Telecoms stalwart, Vodacom, has just announced a partnership with rAge – South Africa’s longest running gaming, technology and geek culture expo which will take place from 27-29 September 2019. Vodacom’s involvement and investment into the South African gaming and esports scene will be one of the biggest to date, by any brand.

Vodacom has long been a long-standing supporter of sports in South Africa and has already made a substantial investment in driving funding and growth in local sports. This move into the South African gaming and esports scene is a natural progression for the future of the brand. 

“We have been following the South African gaming and esports scene intently over the past few years. Gaming and esports is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the world and South Africa is home to many gamers with an intense passion for it. From casual gamers who enjoy indulging in their passion from the comfort of their own home or on their mobile handset allowing them to participate in their passion anywhere, anytime, to those who compete in esports at a competitive level – and everyone in between – Vodacom’s vision is to become the Gamers Network of Choice. “This partnership with rAge is just the beginning as it allows us to participate in a large entertainment market,” says Jorge Mendes, Chief Officer Vodacom Consumer Business.  As part of our long term commitment to the gaming and esports scene, Vodacom World, our Flagship Digital Mall will also play host to a variety of gaming events and experiences providing gamers with an opportunity  to experience our network speeds and capability first hand.”

Globally, gaming is big business. Out of 7.6 billion people on the planet, there are approximately 2.2 billion gamers. This includes social gaming, mobile gaming, as well as free-to-play and pay-to-play multiplayer gaming. Of these players, globally, there are about 380 million esports viewer fans – 165 million of them regular viewers and 215 million occasional viewers. While these numbers are impressive, the South African gaming and esports industry is still in its infancy and will take some time to establish these kinds of figures locally. That said, it is starting to come into its own and it is during this time that backing and support from established and trusted brands such as Vodacom is vital.

rAge has always been about the gaming. Although it has grown exponentially over the last 17 years, the event has always stuck to the core values of bringing the ultimate gaming experience and the very best of immersive geek culture straight to the audience with bigger and better gaming, gadgets, esports, cosplay, show specials and competitions.

This annual event is 100% proudly South African, which is another reason that Vodacom is the perfect partner for it. It’s about South African gamers having access to global platforms; and now that it’s backed by a South African icon, those platforms are sure to just get bigger, better and faster.

rAge has grown from an embryonic event for a small gaming community into a thriving fun-filled three-day feast of all that is gaming - catering to thousands of fans, both young and old. “This partnership with Vodacom is a significant surge forward for the gaming industry in South Africa, and particularly for rAge. It is another leap forward for the future of gaming in South Africa and I look forward to where this will eventually take us all. And now the Future is Exciting with Vodacom rAge” said Michael James, Senior Project Manager rAge.

Globally, gaming is big business. Just shy of three weeks ago, a 16 year old captured the world’s attention by winning a $3 million Dollar prize pool at the Fortnite World Cup. The finals of this tournament, held at the end of July, followed ten weeks of competition involving more than 40m competitors and a total prize pot of over US$30m. The tournament packed out the 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe stadium at Flushing Meadows, New York’s largest tennis arena. Fortnite is but one gaming title among many that is rising to prominence in an increasingly lucrative market. The crazy thing to note is that this is not even the biggest esports event in the world. 18 teams recently competed in The International – the biggest DOTA tournament in the world – in Shanghai, China. The International’s prize pool, which is entirely crowd-funded, closed off just over $33 million. 

www.rageexpo.co.za

#rAgeExpo2019 #agalaxyofgeek #escapetoplanetrAge #comeandpla y#17yearsofawesome #NAGLAN

rAge has secured its spot as one of the most mind-blowing events to take place in Joburg each year. 2018 saw over 34 000 gamers and geeks swarm the TicketPro Dome, and this year visitors will once again cross the threshold to a three-day thrill-fest to get lost in the fantasy-inspired whirlwind of gaming, cosplay, geek culture, tech and gaming merch that is Planet rAge.  

rAge 2019 has been ramped up another level with a brand-new look and feel, with the introduction of an awesome new logo, that rings in a new era of incredible for the event.  

"The industry we're in is always updating things, pushing boundaries and doing something new. We've had the same look and feel for the rAge logo since we started out in 2003, so it was long overdue for a refresh!" Michael James, Senior Project Manager. 

Tickets for the expo are on sale now and tickets to the NAG LAN, Southern Africa’s largest BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer/Console) LAN, will be on sale from 27 July via the rAge website, so keep your eyes peeled because they move like lightning.

The annual rAge expo, now in its 17th year, offers visitors a full weekend of gaming, technology, gadgets and geek lifestyle entertainment. Fantasy fanatics can literally immerse themselves in the culture, explore, touch and try out the latest gaming goods available, and escape reality completely. 

New games to play, the latest gaming hardware to try out, esports play and spectating, locally developed games, show specials, competitions and giveaways – the weekend is going to be so jam-packed with things to do, play and see. Seriously, it’s going to blow your mind. 

Check out www.rageexpo.co.za and come along to Planet rAge – You don’t want to miss this!

 #rAgeExpo2019 #comeandplay #17yearsofawesome #agalaxyofgeek 

EVENT DETAILS:

When is rAge?

Friday 27 September – 10h00-18h00Saturday 28 September – 09h00-18h00Sunday 29 September – 09h00-16h00 

Where is rAge?

The TicketPro Dome, Johannesburg 

How do I buy tickets to rAge 2019?

Online here or at Ticketpro outlets

Day Pass – R160 per person (ticket valid for entry for one day only)

Weekend Pass – R320 per person (ticket valid for entry for all three days)

Children under 6 are free

The following tickets are only available to purchase at the door:

Family Pass – R540 per family (ticket valid for one day for 2 adults + 2 children aged between 6 & 18)

Student Pass – R110 per person (ticket valid for Friday only upon presentation of valid student card) 

How do I stay connected?

To stay up to date with all the rAge announcements and additional info, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or go to www.rageexpo.co.za. 

 It’s almost time once again for Joburg’s most iconic and well-loved family day out, and this year it is not simply going to be a show but is guaranteed to be an all-round show-stopper! Celebrating it’s 125th year anniversary, The Rand Show is synonymous with family entertainment on a grand scale, and this year, the injection of on trend content - to appeal to a whole new generation of Rand Show fans - will leave visitors wanting for nothing, except maybe a little more time to soak up the fun!

Early Bird tickets for the show are now open, and we all know that the proverbial early bird catches the worm, with the ‘worm’ being a Suzuki Swift and a tidy saving on the entry fee!

A limited number of early bird tickets are available online with a saving of up to R 70 on the ticket price, meaning that for as little as R 100 per adult and R 50 per child, the whole family can come along.  This great saving includes free entry into the Gaming Entertainment Pavilion, as well as automatic entry for every adult ticket purchased to win a set of adrenaline-charged wheels, sponsored by Suzuki.

Festival goers can get a taste for all the thrills of driving one of these little beauties at the Suzuki Adventure Zone.  Also, in the zone, for true adrenaline junkies, there is a 125m zip line to really get hearts racing.

Aside from pulse quickening adventure activities, the 125th celebration of Joburg’s Best Day Out includes the introduction of a host of family orientated and never-before seen attractions in a new Gaming Entertainment Pavilion. Gaming, Cosplay and Dance are just some of the new additions to the entertainment menu, and gaming junkies will be given their true fix with a Fortnite Gaming Tournament where R 100 000 is up for grabs.

The chance to win big is made even greater with awesome, reality inspired competitions such as the Jacaranda Clash of Ages live reality cooking show, as well as a public Talent Show that each boast R 125 000 in cash to the lucky winners. The list of prizes just goes on and on and includes an Easylife Kitchens home makeover, trips to Twitchcon USA, Chelsea Flower Show UK, Lesotho, Kirstenbosch Gardens and so much more. With all that and more up for grabs you literally have nothing to lose!

Well-loved Show favourites such as the gorgeous Garden and Home Flower and Décor Pavilion, Military displays and of course the fantastic fun fair have all been super-charged with the addition of a world class Fashion, Beauty and Fitness Expo which boasts some of the industries most recognised fitness fundi’s; as well as Cape Town’s famous Zip Zap Circus and the Drum Majorette Gold Cup.

With all this and so much more, the Rand Show has truly come full circle as one of the oldest and longest running lifestyle events in the world! 125 years of entertainment legacy is about to culminate in the biggest and best Show yet – one that South Africans simply cannot miss out on.

To book your Early Bird ticket today visit the Rand Show website or book through Computicket here.

As the countdown begins to one of this country’s most iconic events, the organisers have announced the introduction of an immersive ‘Gaming Entertainment Pavilion’ at the 2019 Rand Show. The Gaming Entertainment Pavilion hosted alongside numerous new lifestyle, retail and entertainment offerings, promises a massively fun family day – or days – out.  The additions to this year’s 125th Anniversary event have been designed to appeal to a generation of visitors that may never have experienced the show in all its glory.

“The Rand Show is the oldest Heritage event in this country, but many young South Africans  may not have experienced it. We have purposely re-injected on trend content into the experience, to appeal to a wider range of visitors. Gaming is an extremely important part of youth and even family culture now, it is a growing sector and we wanted to make sure that everyone attending would enjoy Joburg’s best day out” says Mike Bray, Marketing Manager of The Rand Show.

Some highlights of Gaming Entertainment Pavilion!

• A Fortnite Gaming Tournament with over R100,000 prize pool and other prizes.  Entry will be via an online registration system that goes live on 25 February at http://randshow.co.za/gaming/.  Visitors can also enter at The Rand Show, however this will be on a first-come-first-served basis on the day. There is a 13-year-old age restriction to the Tournament. Any Tournament entrant under 16 will have to sign a parental guidance form and be accompanied by an adult.

• A Cosplay running on the first weekend on the show. This is a more relaxed approach to cosplay that will encourage beginners to participate.  Daily prizes will be awarded with participants required to do a two-minute skit on stage.

• A traditional Cosplay Tournament over the final weekend being judged in three categories:
• The Newcomer category will take place on weekend two of the Rand Show and is open to newcomers, casual cosplayers and kids/teens (ages 6 - 12 and 13 - 15). Past competition cosplays welcome. First, second and third place will be awarded to the various age groups.
• The Like a Boss category is an intermediate competition. It will take place on Weekend two of the Rand Show. It is open to all, except experienced cosplayers. Beginners are welcome to enter as well. Pre-Judging and skit judging will take place. Past competition cosplays welcome. First, second and third place will be awarded.
• The Beast Mode category is an experienced competition and is only open to experienced cosplayers. It will take place on Weekend two. Pre-Judging and skit judging will take place. Past competition cosplays welcome. 

Entry is via an online registration system that goes live on 25 February at http://randshow.co.za/gaming/. 

• A Fortnite inspired Dance Off Competition will be held with various daily prizes up for grabs.  To enter, participants must upload a 15 second video clip of themselves performing their favourite Fortnite inspired dance moves to the Rand Show Facebook or Instagram pages along with the hashtag #RSDanceOff and #randshow2019. 

R 150 gives you entry into The Rand Show (which gives you access to all the halls). Entry into the Gaming Entertainment Pavilion will cost an additional R 20 for a two-hour tour through an immersive environment of Gaming, Cosplay and Dance. There are prizes up for grabs including a trip to TwitchCon USA and for early bird purchases, a Suzuki Swift! The early bird online ticket purchase of R 100 will give visitors both access into The Rand Show as well as the Gaming Entertainment Pavilion. So get your tickets early! 

The pavilion will be open from 14h00 to 19h00 weekdays and 10h00 to 19h00 on weekends. #getinthegame #randshow2019 #joburgsbestdayout #somethingforeveryone

Like any 16-year-old, rAge (the really Awesome gaming expo) is breaking the mould and exploring new ways to shake things up!

As South Africa’s largest video gaming, computer, technology and geek culture exhibition, the annual rAge event delivers all that is awesome in gaming, including the usual NAG LAN BYOC experience, and a redesigned show floor! To lock in your #escapetoplanetrage, get your tickets at Computicket from 01 May 2018.

At R150 for a day pass (access for one day only) and R300 for a weekend pass (access for all three days), your rAge ticket gives you access to the entire expo: all the displays and activities on the show floor, all the latest in gaming hardware and software, all the stage entertainment, all the esports spectating, Cosplay competitions, geek arts and culture, all the home-coded locally developed games, all the board games, and a wide variety of gaming apparel and accessories.  There’s so much to see and do, guaranteeing a full weekend’s worth of entertainment!

Tickets to the NAG LAN BYOC will go on sale on Saturday 28 July 2018 and, with some exciting developments here, loyal NAG LAN gamers are advised to watch this space.

Our long-time visitors call this the event of the year. We invite you to make it yours as well.

For more info visit www.rageexpo.co.za 

Dates: 5 October – 7 October 2018

Expo times:Friday: 10:00-18:00 | Saturday: 09:00-18:00 | Sunday: 09:00-16:00

Day ticket: R150 per person (tickets available at the door or via Computicket outlets)

Weekend ticket: R300 per person (tickets available at the door or via Computicket outlets)

Kids under 6: Free

Venue: Ticketpro Dome  | Cnr Olievenhout Avenue and Northumberland Road | Northriding, Johannesburg | GPS: 26 03’48.39”S / 27 56’35.54”E 

-- Ends --

Issued By:The Lime Envelope
On Behalf Of:rAge

For Media Information:Kerry Oliver or Sarah Martin
Telephone:011 467 9233/8998
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.