get involved please contact heather@samomblogs.co.za

Bonus: we also have Salsa dance activity included as well!

This is a really interesting team building activity from Drums and Rhythm. They are all about facilitating human potential through rhythm and you can check out their Facebook page here and their website here. 

We will be having our speakers first and the activity last.

 

I’m super excited to see you all!

 

Event details:

DATE: Saturday 31 August 2019

TIME: 9:30am

VENUE: The Aviator Hotel, 85 Kempton Rd, Kempton Park

TICKETS: R250 on Quicket

Arrival snacks will be served as well as lunch. Salsa dancing included as an extra after lunch.

Places are limited so please secure your spot!

 

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/912557369096534/