“Covid pandemic showed that your customer can change in a heartbeat”

Customer experience (CX) experts from some of the most recognised and successful brands on the continent, including Multichoice, Woolworths, Shoprite, Superbalist, African Bank, DHL and Rand Merchant Bank, will share their successes, failures and lessons learnt during the next edition of CEM Africa Summit, taking place from 10–11 November 2021.

* CEM = Customer Experience Management

“CX is about managing the end-to-end journey that a customer experiences with a brand or solution that makes them feel heard and understood—from touchpoint through to advocacy—of a brand, a company, a solution and more,” says Shannon Mackrill, co-founder of the CEM Africa Summit.

According to Mackrill, over the last three to four years the importance of the customer has grown in this very specialised segment of consumer marketing: “The movement towards the gig economy and on-demand solutions has helped shape customer expectations of companies. This puts brands to the test, increases competition and forces them to perform better.”

He says the biggest lesson that the market has learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic is “that your customer can change in a heartbeat. It is not this thing or ideal that is constant. Your customers’ needs change as technology and expectations do, and so should a brand or a business. The consequence will be falling behind and losing customers.”

ROI is key
November’s CEM Africa Summit will gather heads of CX, marketing, MDs, owners of companies or business units. “Essentially anyone who has an interest in their customers,” says Mackrill. “They attend to expand their knowledge and more specifically to learn from others who have faced challenges or successes in managing their own customers experience, practical insights and real examples from those who are entrenched within the industry. ROI is key, as well as demonstrating the power that great CX has on customer retention and creation.”

Honest retellings of CX experiences
The CEM Africa Summit has been around for a decade and has played a leading role in South Africa’s customer experience journey and has connected thousands of CX professionals over the years.

States Mackrill: “We are proud of having been at the cradle of this discipline, way before CX was a consideration, let alone a job title; and until today it is still an event that helps shape the way people think about and engage CX in their daily work lives and has been essential to push the boundaries of understanding and shaping the experience a customer has with a particular product, solution and company.”

He adds: “As always we look forward to honest retellings of leading companies’ customer-related experiences and projects. If they failed, how they failed and why. If they succeeded, explanation of their recipe for success. Panel discussions and keynotes, no death by power point, just real people telling real stories.” He continues, “this sentiment was a tough sell in the early years, however, nowadays it is essential in the vision and growth of a company. We have also seen CX shift to include employee experience as a means of manifesting good customer experience.”

The 25+ CX experts in the CEM Africa Summit programme line-up include:

• AutoTrader: George Mienie, CEO
• Dischem: Lynne Blignaut, Group Loyalty and Customer Rewards
• CX Visionary: Steve Towers, Process Management & CX enabler
• Rand Merchant Bank: Mumbi Odambe, Head of CX and Design
• Rand Water: Kamohelo Potloane, Head of Customer Experience Development
• Shoprite Group of Companies: Kia Abbott, Rewards Programme Manager
• South African Tourism: Debbie Damant, Head Visitor Experience
• Superbalist: Brenda Zuma, Customer Service and Operations Manager
• Woolworths: Hanz Rauch, Head of Digital Online Products
• African Bank: Eloise Boezak, Head Customer Experience
• Multichoice: Clint Payne, Senior Manager, Customer Experience
• Majid Al Futtaim Group: Qaalfa Dibeehi, Dean of Customer Experience Leadership Institute

Confirmed event sponsors so far include freshworks, Infobip, Insider, Rogerwilco and Verint.

How to join them?
CEM Africa returns via a world-class virtual event platform offering access to the live keynotes, panel discussions and the agenda. Attendees will be able to engage with the speakers and participate in Q&A sessions, polls and surveys. They can also contact exhibitors via chat or video call, exchange business cards with other participants and download brochures. To register and access the full programme, click here.

About CEM Africa
CEM Africa is the largest online CX event on the continent and is organised by Kinetic Events, which is a partner of The Vuka Group (formerly Clarion Events Africa).

Dates and location:
Dates: 10–11 November 2021
Venue: Online

Website: https://cemafricasummit.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kineticevents/
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/CEMAfrica/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CEMAfricaSummit

Media registration: Use the code CEMPRESS to register here

Media contacts:
Adam Fletcher, Chief Marketing Officer, CEM Africa
Mobile: 071 130 9160
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Annemarie Roodbol
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The World’s Greatest Game creates 103 jobs, transfers world-class skills and donates essential materials to local causes

For the first time in the series’ 8-season history, Survivor South Africa was filmed on home soil on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape, thanks to an innovative partnership with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) – resulting in job creation, upskilling and a much-needed financial boost to the region.

The partnership, which saw the producers employ 103 local people across all departments of the show, also saw a substantial financial injection into the region. “During production, we employed local people as carpenters, set builders, production assistants, camera and grips assistants, lifeguards and security personnel, as well as painters, drivers and art department assistants,” says Creative Producer and Series Director, Leroux Botha. “Besides the skills transferred by the different departments to people who had never worked on a TV set before – let alone a production of the scale of Survivor South Africa - the influx of capital into the Wild Coast post the COVID-19 lockdown made a very big difference in the lives of the people of the area. A lot of the building material for the different challenges were also donated to the local schools and communities”.

ECDC Interim Chief Executive Officer Mandla Mpikashe says that the agency pursued the innovative partnership with M-Net for its potential to unlock economic activities in the province. “Through these strategic partnerships, the objective is to develop the film industry value chain to realize continuous investments, job creation and skills development within the Eastern Cape,” says Mpikashe. “The ECDC investment of R2 million towards the production of Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island in the Wild Coast resulted in an economic impact value of more than R10 million. Of the 103 jobs created by the production, 55 were held by women and 60 were held by local youth.”

When restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic meant that production had to be kept close to home, producers from Afrokaans Film & Television immediately turned to the Wild Coast as a location, with its lush jungles and desolate beaches a perfect fit for the show’s challenging requirements. Botha says that Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island is going to put the Wild Coast – and the Eastern Cape – on the global map for other Survivor territories to possibly use the area as a location.

Botha says that the positive financial impact of hosting the production on the Wild Coast helped offset the area’s losses suffered as a result of the closure of many industries and the sudden halt to tourism – a major financial artery for the area. The production team harnessed the skills and stocks of local wood and steel suppliers, local artists, craftsmen as well as food and drink suppliers and hotel personnel, the numbers of which had to be increased due to the accommodation requirements of the Survivor crew and support staff. “As the producers of Survivor South Africa, we would like to thank the people of the Eastern Cape for their wonderful contributions to the 8th season of the show. It’s shaping up to be our best season yet, and the way the show looks, feels and showcases the region would not have been possible without the tenacity, dedication and skill of the local people and the support of the ECDC,” he says.

South African viewers wanting to relive all the great moments from Survivor SA ahead of the new season can find seasons 6 and 7 on Showmax.

Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island is produced by Afrokaans and once more hosted by Nico Panagio. The series will premiere on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) on Thursday 3 June at 19:30. For exclusive show content visit the M-Net website, and join the conversation with #SurvivorSA and #mnet101 on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Randburg – Tuesday, 25 May 2021: MultiChoice announced today that FRIENDS: THE REUNION will premiere on M-Net exclusive to DStv on Sunday, 30 May at 20:00 and will be available on streaming service Showmax from Monday, 31 May 2021.  

“Friends” stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer return to the iconic comedy’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show.  

FRIENDS: THE REUNION will feature a variety of special guest appearances including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai. 

Ben Winston directed the special and executive produced along with “Friends” executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. The special hails from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, Fulwell 73 Productions and Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions. Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer executive produced the special. Emma Conway, James Longman and Stacey Thomas-Muir co-executive produced. 

ABOUT MULTICHOICE GROUP

MultiChoice Group is one of the fastest-growing video entertainment providers globally, delivering entertainment products and services to 20.1m households across 50 countries on the African continent. Its track record of more than 30 years is reflective of a commitment to deliver quality content anywhere, anytime and on any device through a comprehensive video entertainment offering. 

Content is at the very core of the business. MultiChoice Group’s substantial portfolio includes award-winning local content (a key differentiator in its service offering), a leading sports offering (including production capabilities) and access to world-class international content (through long-standing supplier relationships), which is all shared on the group’s platforms: DStv, GOtv, Showmax, M-Net and SuperSport. 

ABOUT FRIENDS

“Friends” remains one of television’s most beloved series. One of the highest-rated shows on television in its original network run, the series still remains a perennial go-to in syndication and on streaming services, where it continues to be a smash hit worldwide. A favorite among critics and fans alike throughout its 10-season run, “Friends” not only won the Emmy® for Outstanding Comedy series, but also garnered Emmy® Awards for series stars Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow. From Warner Bros. Television, Friends follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston). “Friends” was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who executive produced the series with Kevin Bright through Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

ABOUT WARNER BROS. UNSCRIPTED TELEVISION

Warner Bros. Unscripted Television is the leading producer of unscripted television in America with over 50 series totaling some 2,500 hours of programming annually across broadcast, cable, streaming, digital, and first-run syndication, as well as high-end documentaries. Led by Mike Darnell, President, the division produces major franchises that include the long-running, powerhouse franchise of “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” and “Bachelor in Paradise”; multiple Emmy-winning “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and the primetime hit “Ellen’s Game of Games”; the multi-Emmy-winning blockbuster “The Voice”; the Fox hit “The Masked Dancer”; the Emmy-winning “Who Do You Think You Are?” returning to NBC; “The Real Housewives of New York”; “The Bradshaw Bunch”; “Extra”; and “The Real”; plus, the Greg Berlanti produced signature documentaries “Helter Skelter” for EPIX and “Equal” for HBO Max, among others. The unscripted unit also recently announced “The Wheel”, BBC’s number 1 game show launch in over a decade, coming to NBC; the upcoming hybrid alternative-scripted series “True Story” with Ed Helms and Randall Park; “Ellen’s Next Great Designer” for HBO Max; and the highly anticipated “Friends” reunion coming to HBO Max. 

ABOUT FULWELL 73

produces and creates top-quality commercial television, feature and digital productions. As producer of the multi-Emmy and Critics Choice Award–winning “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” with CBS Studios, they have a show which has dominated the digital space with over 7 billion views since their launch in 2015. Other television productions include “Drop the Mic” for TBS, “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” for Apple, Sunderland “’Til I Die” for Netflix, “Game On” for CBS, and in the UK, the highest rated show of the decade, “Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special” for BBC One. Ben Winston, and Fulwell 73, took over the Grammys in 2021. 

Fulwell 73 prides itself in making shows with some of the top music and sports talent in the world, making broadcast specials for Bruno Mars, Kacey Musgraves, and David Beckham. They also recently produced “Hitsville: The Making of” Motown for Showtime and “Auschwitz Untold: In Colour” for NatGeo. They were the producers of the most successful sports documentary of all time, “The Class of 92” (Universal Pictures) and the huge box office hit “One Direction 3D: This is Us” (Sony/Columbia).  

Fulwell 73 also recently produced the Global Citizens live event from South Africa to celebrate Mandela 100, featuring many artists and hosts including Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Oprah Winfrey. They are currently in production on their first studio feature film: Cinderella, for Sony Pictures, starring Camila Cabello.