Countdown to Loeries begins
Reminiscent of last year, the South Coast last week experienced record rainfall, homes and businesses were flooded, rivers burst their banks, cars were swept away, structures such as railway lines were damaged and people have been left homeless.
“We felt it was important to give back to the town where we celebrate every year,” said Andrew Human, Loeries MD. “The Loerie Awards are not just a fair-weather friend.”
Vicky Erasmus of Wozani Africa Events, organisers of the South Coast Winter Beach Festival and local producer of The Loerie Awards, added, "Every effort has been made by the Hibiscus Coast Municipality to ensure that our beaches are returned to their pristine state, the sun is shining again and the Beach Festival will go ahead as planned."
Festival weekend
More than an evening of creative celebration, the Loeries now represent a year-round focus on creative inspiration - helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh thinking. The Loeries celebrate all areas of brand communication, including disciplines such as experiential field marketing, ambient media, architecture and interior design.
The festival weekend is the culmination of the year's activities and the highlight of the industry's calendar year. The aim of the weekend is to honour and celebrate the year's best work in a creative and inspirational environment. The festival includes two awards ceremonies. On Saturday night, the awards ceremony is hosted by major sponsor Media24 and on Sunday night, the awards ceremony is hosted by the SABC, also a major sponsor.
The Loeries has also planned the mother-of-all parties after the Saturday and Sunday award ceremonies. The Loeries is taking over Backline, the club at the Margate Hotel, and putting it on steroids. The DJ lineup includes Johannesburg and Cape Town's best; Ready D, Oskido, Kevin Grenfell, Roger Goode who will be supported by ad industry DJ's Graeme Jenner, Jonathan Beggs and the Loeries chairman Festus Masekwameng.
Since the advertising and communications industry really knows how to party, the small town of Margate will be thumping throughout the festival weekend.
Activities lineup
In support of the two evenings of awards, the weekend includes a host of activities and services including:
- A VIP Lounge
- A Media Centre
- Pre and after drinks and snacks at the awards ceremonies
- Saturday and Sunday after-parties
- The SABC Battle of the Bands
- Numerous agency parties
- Non-stop advertising showreels in the Margate cinema
- Various activations throughout the weekend
The Loeries were launched in 1979 as a mechanism to promote television advertising; today, however the awards encompass all aspects of brand communication including architecture and design.
Bookings open
Since the admin has begun, it's also now possible to start planning for the festival weekend. Bookings are open for the Loerie Awards ceremony, special Mango flights and Tempest car rentals. Go to www.theloerieawards.co.za for more information.
Major sponsors of the Loeries are SABC, Media 24, Zulu Kingdom and South Coast Tourism. Additional sponsors are Brandhouse, Aon-Shield, Lithotech, 24.com, Online Publishers Association, Design Indaba, Lightworks and Gauteng Film Commission.
Official suppliers are Sappi, Mango Airlines, Hetzner, Net#work BBDO, Six Million Dollar Media, Orchestra Blue, Sonovision Studios, Gallo Images, gloo design agency, Paygate, Ornico Group, Hibiscus Coast Municipality, Rocketseed, David Prior Photography, Newsclip, Lifesense Financial Services, Tempest Car Rental and Velocity Films. Event production partners are Gearhouse, H-Factor Event Agency, Wozani Africa, Leg Studios, Havaseat, LED Vision, juju, Wicked Pixels and Be PhatMotel.