Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year 2006 Awards

The Event: Held in Johannesburg, on the 4th of April 2007, the Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year 2006 Awards recognised and rewarded South African ICT journalists for the 6th consecutive year. Conceptualised, planned and executed by The Event Company for five years running now, this event is definitely a highlight for us on our annual event calendar.

The event has grown from strength to strength since its inception and is now considered the award to aspire to amongst ICT journalists in South Africa. It has proved itself as unbiased and fair - as a true reflection of the great ICT journalism being produced in this country.

Designed and conceptualised as an intimate and exclusive event, the event has remained true to its vision and is only attended by a select group of invited guests. Testament to its success, the judges had 213 entries from 95 entrants to review this year - an astounding 64% increase on last year.

This year saw the launch of a new signature event logo and 'look and feel', which will be used to brand the event in future years. The event is certainly now an entrenched, and expected, annual feature in the ICT calendar and will continue to reward the ICT journalist community for years to come!

The Logistics: An exciting project for The Event Company Team, this event requires a truly integrated approach to conceptualisation, planning and execution on three levels:

1.Management of the event involves the coordination of invitations and the RSVP process, technical facilities, theme décor, entertainment and hospitality.

2.Management of the Judging requires that we coordinate the Call for Entries, collect all submitted entries, categorise the entries and coordinate the judging process.

3.Management of the event branding has meant that we have conceptualised and executed a signature event logo and 'look and feel' which we carried across the implementation of all event interventions including electronic invitations, press releases, the event website, event décor, menus, certificates and awards, and post event communication. In addition, this year we conceptualised and implemented a marketing campaign to support the event which included the design of TV and print ads.

Driving the execution of the event through these three pillars has ensured that we have delivered an event which is consistent in its professionalism, its messaging and its reputation - an event which continues to best itself year on year.

The Rewards: Aside from the challenge of managing an event on a thoroughly holistic level, the true reward for us is two fold:

Firstly, we find great reward in the relationship we have built with our client over the years of our involvement with them and their event. It is a relationship built on trust, and one that works well, resulting in an event which runs professionally and smoothly every year.

Secondly, an enormous sense of satisfaction is gained through the knowledge that this is an inspirational event and one that gives recognition that its audience aspires to. Recognition given to a journalist through the Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year Award impacts their career in a very meaningful way.

This sense of achievement, and the knowledge that we are a part of an event which makes a difference, makes this event a greatly rewarding project for us to be a part of every year!