Speakers 2019
Every year, we try our best to find the most inspirational speakers from all over the world. We are thrilled to show you people who are the driving forces behind our industry.
Institute of Leadership & Management in Education
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Tshwane North Technical Vocational Education and Training College
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Johannesburg Tourism
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Carl is a sound artist, vocal fx engineer and music producer in various sonic territories. Most of his career has been in the form of live sound. He has toured globally with artists such as Bruno Mars, Carlinhos Brown, Mary J Blige and has served organizations like Ram Dass’ LSR Foundation and Joseph Campbells audio archives.
For the past 4 years he has worked as Beyonce’s Vocal FX engineer developing a system to take her studio fx seamlessly into a live sound environment for real time control. His passion lies in the discovery of sound itself which has led him on a universal sonic journey in pursuit of the intersection of harmony, love and truth. Carls approach to music currently is what he calls “creativity as service” placing the art form and its expression as the priority over the industry standards like deadlines, budgets and marketing.
His recent collaboration with Brazilian artist RĀAE was blossomed from this approach. Carl is also a partner at Brave Earth, a living laboratory in service to regeneration and co-evolution with nature in Costa Rica.
Jo Hartle started working in the Live Events industry at the tender age of 16 learning to do lights at a venue in Essex , UK. Her work as a lighting designer led to regular touring as LD for the up and coming bands of the then new indie scene and grunge bands from Seattle.
She was the youngest person in the world and the first woman to train on the LSD IKON, Varilite:-19 and worked across the world designing and operating lights and eventually all aspects of production for the first six years of her career.
In 2001, after the birth of her first child she returned to Live Events Industry and began to reconnect with Lighting and Set Design. Her background in project management and resilient attitude meant she was asked to Crew Chief some large shows, and the invitation to be the resident LD at the sadly now closed Ocean venue in Hackney.
Following this she was asked by the Beta Band to Production Design their shows and remained with them until she left the Live Music Industry again to have her second child in 2004.
Joanna has designed and managed multiple corporate events, as an event designer, stylist, floral designer and producer. Since 2008 she has partnered this with production managing and producing large scale outdoor events and festivals. Nominated for unsung Hero at AIF (UK) and Best Backstage Team.
Joanna is a keen advocate of equality of opportunity for all people to work in the live events industry, both in terms of entry to the industry, having a successful career, balanced life and successful progression into sister career paths.
She is the UK producer of Women Walk Together - Led globally by Rachel Haughey from 4 Corners of the World. This takes place on 18th July and celebrates people identifying with being female who are involved or breaking into Production across the Industry, celebrating peace and freedom do create opportunity.
Joanna has written and developed courses in concept design and Live event planning and production as well as next step and employability with a particular Live Event Industry Focus. Jo has also worked across industry, academia and the awarding organisations to support the Quality Assurance and Standards of current Curriculum and in the development of the future provision to ensure maintenance of the standards.
Joanna splits her life between being the creative business driving force behind the events, education and creative aspects of her career. As well as leading her team to make great ideas a reality through the development and production of unique and memorable experiences regardless of the sector.
Joanna’s special qualities are her tireless enthusiasm for ideas, finding ways to make things happen, her passion for educating and inspiring, an ability to bend time, being a dynamic and creative thinker on many levels and her ability to dispel tension with compassion.
She is an avid tea drinker and loves The West Wing. Jo is a mom to three children , 22, 15 and 10 and lives in Essex with her husband;Brendan O'Hare :- Co-Founder and collaborator In their joint venture Hartle O’Hare.
Marco Sadik is a Technical Director at HomeBoyz Entertainment Ltd. A Kenyan founded events company, which is now one of East Africa’s leading Audio-visual, Lighting, Staging, Power and Events Management companies.
Originally from Malawi, Marco started out his career as a chart-topping musician in his home country, which saw him perform twice at the internationally renowned Lake of Stars Music Festival. Driven by a mission to produce and deliver music with a quality sound deep frustration was felt when faced with serious technical audio and skills weaknesses within the sector in Malawi. Seeking his own solution Marco undertook a course in Audio Engineering through SAE Amsterdam and was awarded a First Class Bachelor of Arts Honors Degree in 2014. Recognising the shortage of training opportunities in East Africa, Marco is a keen mentor to novice engineers and is keen to lead on the improved knowledge and application of state of the art equipment within Africa.
With over 10 years of experience working within the music sector, with a particular focus on Afro-beat infused sounds, Marco is a dedicated audio engineer, recording and performing artist. He is passionate about facilitating the production of high quality music, concerts and event management utilising his skills to ensure artists and event organisers achieve the best production, both within the studio and during live events at the likes of Sziget festival (Budapest), Beeckestijn Pop festival (The Netherlands) and Koroga festival (Kenya). He has worked with acclaimed arts and bands such as, Morgan Heritage, Chronnixx, Tarrus Riley, Neyo, Sauti Sol, Bobby Valentino, Keri Hilson, ASA and Richie Spice and Coke Studio Africa Season 5. Other conference clients include The Economist, Magical Kenya Expo, The Financial Times, Facebook and Qatar Airways.
I have been fortunate to working with Music in and Music Production over the last +20 years in a variety of formats ranging from running my own, professional studio, consultant work, lectures, censoring, producing, engineering, writing, live concert sound and production, composing, teaching and to developing curriculum.
I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of talented artists and professionals over the years.
My main ambition when working with people be that artists, bands, professionals, students, organizations etc – is that I try to be part of co-creating the journey we take that develops the mindset and personal insight and outlook with the goal of achieving a higher level of awareness and sensemaking through interaction and dialogue.
Born 1962 I am serving the Entertainment Industry since 1980. Then I started as a Stagehand in my Hometown Hannover in Germany and worked also as Steelhand, Climber and Crew Chief. After some years on the road with Trucking Service Cologne I founded a crew-staffing company where I started to implement proper safety measures for the crew.
Later on I graduated as „Meister für Veranstaltungstechnik“ dealing with event safety and Premises Licensing Application. Always interested in workplace health and safety I finished the official german OSHA courses to become Fire Safety Adviser, Health and Safety Advisor and CDM-Coordinator.
Nowadays my work consists in H+S Consulting for the Entertainment Industry with Customers ranging from the small garage-size rental company up to internationally well known suppliers. Also I am holding speeches and trainings on all business-related topics. Another part of my work is conducting premises licensing for Concerts and Open-Air Festivals as well as coordinating H+S following CDM-Regulations.
Important to me is interacting with colleagues and transferring my knowledge and expertise. Therefore I am active in three trade associations and write in several magazines as the VPLT-Magazine and Event-Partner.
Some References
Mr. BW (Willem) Westermann (54) studied law in Utrecht. Already in his student days, he was preoccupied with organizing and supervising events. Immediately after graduation he went to work for Flashlight Rental BV, a company that specializes in lighting for shows, TV, fairs and events. The interest in everything involved in the event world became wider, resulting in work at Mojo Concerts BV, the country's largest concert organizer. As Head of Production, he was partly responsible for the actual organization of events with tens of thousands of visitors.
Since 2000, Westermann has his own consulting firm. He works for the VVEM, the Association of Event Makers. He is chairman of the association PMSE (Dutch association for wireless links for Programme Making and Special Events). In SKEN (the Foundation for the Quality of Events) he promotes the development of quality labels and documents in the event world. He is a member of numerous working groups, steering committees, focus groups and field meetings. Westermann writes legal opinions and standards for the entertainment industry. Many parts of his work have to do with security, both for workers and the public. As OHS advisor and security coordinator, he has a lot to do with translating the rules into practice in the workplace. He is the author of the Dutch Event Safety Guide.
As a safety coordinator he works for cultural events and the EDM Industry.
Prof Andries Walter Oliphant is a former Fulbright Scholar in Comparative Literature and an award-winning critic and writer on South African literature, art and photography. He is head of Theory of Literature at Unisa and chaired the Arts and Culture Task Group, co-writing the 1996 White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage. He was the founding chair of the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT), a Research Fellow at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection and served on the Board of the International Comparative Literature Association. He wrote the National Strategy for Social Cohesion and Nation Building for DAC and the Diagnostic Report on Nation Building for the National Planning Commission. He chairs the Reference Panel for the Revision of the White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage. A former editor of Staffrider Magazine and COSAW Publishing, he is the current editor of the international Journal of Literary Studies and an editorial board member of several local and international literary and art journals.
Dumisani Nkomo is the Chief Executive Officer of Cutting Edge Consultants (Pty) Ltd, an entity he co-founded in 1995. His qualifications include a Bachelor of Science Degree (B.Sc) at the University of Botswana, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Witwatersrand and a Doctorate in Business Sciences (Public Management) from the Durban University of Technology. Dumisani has served on several National and Provincial Boards and Councils, these include: Estate Agency Affairs Board (Chairman); South African Property Charter (Council and Board Member); South African Council of Valuers Profession (Council Member); Gauteng and Limpopo Immigration Boards (Chairman); and Gauteng Development Tribunal (Member and Presiding officer).
Currently, he is the out-going Chairman of Tshwane North Technical Vocational Education and Training College (TNC TVET) whose term ended in April 2019. TNC TVET is one of 50 National public TVET colleges whose focus is on building the necessary skills and technical base for South Africa’s economy.
Dumisani is also a part-time lecturer at University of Witwatersrand – School of Governance (WSG) & Business School (WBS), an engagement or position he has held since 2008. At the WSG & WBS his areas of focus include: Strategy management and implementation (Municipal and Private); Supply Chain management; Stakeholder management and corporate governance; and Policy formulation and implementation.
Areas of special focus which were researched and some of which became part of the Doctorate research are: Service delivery / implementation modalities; Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E); Solid Waste Management; and Energy generation from renewable sources.
Matt joined Backstage Academy in September 2015 from the University of Exeter, where he was Vice-President of the Students’ Guild. During his time there, he established areas in his remit as nationally sector leading. He is now oversees the day-to-day operation of all courses, and is responsible for maintaining a high quality student experience and support service. Backstage Academy is a higher education provider in Yorkshire, United Kingdom, which specialises in teaching degrees and short courses for the Live Events Sector. Through its extensive industry partnerships, Backstage Academy ensures that students are taught on the latest equipment and software, and provides opportunities to work on international music tours, at festivals and in corporate events.
Lucky Thobela freelanced with various artists and musicians suchas Sankomota, Mirriam Makeba, Caphius Semenya, Sipho Mabuse,Jimmy Dludlu, Max Mntambo, Kaya Mhlangu, Splash, Brenda,Moses Khumalo and Moses Molelekwa amongs others. He alsodirected South Africas prominent theatre productions such as
Umoja (Spear of the nation) and the internationally acclaimed Gumboots.
He travelled the world through his passion and love forthe arts. He shared stage with international musicians such asAvishai Cohen, Marvin Smit Smith, Ludacris and the legendary American drummer Lenny White.
He is the founder of an unplugged music band called 6Mabone that is made out of 2 piece marimba set,
Drum kit, Accordion, traditional acoustic guitar and a saxophone.
PAMO AND TEAM is a 100% Black owned and managed risk management corporation that provides integrated risk management strategies and solutions to the South African Government, business corporations, sports bodies and other organisations that strive to become locally and globally competitive in an environment that demands service quality and excellence.
Our products and services, which are in the form of integrated risk management, professional safety and security, occupational healtth and safety training workshops/ road shows, and risk management literature production, are structured to deal with the serious and urgent demands for mitigating losses in the 21st Century business environment. We have a proud and distinguished panel of experts and professionals, who are up to speed with the latest internationally recognised risk management trends, strategies, and resources to develop our services and design them specifically for the South African business environment as well as the African continent.
PAMO AND TEAM is a 100% Black owned and managed risk management corporation that provides integrated risk management strategies and solutions to the South African Government, business corporations, sports bodies and other organisations that strive to become locally and globally competitive in an environment that demands service quality and excellence.
Our products and services, which are in the form of integrated risk management, professional safety and security, occupational healtth and safety training workshops/ road shows, and risk management literature production, are structured to deal with the serious and urgent demands for mitigating losses in the 21st Century business environment. We have a proud and distinguished panel of experts and professionals, who are up to speed with the latest internationally recognised risk management trends, strategies, and resources to develop our services and design them specifically for the South African business environment as well as the African continent.
Lumka Dlomo is the Marketing Manager at Johannesburg Tourism. A Professional, committed and ambitious Marketer with more than 16 years of extensive and diverse experience within the Hospitality and Tourism Industry.
Ms. Dlomo started her journey with now Tsogo Sun Hotel Group in 2000, moving up the ranks in different departments from Front Office to the Marketing Department. In 2004, she joined Indaba Hotel as the Sales Executive responsible for the Unions, Government business.
It was in 2007 when an opportunity to be part of newly formed Joburg Tourism Company came knocking. This was an opportunity she couldn’t refuse. Ms Dlomo joined Joburg Tourism in March of 2007 as International Business Tourism Executive, in the Convention Bureau Unit. Her responsibilities included bidding for international conferences to be hosted in Joburg amongst others.
Ms Dlomo has built strong relationships with key stakeholders across the board- government and corporate, local, regional and international. She has the knowledge of the City of Johannesburg’s Municipal Policies and Procedures.
I was born and raised in a suburb just outside central London in a time when music and dance was taking a different turn from Rock & Roll, Rnb and Disco into pop and alternative music. It was a time when we all wore leg warmers and were break dancing on street corners or imitating our icons from the TV hit “Fame”. I was no different and so much so I decided to pursue this way of life further by engaging in a Drama & Music Academy so as to further my passion.
With the family decision to move to South Africa in the mid 80’s my desire to become the next big thing was squashed but not forgotten and once I had established myself I quickly got involved with Sun International in assisting and arranging not only local events but a few internationals, with my first exposure being to Mr. Peabo Bryson, from that moment on my destiny was set and the entertainment industry become part of my blood.
Apart from being part of various productions, in 1994 I started performing on stage as of my passion for music, this leant access and in-sight to a different world to the industry and I quickly became versed to the technical aspects of the industry and how it enhanced a performer...this intrigued me further and a desire was born to understand and master all aspects of the industry.
Since 2000 I have had the opportunity to not only engage on various levels of a production but also directly been involved with the design and technical orchestration of many events, both local and international and am proud to have been associated with artists such as George Benson, Diana Ross and Ronan Keating to mention but a few and these experiences have today afforded me an education to the event industry that quite honestly cannot be attained in any class room. Today I, as Sharif baker can proudly boast my services and reputation within the industry, which can be attested, by all industry associates that know me.
To conclude, my motto still stands and that is that I pride myself on the fact that I learn every day and that all that I do is with passion and thus should I make a mistake, I do not falter and constantly look back at it with hurt....I rather take it with me and let it guide me for all endeavors I encounter further in life!
