500 NEWS

How one hotel group is changing the continent’s hospitality landscape

The executive team behind BON Hotels has stood on the shoulders of giants. Perhaps this is what has enabled it to see far into the future of Africa’s hospitality industry, and understand what it truly needs.

The term “Africa Rising” has been used time and again to describe the rapid economic growth across Sub-Saharan Africa post-2000. It’s a narrative that’s been popularised from the front covers of magazines to the names of foundations and private corporations. And it’s turned the Western world’s focus to the continent as it looks for new opportunities.

But, to truly rise, Africa first needs to recognise its own opportunities; service its own markets; ensure the same tide raises all its ships. It needs to develop its potential from within, by people who are prepared to take on its challenges, and understand intrinsically what makes Africa tick.

It’s why South African-based hospitality company BON Hotels, formed in 2013, diversified their operations extensively from South Africa three years ago into countries such as Nigeria and Namibia, and are now turning their attention towards Ethiopia and Angola. Not to service the interests of the Western world looking towards Africa, but rather the needs of Africa’s own business-men, -women and families, in what CEO of BON Hotels, Guy Stehlik, refers to as the BON “international standard mid-market hotel offering.”

“What we find in Nigeria and many other African countries,” says Stehlik, “is that the international groups have set up shop, but their imperatives are to do this with one mega hotel in a main city, tick it off their list and then move on to the next country to do the same.

“The opportunity we’ve seen is to make sure, instead, that the mid-market needs of millions upon millions of Nigerian business people, corporates and the like are catered for in affordable, full-service, top-class four- and three-star hotels across the country.”

As a result, of the 37 hotels it operates across the African continent, 26 of these can already be found across 14 Nigerian cities, most of which are between 40 and 120 rooms in size, with many more soon to come on line.

“The DNA within our own company today is that of the vision my father, Otto, and his Protea Hotels team had when they pioneered the Cape-to-Cairo axis for the first South African hotel group, many, many years ago. Long before it was fashionable to do so.”

“For us, today – as BON Hotels – expansion into a country like Nigeria is really about recognising the opportunities behind trade routes that have existed literally for thousands of years. And not only in the larger cities but also the towns that form an integral part of the commercial offerings in the country.”

Traditionally, notes Stehlik, many of these centres have been serviced by no more than local hotels, usually not run to the standards that their business communities have come to expect: “So the opportunity to bring in a strong mid-market service offering in these regions is really attractive.”

As a result, there has been instant traction purely because of the uniqueness of the offerings.

“What also works for us,” notes Stehlik, “is that our hotels are not really segregated into different markets, like we have here in South Africa, where one hotel is geared towards the international-high end market, or specifically the American market, or even towards conferencing.

“Our hotels appeal to everyone and all the markets which are capable of being served by an hotel – including from families getting together, to large-scale functions like weddings, international groups, individual tourists, local government events, corporates – the whole cross-section of all types of markets that now have a place to converge where there was nothing before.”

Stehlik admits, however, that there are a number of challenges to doing business in Africa, but it’s these very challenges that have spurred the group’s expansion trail: “One of the reasons we got involved in other African countries was because we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. That’s been a repellent for most other South African hotel groups.

“It’s difficult to find the right partners; it’s difficult to run hotels from South Africa; it’s difficult to set up shop and have boots on the ground. You need to understand the cultural differences and the way that business is done in different African countries – often vastly different even from one another. But given the experience we’ve gotten in the process, we now know how to do it.”

As a result, in addition to its South Africa head office in Cape Town, BON Hotels has an International West Africa office in Lagos, with prominent local Nigerian, Paul Umoh, one of its Executive Directors, at the helm.

Apart from ongoing expansion currently taking place throughout Nigeria and Namibia, next on the cards for the group will be its first hotel in Ethiopia, opening in September this year. Angola will not be far off.

Explains Stehlik: “We believe East Africa is already a relatively mature hospitality market, somewhat overtraded in certain regions, which is why we are focusing on West Africa and on countries that are emerging from difficult pasts, democratising their economies and liberating themselves from corruption. And where we see that happening, we’ll get involved.”

By Bianca Delport

Isn’t it funny how some things that are designed to help us relax can end up causing us stress? Travel is a great example. From deciding where to go, and enduring long-haul flights, lost luggage and language barriers, travel can present its own unique concerns and challenges.

Leave your worries behind. Here are 8 top tips for keeping travel the way that it should be – a fun, stress-free way to relax and rejuvenate the mind, body and soul.

Book well in advance
Scrambling to find affordable holiday packages and flight tickets at the last minute is one of the easiest ways to amp up your stress levels. Avoid this by making it a habit to plan your holidays well in advance. Not only will you be able to take your time crafting a diverse itinerary, but you can take advantage of early-bird specials.

“It is so much easier to get a good deal on a holiday if you book it early, at least six months in advance,” says Teresa Richardson, Managing Director of The Travel Corporation in South Africa. “For example, Trafalgar is currently offering prospective travellers the chance to book a 2020 trip at 2019 prices, with the added benefit of saving an additional 10%. The catch is that the deal is only available for a limited time. Travellers need to start planning now,” she explains.

Adjust your expectations
No holiday is going to be completely free of complications. Your flight might be delayed, or your baggage could go missing. The activities you planned may not provide quite the same experience that you had hoped for. Unfortunately, these are all things that you cannot control. Do your best to let this type of stress go and focus on enjoying the journey for what it is: a break from your usual routine, and the opportunity to experience something new.

Peace of mind
To travel with peace of mind and reduce any anxiety or concerns regarding the “what-ifs,” ensure that you always travel with travel insurance. A travel agent can advise on the best insurance for your needs and holiday. It’s also a good idea to have a list of emergency contact details on hand, such as the local embassy, and a phone number, such as your hotel, where friends and family back home can reach you.

Budget
Concerns over finances can be the biggest culprit when it comes to travel stress. The best way to avoid these worries is to save up specifically for your trip rather than dipping into your savings or current bank account to go on that well-deserved holiday.


“My partner and I have a special account that we contribute a certain amount to each month. We both have incurable wanderlust, so that account is dedicated to settling costs relating to our yearly travels. It is separate from our regular bank accounts, and doesn’t interfere with our day-to-day living expenses at home,” says Charlene Alberts from Pretoria.

Making everyone happy
Unless you’re travelling solo, you’ll have the needs and expectations of other people to consider when planning a getaway. Accept that it will be almost impossible to keep everyone happy all the time. Having said that, be sure to get input from each person and structure an itinerary that includes things to see and do that takes everyone’s likes and preferences into consideration. That doesn’t necessarily mean only doing things that everyone will enjoy, but rather compromising. For example, going hiking on one day (as requested by your husband) and attending the local funfair the next (for the kids).

Flying
For many, the most daunting aspect of travel is the actual act itself. Flying to your destination means having to endure cramped spaces, sitting for long periods, and possibly having to keep young children busy with minimal resources. Luckily, air travel doesn’t have to be stressful. Reduce your worries by pinpointing what it is about flying that is stressing you out the most. If it’s missing your flight or standing in lengthy queues at the airport, make sure that you arrive a good few hours before the plane is due to take off. If it’s the amount of time spent in the air, consider booking a connecting flight that will allow you a break in between. There are many ways to maximise the enjoyability of air travel, even on the longest of flights.

Worrying about things at home
It’s to be expected that you’ll have reservations and concerns if you have pets or are leaving some close family members behind. While you cannot eliminate this type of travel-related stress completely, it’s certainly possible to keep it to a minimum. But it’s all in the planning!


Start by drawing up a check-list of everything that you need to do before you leave. Buy dog food, brief the house sitter etc. and work through that list systematically as your departure date approaches. Also, arrange that the house sitter/pet sitter/childminder communicates with you regularly. Agree on a specific time each day that you’ll be expecting an update. This way, you’ll be able to relax in between each catch-up, instead of constantly checking in and worrying if you don’t get an immediate reply.

The unfamiliar
Visiting a new destination means navigating your way through an unfamiliar place and culture. Instead of viewing this aspect of travel as stressful, try to see it as part of the fun. Trying new things, meeting new people and exploring a different way of life makes for an unforgettable experience and memories you’ll treasure forever.


Stress-free travel is possible. But it takes the combination of careful planning and a positive mindset to transform travels to simply the best.

By Ryan Falkenberg, co-CEO, CLEVVA

Mention automation in any conversation these days and the first thing that springs to mind is job losses. In much the same way that AI is inextricably associated with the rise of the machines and the fall of humans, so automation is inevitably linked to job losses.

For a country like South Africa, which just released its highest unemployment figures since 2003, this is potentially devastating. Or is it?

Automation – and specifically robotic process automation (RPA) – is indeed seeing back office processes and procedures handed over to machines (or bots). The front office of many companies, however, is often still very manual and very human.

The trick to creating jobs, improving operational efficiencies and unlocking staff value, lies in freeing up people in the front office so they can focus on the customer. It means unshackling them from all the policy and procedural constraints that take up so much of their time, and allowing them to truly flourish where they can make a positive difference.

How do you do that? Well, you give them each a digital team to work with. The first member of this team is an administrative bot that ‘sits’ in the back office and takes care of all their system-based processing. This means any action they currently need to perform on their operational systems can now be done for them, as long as their back office bot receives all the right information and instructions.

And this is where the second member of the digital team comes in.

This front office bot specialises in guiding people in real-time through all their sales, service and support processes so they get them right without having to even know the details. Think of these bots like GPS navigators, guiding staff through live customer conversations, helping them ask the right questions, offer the right answers, gather the right information and trigger the right actions, without them having to worry about anything. As a result, your staff can tackle more because they are not being asked to first learn the process or system before they can do it. They have their digital team to handle that for them.

While this doesn’t sound particularly earth-shattering, it’s a competitive game changer for South Africa. What this tag team of front office and back office bots can do is allow traditional companies with manual front-office processes, and siloed operational systems to achieve end-to-end automation without having to redo their IT systems or shed jobs. Instead, jobs can shift out of the back office and into the front office where the human touch is still a competitive advantage.

This combination of front office and back office bots is not new, but what is new is the change in what front office bots can now do. Initially, all they could offer a person was help performing mundane system actions. The person still needed to be an expert in all their front office processes. The latest front office bots are not concerned about system work – this can be done in the back office for them. They are specialised in guiding staff through the complex world of their customers. This requires a completely different logic approach, one that can cope with the huge range of customer situations and contexts and not get stuck. These modern day navigational bots can do this, and this allows people to stop worrying about making a mistake and rather focus on making a difference.

This means traditional companies can take advantage of the operational efficiencies automation can bring, plus they don’t have to spend on re-architecting systems or redesigning processes. All they need to do is give every staff member a bot to help navigate them through all their front office processes, and a bot to perform all their back office system processes. They can then do the rest.

Imagine. Arriving at work and being given a single screen you can access on your mobile, tablet or desktop and it guides you through any process task you need to do. You simply make your choices and the rest is taken care for you. No more worrying that you did something wrong, or forgot to process something on some system. Its all taken care of for you by your bot team. Your role in the team is to be the connection between your company and your customers, and to ensure that this connection stands out above everyone else. Because that is what can’t be automated.

South Africans in particular are excellent at high-EQ customer engagements. Where we struggle is in learning and applying complex product, policy and procedure rules, largely due to the fact that our poor education system did not help develop these memory skills for us. Ironically with RPA, this is less of an issue. Now digital workers can perform all these rule based decisions and actions for us. We can rather focus on where we are stronger than many of the more developed economies – our natural resilience and can do attitude, our ability to think out of the box, have warm, genuine conversations, and to come up with a plan when there is no obvious answer (‘n boer maak n plan, nogal).

Implemented widely enough, automation technology could allow South Africa to be globally competitive by turning our disadvantage into an advantage. This is particularly relevant in service areas such as business process outsourcing.

Ultimately, digital workers are going to out-perform humans at repetitive rule-bound process work. So why not accept this, and look at ways to take advantage of their competitive edge so we can take advantage of ours. The fourth industrial revolution is no longer a concept, it is already here. And it is time that we stop fighting the inevitable and rather look at how we can use our human advantages in partnership with those of our digital counterparts to compete and win. Which we really can.

By Christian Harbeck, Franchise Partner at ActionCOACH

A tough economy does not always spell bad news for business. The strategies you need for survival during tough times are not dissimilar to business as usual, but they should be applied with a laser sharp focus.

In good times, entrepreneurs tend to loosen the reins a bit because cash flow is solid and profits are on track, however there are some key business strategies that really matter and without these a business will find it difficult to achieve long-term success. These strategies, if not in place during a tough economy could negatively impact your business.

What are the business strategies required for success?

Know the numbers
Many business owners, especially those who don’t have a financial orientation, do not know the numbers of their business.

Here’s a checklist of the financial information you need to have at your fingertips:
• What is your profit and loss (P&L)?
• What is your break-even point?
• How are you tracking against your budget?
• How quickly can you increase revenue or decrease costs, or both?

Without having a strong handle on the finances, down to the last cent, it is like driving a car without a dashboard: how can you know how fast or slow you are going without having the dash control to look at? The same applies to business, how can you know what the best strategy is to implement without having a clear picture of the financial state of your business.

Master your time
As an entrepreneur your time is critical and even more so during a recession. Seventy percent of your time should be spent on activities to grow the business. By freeing up your time to focus on growth strategies you will be able to adapt quicker to market conditions.

Another problem entrepreneurs have in common today, is that they fail to delegate. If you find yourself holding onto tasks that can be done by someone else in your business, hand them over and do it soon. When you do delegate, make sure the person is up to the task; knows what is expected; and has the authority to complete the task. The last thing you need is to delegate, and then have it handed back to you because you retained control. If you are going to delegate, do it in the right way avoiding the boomerang effect.

Get clear on your destination
There was a vision you had when starting your business; this vision or final destination is the cornerstone of being able to withstand a tough market. Remind yourself of why you got into business in the first place. Get back to your vision, reality check it and renew your commitment to achieving it. If you have lost your passion, work on getting it back.

Examine your delivery strategy
Look at how you are bringing your product or service to the market. Research your competition to understand what they are doing well – what is working for them. Then find ways to simply do it better. One of the advantages of being an entrepreneur or owner of a business is you can change and adapt faster than larger companies. You may have to make some changes to the way you deliver your product to market, but you are able to do it much quicker.

Invest in your growth
Investing in yourself is an investment in your business. The most successful leaders in the world all have a trusted person such as a certified and experienced coach to help grow their business. Some have even more than one coach. As a business owner it can be difficult to get perspective because you are pulled into the day-to-day details of running your business. You have little time to reflect, plan or strategise, however with a coach you make the commitment to do so. Getting advice from someone who is experienced in business and who has the ability to help you strategise, plan and deliver better, can be a turning point for you.

Build marketing systems
Often in a tough economy companies button down and stop all marketing spend this is the worst move you can make. At this time, you need to have marketing activities that differentiate you from the competition. The greatest strategy you can have is to test and measure every activity, see which activities are giving you the greatest sales and focus in on these. If you are really smart about it, you can turn a tough economy to your advantage.

Ensure you have a winning leverage strategy
Leverage is a key component of business success where you use something to your advantage to build and scale your business. This can be done through:
• Systems and technology – having the right systems in place to build the business
• People and education – keep your team up to date and educated in their field and market.
• Delivery and distribution – streamline this component so that your client can buy from you fast and efficiently.
• Testing and measuring – stop the things that don’t work now and focus on what really grows your bottom line.

A winning team
If you have the right people in place who work well as a team, they will be able to help you manage and implement your strategy for winning in a tough economy. Are your people and teams accountable? If you are having any problems with your people, focus on getting them sorted before it hinders your business any further.

Your ultimate aim is to have a strong general manager who frees you up so you can work on your business not in it. This means you have more time to focus on growing your business and seeking new ways to win in a competitive and tough business climate.

By Neil Pursey, Head of Analytics and Insights at Hoorah Digital

Digital is complex. It has multiple channels, the possibility of 1000s of audience types, creative assets need to be optimised for each platform and audience, specialist skills that are required for each channel, and the list goes on.

Over the years, this complexity has created silos between agencies and brands because there is no centralised view as to how one channel influences another. Because of these silos brands do not know how organic influences paid media and vice versa or how brand awareness on a social platform results in brand uplift in search. It’s left many brand managers, CEOs and marketing directors disillusioned and frustrated by digital execution and its ability to deliver real business results.

Brands need a 360 view on metrics that matter to their business
When brands are monitoring the correct metrics, it’s a lot easier to find traction and opportunities for growth. The visualisation of data is becoming increasingly important. When overlaying multiple data points together, you put yourself in a position to spot a trend. Digging into the cause of why and how it happened allows for focus and depth of thinking when executing campaigns.

Efficiency within the team is built from there. Creativity increases when teams are focused on data that matters. It also has the ability to bring teams together (if they are prepared to be humbled every now and then). Data can no doubt be humbling; it should be keeping teams honest and objective. This should not be seen as a threat; the transparency is refreshing, ensuring the business objectives are put first and the long-term goals are met.

These trends and traction points that you find will present many actionable insights. That’s where, in many cases, the waters get murky and the ability to execute becomes extremely challenging when data and creativity aren’t working together in an agile manner.

Too many brands work with agency partners who aren’t aligned, each trying to outdo the other and it’s to the detriment of the client’s business objectives. Performance should be everything in digital. The end result is for the brand to drive growth right?

Customised reporting on marketing metrics
The number one request from brands should be to get their reporting right and it should be customised to the person viewing it. A good reporting framework will deliver insights and cater to the CEO, VP of marketing, the brand manager, digital marketing manager, and down to the specialists who are managing and optimising campaigns on a day-to-day basis. This framework will create questions downwards and upwards through management. If the wrong metrics are shown to say the VP of marketing, that person is incapable of making the right decisions to where resources should be allocated to drive business growth.

There are three key overarching areas of focus for brands to pay attention to:

Audience data, which includes age, gender, location, interests and affinities. Within these groups, you should be able to define certain metrics to measure traction on a platform. For example, click-throughs, social engagement, viral reach and the average percentage of video watched. All these are indicators of performance. How does each audience group react to the content?

Creative assets: Once you have your audience targeting correct, you should be testing variations of creative at scale. Different audiences will resonate with different messaging. It’s important to be able to report on this effectively if you want to influence creative decisions.

Platform type: Each platform will deliver different results. Knowing your business objectives and understanding the role each platform plays is extremely important. The sales funnel is crucial here. Again, this is where things can go horribly wrong without a 360 view and attribution in mind.

The next step is the frequency of reporting and access to data. A CEO should not be looking at data every day; that’s the job of the specialist who is optimising campaigns. Management needs to be aligned as to how much data each person can digest. There’s a time for a monthly deep dive to analyse post-campaign performance and there is also a time for weekly check-ins with the specialist teams across the various channels, which provides a space for sharing of knowledge, always-on optimisation and continuous improvement.

Recommended reporting intervals
Each management level should have a unique report to make informed decisions. Below are my recommendations for reporting intervals and the more important metrics that should be reported on:

CEO and EXCO – quarterly
Marketing’s impact on:
● Primary: Sales
● Secondary: Share of voice
● Tertiary: Engagement

VP of Marketing – monthly
Marketing channels impact on:
● Primary: Sales
● Secondary: Share of voice
● Tertiary: Engagement

Brand manager – monthly
Marketing’s impact on:
● Primary: Share of voice
● Secondary: Engagement
● Tertiary: Sentiment

Digital Manager – weekly
● Digital channel’s impact on leads and/or sales

Campaign manager – weekly
● Campaign’s impact on leads/sales/engagement

Platform specialist – weekly
● Platform’s impact on leads/sales/engagement

Better insights lead to growth

Having better insights leads to concrete business actions or new strategic decisions which improve or optimise the way the business operates.

Saseka Tented Camp in Thornybush, which opened its doors in April 2019, is excited to announce the launch of their much-anticipated Leadwood Villa. This exclusive-use tented villa is ideal for families or a small group, with sights set on privacy and space to enjoy the safari adventure offered by Thornybush. Guests will be welcomed to their dedicated 230m² main living area of Leadwood Villa, which includes a beautiful deck with built in fire-pit, pool, dining and seating area and views of the Monwana river bed. The villa consists of one separate tented bedroom suite, with the possibility of adding two extra tended suites closely situated, depending on the size of the party.

The Leadwood Villa experience is completely out of the ordinary with flexibility to suit individual needs of families and guests. They can look forward to lazy days by the pool, drinks around the fire, board games and fun in the evening before bed. With a private chef on hand at all meals, uniquely locally inspired cuisine awaits. Meals are created using the freshest ingredients with many of the greens coming directly from our community garden project. Dinners in the sand riverbed, under the stars, are magical and very much part of the Saseka experience.

A dedicated game-viewing vehicle with an experienced ranger and tracker team is on hand to create unforgettable game drives twice daily to explore the 14000-hectre wilderness of the Thornybush Private Nature Reserve, which now forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park Conservation Area. Expect excellent wildlife sightings, including the big 5 (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard), wild dog, cheetah, numerous antelope species, giraffe, zebra, and much more as well fabulous bird watching opportunities.

Designed and decorated by the award winning team of Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, Leadwood Villa and Saseka Tented Camp combine natural, sustainable architecture with cutting-edge design. Influenced by the romantic narrative of tented camps from yesteryear, the tents have been reimagined with a gentle nod to nostalgia, but with the emphasis very much on 21st century design and luxury. The tented suites allow the sounds of nature and the bush to filter in offering guests a truly immersed safari experience.

“We look forward to sharing the magic of Saseka Tented Camp with families now that we have the Leadwood Villa and know that the offering is very special and unique” concludes Joanne Dickson, CEO Thornybush Collection.

By Cameron Beveridge

Organisations can no longer consider it ‘a job well done’ when a sale closes or a project is implemented. The ongoing disruption wrought by technology requires constant change and adaptation. Businesses must constantly evolve, change, improve and optimise their systems and services. A once-off implementation or acquisition is not going to deliver the competitive advantage needed to succeed. A single innovation or disruptive technology could reshape entire industries overnight.

What organisations should strive for in the age of customer experience is an unwavering commitment to customer success. By creating a unified and outcome-focused experience for customers, organisations can more easily become business or innovation partners to their customers. This shifts the dynamic away from once-off sales and lengthy deployment projects, to ongoing transformational support as the customer travels along the path of their innovation journey.

The objective here is to provide guidance and support to customers to ensure they utilise their technology tools to their full potential. Technology providers need to instil a customer-first culture throughout their organisation to provide a positive experience to customers. This, in turn, builds trust; when there is trust, the quality of collaboration improves and it becomes easier to deliver value consistently.

Customer experience is not the sole reserve of the CEO or the chief marketing officer (or even the newly created position of customer experience executive); it is the responsibility of every person within the organisation. Tools such as Qualtrics support businesses by generating quantifiable data that point to deficient experiences and highlight opportunities for deepening brand affection and loyalty among customers that enjoy positive experiences. With the support of a team working in a customer-first culture, this can turn customers into fanatics, products into obsessions and employees into ambassadors.

This is an extract out of one of the articles, A customer-first approach, appearing in the latest edition of Top500. Email marketing@top500.co.za to order your copy.

Matthias Vollherbst, CEO and Managing Director of Vollherbst LABELS, a 98-year-old premium label printer and fourth-generation family business, elaborates on their recent digital brand called LABELimotion, which is slowly disrupting the traditional wine industry with augmented reality application.

What was the inspiration for LABELinmotion?
We started conceptualising ideas on and about augmented reality five years ago, and this was given renewed inspiration with the Living Wine Labels app developed by Treasury Wine Estates from Australia. They made a massive statement with their 19 Crimes augmented
reality wine labels, featuring the stories of criminals sent to Australia in the 18th century.

As this app was developed by a wine brand, we saw an opportunity to develop an independent app not linked to a winery. With this thinking as background, LABELinmotion was developed as a simple and universal augmented reality app. While our company specialises in wine and spirits labels, we offer augmented reality services to any label that wants to apply this powerful technology, whether wine, gin, beer … or milk!

Once you had the concept, what were the next steps?
Designing the concept and the brand of our augmented reality app was our first step. We developed the strategy together with our youngest employees aged 18 to 35, the age group which we believe is the target market for augmented reality labels. After only two brainstorm sessions we had a concept that was promising enough to develop and launch. We programmed an example concept of a flashing lightbulb that eventually bursts on the screen, which was surprisingly easy to do – augmented reality is far less complicated than one might think.

The next step was to bring it to the market and convince clients to give it a try. We have always had an inspiring relationship with KWV in South Africa, one of the most admired wine brands in the world, and they were really excited about this concept. They partnered with LABELinmotion and developed an engaging AR experience for the Cathedral Cellar range of wines. Since then, we have launched two more augmented reality experiences on top of our initial showcase project. One of them was for Germany-based winery Michel Schneider, and features a lion jumping out of the label and telling jokes!

So, for now, you are mainly focused on the wine industry?
Yes, this is how Vollherbst started in 1921 and what still defines our business today. We work with a broad range of wineries, from the boutique wine farms to big global players. With 65% share they are our biggest industry, followed by spirits. What unifies our partners is their understanding of strong marketing and self-awareness. They understand that a label defines a brand and that a brand defines business success. Vollherbst and LABELinmotion partner with brands that consistently improve their brand awareness with professional and innovative wine labels.

What do you think appeals to them about LABELinmotion?
LABELinmotion and augmented reality offer wineries a fantastic new way to capture audiences at that crucial decision-making point during sales, and it also offers engagement at the point of consumption. Wineries therefore have multiple opportunities to start conversations about their brand in a memorable way. The possibilities in which these stories can be conveyed are also endless: brands can use multimedia like video and sound to get consumers to interact with their wine labels while guiding them to the winery’s website or social media channels. Alternatively, the whole brand experience can live on the label only, offering a fully immersive experience without distractions.

Are more wine brands realising that this is the future of wine marketing?
We should not forget, that everything that can be, will be digitalised in the future. The clever wine marketers are aware of this and they are figuring out how to make the digital space work for them. They are learning to understand consumer behaviour in the digital world, and the ones that do, are the ones that are outperforming competitors. For those wanting to win loyalty in the Generation Y and Z consumer market, this is a key success factor.

What have you learnt about wine in the digital space?
We are constantly learning and understanding more about the wine consumer behaviour in the digital world, and we are seeing the importance of storytelling more and more. We see that entertainment and surprise elements work and that people are open to whole new (non-technical) stories about wine. This is obviously an area augmented reality excels in. Currently we are seeing the intangible benefits of strong brand awareness among innovative companies.

Your company, which is a traditional label printing company embarking on a modern digital journey, seems to reflect the conundrum of the wine industry?
Yes, label printing is still a rather traditional industry, which in its simplest form is printing and finishing paper that is glued onto a product – be it a wine bottle or a honey dispenser. Nothing of that has been changed in the recent years. However, we are closely monitoring the disruption of industries at the hand of digital technologies, like Uber has done for the transportation industry or Netflix for the entertainment industry. I am inspired by concepts like that for the label business as well. That’s why it is so important to not only notice but participate in developments like AR labels and innovative print techniques. We see more and more wine brands wanting to engage the millennial market and that is why we value our young employees, aged 18 to 35, so much. They are actively involved in the development and creative AR processes. If they don’t like what they see, we go back and adjust the concepts. This openness in the development process and valuing the input of the perspective of our young employees is something more wine brands should do too, I think.

Have you seen a lot of success in the South African market?
Yes, our South African market has been growing double-digit in the last two years and we don’t necessarily feel the need to conquer new regional markets as we still see huge potential in the ones, we have experience with. We especially see a strength in the countries with the same time-zone as Germany as this allows for efficient use of hours and Skype meetings which allows all parties to get things done hassle-free and quickly. South African wines are also increasingly popular in Europe, and we assist brands to tell the right kind of stories to this market, too.

Émonda SL improve on what is already the ultimate lightweight race bike with new features and models. Émonda’s fork now has internal cable routing to match the sleek routing found elsewhere on the frame. Also launching today, two all new models, the Émonda SL 5 Disc, and Émonda SL 6 Disc Pro.

Émonda’s fork now routes the hydraulic line internally for a super clean look. Best of all, there is a co-molded tube to allow for super easy cable routing. This new fork fits perfectly with the aesthetic of the rest of the frame. All Émonda Disc models get this new fork.

New models
Émonda SL 5 and SL 6 Disc Pro join the Émonda lineup for this year, adding disc brakes to two of our bestselling models. Émonda SL 5 Disc brings disc brakes to an entry-level carbon race bike. And Émonda SL 6 Disc adds carbon wheels to the equation.

FAQ

Has anything changed with the frame?
No, both Émonda SLR and SL have the same frame as the previous model year.

What is different about the fork?
The fork has internal cable routing, and has switched the thru-axle to a roadie-snob approved NDS handle, but is otherwise identical.

Tell me about the SL 5 Disc?
It is our most value oriented Émonda Disc ever. We started with a carbon Émonda SL frameset, added a 105 hydraulic drivetrain, and finished it off with some wide TLR rims. You should be looking to replace the rim-brake Émonda SL 5 with this on your shop floor.

What about the SL 6 Disc Pro?
We took our best-selling Émonda SL 6 Disc, and added our Aeolus Pro 3 Disc wheels, for a race-ready setup. Carbon Émonda frameset, Ultegra hydraulic gruppo, carbon wheels. What more do you need?

By Dean McCoubrey

I love the way travel continues to re-invent itself. New trends include green travel, grassroots experiential holidays, and volunteer travel, to name a few. Even in the last half-decade alone many tourists have rejected hotels in favour of Airbnb, and dropped shuttles and tour operators in favour of Uber. Pure disruption.

But this one I didn’t expect. Space has always been a premium – in our homes, our hotel rooms, and even in our offices. But as property prices have spiked, and business and leisure travellers have been forced to adapt, square metrage is not the luxury it used to be, at least in some circles.

Space can be traded for WiFi, hipster-cool interiors, or the proximity to attractions and entertainment, given the fact we spend so much of our time in meetings or “seizing the day.”

On my recent trip to New York, I decided to jump ship from the luxury 5-star suites to test the rising trend of micro-hotels that are popping up in major cities around the world. Amsterdam, London, New York, Paris, Brussels all now host brands like Citizen M, Arlo Hotels, Freehand, and The Pod – the common denominator among them being a decision to go small on room size, but big on cool.

At The Arlo Soho in New York, the entrance is unpretentious, masking the moments of brilliance inside. As you enter, a surprisingly unfussy reception sits on one side, frenetic with millennial energy, tapping keyboards and shelves lined with Arlo “merch”, and a mini-deli and colourful candy store grab your attention on the other. Quite an intro.

Down the corridor, you pass the dimly lit bar with laptops ajar beaming blue light onto intense faces and peaked caps, as an array of artists, developers, musicians and entrepreneurs find themselves lost in collaboration or unlimited free WiFi. An eye-popping courtyard garden with glasshouses to brainstorm alongside co-creators, lies adjacent to the lounge-TV-presenting room, CNN news on loop in the background.

The restaurant, also opening out to the year-round courtyard full of blossom, is a classic upmarket diner. Serving throughout the day, options include a great American (but also healthy) buffet breakfast, through to lunch and dinner items like grilled chicken wings or Mezze platter, followed by double cheeseburger or sea bass, with a quinoa salad. I loved the meatless meatballs.

The room is indeed rather small, as promised. But the intelligence of its spatial design finds the bed nestled, neatly and cosily, in an oak-panelled cube, a TV hovering over the foot, and a view over Hudson Street – sufficient perks to ensure I didn’t really need to be anywhere else.

The overall buzz of Arlo’s common areas acts as the backdrop to work, or socialise, or live the millennial dream, even if you’re a mid-lifer like me. A simple glass cube for the shower toilet was fine – that really isn’t a focus of mine – but if you love a bath, The Arlo isn’t for you.

I had a packed work itinerary for my 72 hours in New York, but I do suggest the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of The Rockefeller for a celebratory drink, a late show at the Comedy Cellar (117 MacDougal Street), and a helicopter flip (www.flynyon.com) to feel the power of one of the world’s most enthralling cities. But ironically, the greatest highlight was an escape into the sanctuary of The Langham Hotel’s Chuan Body & Soul Spa (400 Fifth Avenue). In Chinese, ‘Chuan’ means flowing water which is seen to be the source of life in Chinese culture; a key to keeping mind, body and soul in balance, signifying the beginning of a wellness journey.

New York can be all-consuming from the endless phone calls, the swarm of pedestrians, the painful nag of slow traffic in a yellow cab, and meetings that demand your full attention, but as I passed through the Chuan Spa’s ‘Moon Gate’ I vanished into the serenity of the space and all fell gloriously silent. The pace and attention of the host and masseuse, Daniel and Olivia, shone like a beacon in a frenetic metropolis, and the 60-minute soothing Harmony treatment literally drew me back down to my own rhythm and set me on my feet again, for another day. This is an experience I recommend for either a business or leisure trip, arguably a necessity to meet the demands of Manhattan.

And on that final note of restoration, at 240 USD to 550 USD the Arlo Soho, Nomad or Hudson Hotels, sit in the mid-price range but offer a stunning base wrapped neatly in a hipster bundle to use as a springboard to venture into the city. A place to feel young if you’re older, or show your versatility if you’re an up-and-coming, a flexible workspace to do business, a compact pod to rest your head – before you catapult yourself back into The Big Apple to take a healthy bite out of everything it has on offer.

Arlo Greenhouse Workspace

Arlo Studio

Dr John Demartini offers six steps on how to change your career halfway through your life.

Do you feel unfulfilled in your current job? Are you daydreaming about a career you’d rather be doing? Do you dread Mondays? The honest answer to these questions might very well lead you to the conclusion that you are, indeed, in the midst of a mid-career crisis and it may be time for a change.

Staying in an unfulfilling job until you retire may not be the wisest path. Retirement from an unfulfilling job itself is a man-made social projection and the value of spending your life – doing what you love and loving what you do – is priceless.

Many people believe that youth is a ‘heavenly’ time of optimism and energy before the ‘hellish’ decline into old age and death. That’s only true if you make it so, and you really do have the power to choose such a perceptual path at any time along your career.

This pernicious retirement myth has little to do with the reality of life and human potential. I know many people in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s who are still doing what they love and loving what they do and still going strong. Chronological age is certainly not the only determining factor.

7 STEPS TO MAKING THE MOST OF A MID-CAREER CRISIS:

Know when you are ready for change. While it sometimes takes a crisis for the most stubborn of us to make a change in our lives, a good indication that you are no longer fulfilled in your job is a lack of energy and enthusiasm on a daily basis. When the pain of desperation overrides the pain of action, you’ll move into your new career.

Interview yourself. The quality of your life is based upon the quality of the questions you ask yourself. Think about what you would truly love to do as a career and ask yourself what your most inspiring job would ultimately look like.

Expand your mind. Take the time to read, research and study this area or areas of interest. Look for mentors and people in your desired profession or skill area to speak with.

Make a plan. Once you have evaluated your options, take the time to set out a plan and give yourself permission to create your own business if that is what you wish. Some entrepreneurs began their inspiring careers in their 60s or even later.

Reinvent the role you have. As an alternative to a completely new career path, it may pay to simply make a few changes to the role you currently have and/or look within the organisation you are currently in to see where you feel you are able to serve the most and what serves you the most – at least temporarily.

Appreciate what your current job offers. While you are envisioning, planning and gradually initiating and executing your new career pathway, it is wise to link how your current job is actually helping you step into your new career and how it is offering you the necessary skills, contacts, insights, leads and opportunities along the way.

See the solution. You are never too old or too entrenched in any given profession to make a change. Focus on the experience that you’ve gained and the skills you have acquired rather than possible excuses for not moving forward.

Ask yourself these questions

What would I absolutely love to do in life? This question helps bring clearly into your conscious mind one of your heartfelt and meaningful dreams or objectives.

How do I become handsomely paid to do it? This question helps you make your vacation your vocation. Why not get financially rewarded for doing whatever you love?

What are the seven highest priority actions steps I could complete today that would enable me to do it? This question helps you organise your actions.

What obstacles might I run into and how do I solve them in advance? This question will help you act rather than react along your journey.

What worked and what didn’t work in my search for employment? This question will help you refine your actions and keep them on priority.

How do I do what I would love more effectively and efficiently?

How did whatever I experienced today – whether positive or negative – serve me? This question helps you realise that all great endeavours come with supportive and challenging consequences that act as feedback mechanisms.

Dr. John Demartini is a human behaviour specialist, educator, international best-selling author and the founder of the Demartini Institute. For more of his teachings, visit www.DrDemartini.com

There are currently around 65.4 million eCommerce users in Africa and the number is expected to rise by another 20 million over the next two years. The success of the African eCommerce market has been described by McKinsey in one of its quarterly reports as one that has ‘blossomed’. The research firm pointed out that those global business leaders that don’t understand this potential or this continent run the risk of missing out on one of the greatest growth opportunities of the 21st century. It is a 1.2-billion-person market that’s sitting on the knife’s edge of explosive growth – a market that has already been successfully harnessed by eCommerce entrepreneurs and mobile solutions such as Jumia, Mall For Africa, PayU and M-Pesa.

“While the growth of eCommerce across the continent has been driven by increased internet penetration, improved economic conditions, and a growing middle-class population, there is another factor pushing eCommerce forward – cross-border engagement,” says Corrie Bakker, Head of Strategy & Business Development, PayU Africa. “The ability to expand eCommerce operations across borders and into new markets across a diverse and engaging market is playing a significant role in driving growth and investment.”

The McKinsey & Company Global Payments 2018 report emphasises the importance of innovation and change when it comes to the complexities of cross-border payments, as well as the value that they offer to the eCommerce market. In EMEA, half of the $200 billion of new opportunities will emerge from transaction growth both in-country and across borders. This growth spans both the business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) markets with cross-border transactions accounting for 5% of payments revenue growth by 2022 in the region.

“If payment solutions can provide both business and consumer with reliable, secure and trusted payment infrastructure, they can capture a significant share of this growing market,” says Bakker. “These figures highlight the potential of the continent and how the risks that are involved in cross-border payment systems need to be addressed in order to further growth and market share.”

Cross-border payments have battled with legacy issues such as a lack of transparency, complex regulation and legalities, system efficiencies and a limited access to reliable and recognisable payment options. One of the biggest issues highlighted with regards to the B2C cross-border market by the McKinsey report is a lack of access to familiar local payment options on international website plus a limited visibility into foreign exchange fees.
PayU has been working closely with leaders in the African market to ensure that cross-border payment systems and opportunities in the region are seamless and transparent. The company has been expanding its presence in Africa through investments and partnerships. Most recently, PayU has launched in Nigeria a collaboration with Showmax and is set to expand into the rest of Africa. IPTV is also growing in Africa with PayU on board as its payments partner. The company has also invested into providing additional forms of payment, allowing for mobile and electronic funds transfers and other card alternatives to be integrated into the offering. This is supported by enhanced value and technology services across anti-fraud, automation, and an improved regulatory and public policy ecosystem in Africa.

The challenges that have typically affected the success of cross-border commerce are being steadily overcome by the determination of eCommerce organisations and the inventive applications introduced by payment gateways, financial institutions and fintech disruptors.
The continent is vast and each country is as different in its approach to eCommerce as it is in its culture and potential growth. Africa is already opening up its doors to the potential of global players such as Uber, Google, Amazon, and Netflix with many of these organisations already entrenched across some of the sub-Saharan markets. With the remarkable success of Jumia, the spotlight shines firmly on how Africa has the potential to embrace the eBay’s and Amazon’s of the world, while creating a few of its own. What happens next will rely on entrepreneurial mindsets, bold decisions, and reliable partnerships. Africa isn’t lost in scandal, limited infrastructure and poor access. These factors are changing alongside increased credibility and stability through a robust infrastructure of banks, payment partners and transparent regulatory frameworks.