speakers
TRANSCRIPT
14-15 June 2007 Printing courtesy of Cape Town
SHINING UP OUR INDUSTRY● BACKPACKER & ADVENTURE CONFERENCE 2007●THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
SpeakersAfter graduating from Rhodes University in 1985, with a degree in Physical
Education & German and doing his 2 years obligatory stint in the army, Steve cycle
toured extensively with his wife, Di, across the U.S.A and thereafter across Europe
with their 6-month old son in tow. He returned to South Africa in 1992 and set up
Day Trippers, a small cycle touring company, operating from home and beginning
with an old VW combi and 6 bicycles. The business has steadily grown over the
years into one of the leading adventure touring companies in the Western Cape with
7 busses, 5 custom made bicycle trailers and over 200 bicycles in their fleet.
Notoriously laid-back Steve is at the helm (with his wife, the proverbial muscle
behind the man). His promise is “We don’t just get you high… we raise your
consciousness!”
Gary started his career at Wits University before joining Manchester United in
1977 and less than a year later he became their number one goalkeeper, playing
373 competitive matches and winning 2 FA cup medals. He played for England
from 1978 to 1986, winning 17 U-21 caps, 2 B caps and 2 full caps, and was part
of the 1986 world cup squad that made the quarter finals in Mexico. After retiring
from professional football at the young age of 28, he returned to South Africa to
play for Kaizer Chiefs for 2 years during which time the team won 5 trophies. Gary
currently works at Supersport where he continues his passion for football by
anchoring all the soccer shows. He has a BSc in Physics and an MBA from
Henley in Oxford and was one of South Africa’s soccer ambassadors for the world
cup bid.
Steven Thomas
Gary Bailey
Uno de WaalUno de Waal is a social media consultant, geek, entrepreneur, electo-listening
person. Since an early age Uno has been involved with the internet in some way
and it has finally born fruits with his current passion – social networking, new
media and innovative uses of the web. His expertise is in seeing how business
can leverage the internet using social media and other networking effects that
have been made possible around the new direction the internet has taken
(generally termed Wen2.0). While studying a BA (Value and Policy studies) at
Stellenbosch University Uno became interested in the way that social networks
connect people and their similar interests. He moved on to delve himself in the
world of Web2.0 applications and has become one of the most respected youth
opinions in the South African blogosphere on topics around the relevance of
Web2.0 to business and other aspects of the internet. He is also a keen mountain
biker and drinks his coffee black with one sugar. His blog, resume and other
interesting bits about him on www.unodewaal.com
14-15 June 2007 Printing courtesy of Cape Town
SHINING UP OUR INDUSTRY● BACKPACKER & ADVENTURE CONFERENCE 2007●THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
Speakers
Cany Bugler
Pat Collier
Toni ShinaLee’s partner and childhood friend, is also passionate about the environment,
sustainable and ethical tourism. Toni is also very committed to uplifting the
underprivileged and is a keen fundraiser. Moola Magic is her bright idea and
also one of the conference conveners.
Pat Collier has two passions in her life – her family and her work ! She and
husband, Eric, moved to Cape Town in 1998 when Eric accepted the position of
Senior Lecturer at the Cape Town Hotel School. Their sons, no surprise, are
both in hotels in England. Pat, a THETA accredited assessor for the Tourism
Grading Council, was excited to join the pilot team to formulate minimum
requirements and criteria for the Backpacker & Hostelling sector. “The
Backpack, Cape Town was the first to be awarded 4 stars and this year – like
“Nothando,” Plett – achieved a 5 star grading! Pat arrived in S.Africa in 1971
after gaining extensive experience in 5 star hotels in England. She joined the
Southern Sun “Elangeni” intending to enjoy a 6 month working holiday.
Influenced by the charisma of Sol Kerzner, she accepted the position of C.R.O.
Manager for Southern Sun. Until 1980 she was also closely involved in the
introduction of S.A’s first package holidays and the opening of several Southern
Sun hotels, the last being Sun City. Pat, a THETA accredited Assessor & Trainer
and has her own Hospitality Management consultancy covering in-house training
and quality assurance reports. “I don’t view this as a job, it is a way of life and
there is nothing more rewarding than being part of this “people pleasing people
business”
Cany Bugler has been in the tourism industry since 1988. With a strong prior
background in the administration sector, she started up and managed her own
company, Which Way Adventures, a specialist adventure tour operating
business, offering river rafting and overland safaris. After the sale of the
company, Cany took up a contract in Kenya to assist with the development of
two overland adventure companies (2 years), as well as being contracted to
handle the international marketing for a South Africa based, adventure
company, WildLife Adventures, which she fulfilled for 4 years. Having started a
quad biking operation in 2001, which operated fairly low key up to her return to
South Africa, in 2003, Cany and her husband, Anton, pursued their new
company Tri Active Events Management, a national tour operator and events
management company with a wide portfolio of services in the MICE market as
well as services for the leisure traveller – tours, excursions, adventure activities.
Their new tented lodge, conference and adventure centre situated in the Elgin
Valley has just been launched and is already very busy with team building,
conferencing and social events.
14-15 June 2007 Printing courtesy of Cape Town
SHINING UP OUR INDUSTRY● BACKPACKER & ADVENTURE CONFERENCE 2007●THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
Speakers
Gareth Haysom
Robin Thomson
Dave Martin
Gareth Haysom’s original training was in the hospitality industry and he
subsequently went on to advise both government and the private sector. Current
active projects focus heavily on emerging businesses, entrepreneurship &
sustainability and include work in partnership with the Sustainability Institute,
managing research and formulation of initiatives to support Integrated and
Sustainable Human Settlements within South Africa as well as a project, in
partnership with Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, focussed on assisting the
Tourism Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Charter Council in
anticipation of the role out of BBBEE within the tourism industry. Gareth also
works as a FTTSA assessor (he played an active role in Spier’s application for
FTT status) and is currently completing an MPhil in Sustainable Development
with Stellenbosch University, where he presents a module on Sustainability.
Robin studied Mechanical Engineering at UCT, and started off his working life
underground on the gold mines of South Africa. He progressed to oil and gas
exploration from 1989 to 2003, working in many countries from Papua New
Guinea in the East to Mauritania in West Africa. He returned to South Africa in
1994 to start The Green Elephant Backpackers , aiming to make it African,
memorable and environmentally sustainable. The Green Elephant Backpackers
uses solar water heating, grey water toilets, pool water recycling and has solid
waste recycling programs. He retired from the oil industry in 2003 to study an
MBA at UCT. His Research Report was a Case Study on What Cape Town
should do to reach its target of having 10% of houses with solar water heaters by
2010. After his MBA, Robin started Sunpower Solar Water heating. Sunpower
promotes, sells and installs solar water heaters. He is a committee member of
the newly formed Solar Water Heating Division of Sustainable Energy Society of
Southern Africa (SESSA)
Dave was born in Cape Town. While studying at UCT he got involved with
SHAWCO (a student-run community development organisation) and was active
in the townships around Cape Town for 5 years. He then backpacked from
Cape Town through Africa for 18 months until he reached the UK where he
worked as an IT consultant for 2 years. After backpacking for another year or so
around South America, China and Oz, he returned home to SA and started
Bulungula Lodge. Bulungula aims to be a model for using tourism in sustainable
rural development. The lodge is eco-friendly and the local community has a
40% share in the business. The lodge (Fair Trade accredited) has also assisted
the community in starting and running a dozen small businesses including:
horse-riding, guided canoeing, fishing, herbalist forest tours, Woman Power
tours (a day in the life of a local woman), a local restaurant, cultural tours, bee-
keeping, a vegetable seedling nursery and a vegetable farm to supply the lodge
restaurant with fresh veggies.
14-15 June 2007 Printing courtesy of Cape Town
SHINING UP OUR INDUSTRY● BACKPACKER & ADVENTURE CONFERENCE 2007●THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
SpeakersDi Thomas
Lisa Mason
Dave Malherbe
Di Thomas, along with her husband Steve, is the owner & General
Manager of Day Trippers - an alternative tour company, specializing in
biking & hiking tours, corporate events and Day Trips for the young and
young-at-heart. She has been Tripping since 1992 and is still on a High,
loving her job and passionate about her hobby, mountain biking and
about the Tourism Community Development Trust, of which she is a
founder and to which she devotes the remainder of her spare time. Di is
also one of the convenors of this conference.
Lisa Mason is a partner in one of the first backpacker lodges in Cape
Town, Ashanti Lodge, which opened in 1993. It has since expanded to
include 2 more guest houses and a travel centre with no plans on
stopping there. Born in the UK but schooled both in South Africa and
London, Lisa worked for major international finance houses in London
where she gained invaluable experience in commercial and financial
matters. Whilst travelling extensively around the world she gained first
hand knowledge of the tourism industry which allowed her the
opportunity to be a founding member of BSA as well as the Tourism
Community Development Trust. This has enabled her to contribute to
the development of tourism in South Africa in a more meaningful
manner. Lisa is one of the convenors of this conference.
Dave has been the chairman of BSA EXCO for a number of years and
dedicates a great deal of time, energy and passion to the association.
He is also a veteran Springbok surfer, part-owner of Coffee Shack
Backpackers and husband of Belinda.
Lolla MeyerLolla Meyer is the BSA National Cooridnator and has been working for BSA
full-time since August 2005 and part-time since 2001.Her Job in a nutshell –
Lolla does almost EVERYTHING! Main responsibilities: International and
Local Trade Show and Conference Coordinator, BSA National Cooridnator,
Membership, Moola Magic and Exco duties. She has been working in the
tourism industry since 2001 and has backpacked through most of Europe,
Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Southern Africa! She
obtained a BA Language degree at UCT, studied in Germany, France and
Switzerland. Before working for BSA she lived and worked in Switzerland
running a little hotel in the Alps after her stint as PR and Marketing
Assistant at South African Tourism in London. Of all the destinations,
South Africa is still her favourite place!