This column isreserved fora regularcontribution byour ManagingDirector, KevinKennedy.Please feel freeto send him ane-mail on anyissues that youwould want himto address infuture editions.

Dear colleagues,

Welcome to 2010! The birth of thisnewsletter is as a consequence ofour quest for open communicationbetween all members of the Oasyscommunity. It is news about ourpeople for our people.

Last year was perhaps pretty toughfor many of us – including myself. It isnow one year since I have transferredfrom Cape Town but it still feels likeyesterday. The saying ‘when thegoing gets tough the tough get going’may perhaps be appropriate to manyof us. While change is not always

pleasant, I believe that we can todayreap the benefits of our collectiveefforts in 2009. Virtually the entiremanagement structure is still in placeas well as all the strategic staffmembers who play a pivotal role inour armour. Thank you for yoursupport!

As I am passionate about ourcustomers, a particular highlight to mepersonally was our mid-year customerevent. We truly showcased our totaloffering and it is pretty clear that wenow lead from the front for others tofollow. At that event we clearlydemonstrated the diversity of ourcompany as much more than a basicinfrastructure supplier. There Iwitnessed the intellectual capital andcreative talents that we have to offer.We have changed market perceptionsand internally we have mobilizedourselves towards our slogan:“Of course we can.”

But where do we go from here?Innovation, innovation and moreinnovation. We have to be innovativewith our customers, with pricingstrategies, with our inventories, withour marketing processes and create

additional value in our offering. Wehave to be creative with our budgetsand financial orientation, with theportfolios that we assign to colleaguesand distribute the workload so thateveryone can make a contributiontowards our collective success. Aboveall, we have to ensure that we havethe relevant talent in place tomaximize our performance. In thisregard we have done exceptionallywell during 2009 but as we know, theonly constant measurement forsuccessful companies is change.

At the end of 2010 I would like toreview the year with you with a greatmeasure of satisfaction, not only froma financial viewpoint but also jobsatisfaction. So please join me incelebrating our past performancesand in wishing the colleagues who willbe engaged in the World Cup 2010much success for the biggestshowcase in the world.

With kind regards

Kevin

Our MD speaks

World Aids day has been celebratedon 1 December since 1988, with themain objective of creating and raisingawareness and education about HIVand Aids. As a build-up to World AidsDay the Gauteng Department ofHealth and Social Development hostedan HIV and Aids exposition at MaryFitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johan-nesburg. We supplied infrastructure forthe event.

Carl Woodland says that a lot of effortwent into the preparations for the ex-position. “We supplied 1600m2 of fullycarpeted marquees, 50 shell schemestands as well as registration counters,electrical infrastructure and an assort-ment of furniture. We also built theframe work for the aids ribbon. We re-alise that we are part of a greater initi-ative to spread the word about HIV

and Aids, even if our involvement onlystretches as far as supplying infra-structure. It is a very important annualevent for South Africa and if everyonebecomes serious about it - includingthose doing the preparations - this willultimately lead to a more successfulmessage being sent out.”

Recent statistics confirmed that ourcountry now has more HIV infectedpeople and a higher annual Aids deathrate than any other country in theworld. The message for World AidsDay 2009 was ‘I am responsible, weare responsible, South Africa is takingresponsibility. A highlight of the daywas a keynote address by PresidentJacob Zuma at the Tshwane ShowGrounds, which was broadcast live atMary Fitzgerald Square.

Inside OasysA newsletter for customers, employees and opinion leaders. Prepared by Oasys Exhibitions, Events, Audio Visual, Hiring and Electrical January 2010

Dear colleagues,

A newsletter does not come intoexistence on its own. It is producedfrom the contributions made byemployees.

Please send us your articles and wewill arrange to have them edited whereand if necessary. Obviously, theyshould be of interest to the entireOasys community and can be eitherwork related or a personalachievement. However, thecommittee will decide whicharticles qualify for publication.

This edition of our newsletter will giveyou a good idea of the type of contentthat would qualify. So please supportus and let’s produce the bestnewsletter in our industry.

Kind regardsRia, Cheri-Lee and Tanya

Meet the editorial committee

In each issue of our newsletter we willreflect on a colleague’s flip side of life.In this edition we talk toPatrick Cronning.

Patrick is a technology teacher byprofession and studied at theJohannesburg College of Education.He taught at King Edward School forfour years and presented workshopsin a variety of modules – from wood-work to mechanical and electricalstudies. This was a good foundationfor a hands-on career in the exhibitionindustry. While teaching he dabbledprivately in exhibition work for Nike.That’s where he developed a passionfor the industry and joined Intona as

an account manager for three years inthe mid nineties. Patrick joined ShellSystems in 1998 – a company whichlater became Oasys Innovations. Hewas seconded to Siemens where,working in-house at Siemens inMidrand, he laid the foundation for thecurrent relationship between Oasysand Siemens.

“I believe that the adrenaline andcrisis management of our industrykeeps me on my toes and contributesto my level of job satisfaction” saysPatrick. He says that Oasys todayis a completely different companycompared to ten years ago and hasgrown from strength to strength.“Our local activities were a merestepping stone into the rest of Africaand as we look around us thecompany has become multi-nationalin many respects. As an employeeand a South African citizen I have agood feeling about positive develop-ments in the country that will furtherelevate our success in years to come”

Patrick likes to spend his spare timewith his wife Jenene who runs her

own business, his daughter aged 12and son who is nearly two years.He loves spending holidays with hisfamily at the coast, but plans for a visitto the United States in 2010 are fallingin place. His hobbies include workingon cars, watching action movies,cycling and the occasional round ofgolf.

“A wise man will makemore opportunities

than he finds.”Francis Bacon

Quote of the month

Five minutes withPatrick Cronning

The editorialcommittee spoke toour Chief ExecutiveBrian Kennedyabout the year thatlies ahead – withand without theWorld Cup.

“Considering the recessionary trendswe can all be very fortunate aboutthe formation of the GL OasysConsortium. Our delivery to theFootball Confederations Cup has setin place a solid platform for our futureperformance from a financial,workplace and corporate image pointof view. However, we still had to workhard to ensure that we can sustain oursuccess on the 2010 showcase offootball and have secured the overlaytender as well as everything that isconsidered a ‘temporary’ installation inand around all ten stadiums.”

Brian says that a contract was alsosigned with Match Hospitality for thecontent of the hospitality suites andthe villages. The Consortium will alsosupply 7000 Sony LCD screens.“Once the final whistle blows someof the equipment will be donated tocharity and some will be added toour own stock,” comments Brian.“Throughout 2009 and for the bestpart of 2010 we have been workingwith the International FootballFederation and their sponsors and willbe doing so for as long as is required.”

Through the GL Oasys Consortium, upto 500 people will be engaged in manydifferent assignments between nowand the end of the project. Brian allaysany fears of a shortage of stock for ourongoing operational business. “Duringthe past three years we have investednearly R100 million in stockrehabilitation and new inventories.At the time of the soccer festival,including a month or two before andafter this global event, the exhibitionand event industry will show a definitedecline thus drawing less stock thannormal for that time of the year.”

“As we have done our homework withstrategic forward planning, the WorldCup will have no adverse effects onour stock position. As a managementteam we have exercised great careand responsibility towards ourtraditional clients and will not let themdown,” says Brian. “It will be businessas usual as long as we all stayfocused on our respective portfolios.”

It’s businessas usual

After four months as Key AccountManager, the editorial committeeinvited Kirsten Striebe to commenton her impression of Oasys fromthe moment she came to work onher first day. Here’s what she hadto say…

First impressions last… It takes about8 seconds to form an opinion of anindividual, group or company, but cantake years to change that impression!

My first impressions of Oasysreminded me of New York, Londonand Paris! The vibe and hype atOasys can be compared to the BigApple. The ‘Oasys legacy’ makes methink about London. While buildingprofessional relationships with long

term clients, Oasys still maintains itsown unique history of more than thirtyyears. Lastly, Oasys can be likened toParis through the power and respectthat the industry has for the company.The Eifel Tower attracts globalattention because it is so expertlybuilt and Oasys has expertly plannedoperational capacities.

My impression is that Oasys isan accepted and well-knowninfrastructure giant, able tomeet deadlines that many of ourcompetitors would not be able tomeet. Oasys can successfullycomplete exhibitions and eventsprojects because it manages itsteams and activation companies sowell. The company offers practicalsolutions and operates effectively byusing all its resources and logisticelements.

Oasys stands proud to have officesthroughout South Africa and canmanage projects in remote areas orin busy cities. Oasys believes in thepower of effective communicationand is a ‘one-stop shop’ to its clients.

First impressions

The worldwide economic recessiontook many by surprise and companieswere suddenly forced to re-think theirbudgets and those things they spendmoney on. In order to thrive in boththe good and the bad times it isimportant to identify areas in thebusiness where savings can be made.

Cutting back on expenses is the mostobvious way of saving, however inorder to identify all possible savingsopportunities you must be creative.Saving can be applied not only totangible items such as stock andresources but saving on time andlabour can also save money. In someinstances saving can be tied in with‘greening’. By cutting back on the useof business resources such as paperand electricity it contributes towardssaving money as well as theenvironment.

Oasys Hiring, under the leadershipof Brian Lewis, has implemented acost-saving drive that involves utilisingstaff on a rotation basis instead ofusing sub-contractors. This approach

has lead to labour costs beingreduced by an average of R125 000.

The efforts of Oasys Hiring hasproven that we can all contributetowards cost-saving through takinginitiative and applying creativesolutions to savings. So, what isyour contribution?

Saving – we can all do it!!

Not too long ago people that showedtheir concern and appreciation forMother Nature were referred to as‘tree huggers’. But with growingconcerns about global warming,pollution and other threats to theenvironment, ‘greening’ has becomea popular term in all sectors ofcommerce and industry. As acompany we have decided to get onboard the green wagon and play ourpart in helping to save ourenvironment.

The first step was to attend theJohannesburg and Cape Town ‘EventGreening Forums’ organised by theexhibition and events industry. Herewe learnt important basics about‘greening’:

Reduce (Cut back on utilisingresources such as water andelectricity. Also limit use ofproducts that are harmful to theenvironment such as plastic,polystyrene, soda cans, etc).

Reuse (Try to reuse productsinstead of throwing them awayand give items you no longer useto someone in need).

Recycle (Find out about localrecycling programmes in yourneighbourhood and support theseprogrammes). Sort rubbish indifferent bins such as a bin forglass, a bin for plastic, a bin forpaper, etc).

After learning more about the basicprinciples behind ‘greening’ we decid-ed to put our heads together and dis-cuss how we can contribute towardsthis initiative. It is very important thatOasys starts making a change and bean example to our industry. A meetingwas held between all the Heads ofDepartments and it is a pleasure tonow share with you some of the ideasthat came from that meeting:

1) One of the items most used atOasys is paper. We can cut back onthe use of paper by using e-mail forcorrespondence and ‘filing’ items elec-tronically rather than printing themout.

2) Our company can save on fuel byoptimising our delivery vehicles andsending as many items as possible onone trip to a venue.

3) Electricity can be saved by usingwindows instead of air-conditioningwhere possible and by switching offthe lights and air-conditioner whenyou are the last person to leave aroom.

We all know the expression ‘Romewasn’t built in a day’. Likewise wecannot change our habits overnight,but by making small changes in oureveryday dealings at Oasys, we’llslowly start thinking and acting in adifferent way and in so doing, helpsave our environment.

In the coming months we’ll be puttingour ‘green drive’ into gear. We willgive you more information about thisproject as it unfolds.

Let’s be a ‘green’ company

We are members of the South AfricanAssociation for the ConventionIndustry and it is in our interest topublish regular contributions for ouremployees as the Association is veryimportant for our business interests.The Chairperson for the Associationis Nina Freysen-Pretorius and shewrote as follows:

“Our membership has grownremarkably over the last eighteenmonths which has ensured that weare truly representative of the entirebusiness tourism industry.

With this type of representation weare able to lobby on behalf of ourmembers with government and theindustry at large to ensure that ourcollective needs and expectations

are met. Our aim is to be the ‘onevoice’ of the business tourismindustry.

SAACI hosted a very successfulnational conference in Pretoria thisyear. The program content wasexceptionally good and it is felt thatall our members who attendedbenefited by their participation.The SAACI 2010 conferencearrangements are in full swing andour Association has secured twointernational speakers representingthe International Convention andConvention Association and theVienna Convention Centre.

SAACI has been lobbying withgovernment to set up a nationalconvention bureaux and bid fund thatwill allow South Africa to bid for futureinternational meetings. This is anextremely important initiative andone that will ensure we are able tocompete internationally with othercountries on a more even playingfield. The international trend is that thenew emerging countries, particularlythe Asian and Eastern markets, have

huge financial and governmentsupport to secures them internationalmeetings.

On an economic side of things, theFIFA world cup is most definitelygoing to be giving us the internationalmedia profile that will elevate ourcountry’s profile tremendously.  Weas the business tourism industry needto make sure that we fully support andgive our best prior to and during thisperiod.  Particular reference needs tobe made to Service Excellence andValue for Money to the end user.

The experience that our internationalguests have will in fact be themessage and image that is portrayedfor many years to come. Thesevisitors are going to be ourambassadors and we must make surethat their experience is a good one!”

SAACIreports

“With our system of dedicated singleaccount managers on each accountwe have the opportunity to developexcellence in client relations and haveto sustain a one-stop sales approachto all our clients. We will continue toidentify new unique selling points tofurther acquire new business and togrow existing business. The salesperson will conduct a consultativebehaviour and offer solutions thatmeet the client’s marketing objectivesand budgets. Therefore we will get toknow our clients as though we arepart of their businesses. We will alsoacknowledge the talent that we havein our branches and cascade nationalbusiness initiatives through thosecolleagues rather than attempting toperform remotely from head officeonly. That process in itself will drivea more consolidated and streamlinedsales and service culture.”

Craig also said that Oasys salesstaff need not reinvent the wheelbut should observe other salesorganizations in general. Challengesin the business environment areintense and we have to display apersistent ability to:

‘Hit the numbers’.

Display measures of ‘speedto the market’.

Align ourselves withchanging markets.

Meet all requirements ofcustomer procurementprogrammes.

Be aligned with our companystrategy.

Be well informed aboutcustomer innovation initiatives.

Embrace new channels toimportant target markets.

Adopt and implement newsupply chain technologies.

Plan for success – a proactivedriven behaviour rather thanbeing reactive towardscustomer requests.

Introduce succession planningfor the purpose of job rotationby sharing strategic customerinformation with others.

Have the right attitude byunderstanding the customer’sinput and be mindful of thecustomer’s interests and thatof our company.

Ask the right questions, probeand listen taking care withwording, content, scope andsequencing. Know the powerof silence and use this as anopportunity to get moreinformation.

Always summarise the keyissues on the same day as themeeting and copy the client forinformation. That is howpartnerships are built.

Retain and grow existingaccounts.

Become the preferred supplier– not only through the Oasysoffering but through who andwhat you reflect on as aperson.

Price for profit - Oasys is aprofessional organization andcustomers who get value formoney are ready to reward us.

Understand cost implicationsand manage for profitability –especially long termprofitability.

Every customer looks forsomething different. Meet thechallenge and develop adifferentiation strategy.

About the customer

Customers wish to focuson their core competence.

Customers are looking forsuppliers who have anin-depth understanding oftheir business, a clearunderstanding of theirbusiness drivers, and theability to create innovativebusiness solutions that havea positive impact on thosebusiness drivers.

About the supplier

Suppliers must communicateand quantify the valuedelivered by their businesssolutions in a way that iscredible and accepted bythe customer.

Oasys excellence

Excellence is driven by apioneering spirit.

Excellence is impatient withthose who seek safety andcomfort.

Excellence acknowledgesthat the sky is the limit.

Excellence has heroes theytry to emulate. Who do you?

The committee spoke to CraigAndrew on our sales directionand orientation.

Our first ever Oasys family day whichwas held at MTN Expo Centre onSaturday 16 January was a greatsuccess. It rained around the venuebut with all the fun that both thechildren and parents had we kept dryexcept for a few drops here and there.

Around 560 employees and theirfamilies feasted on great food at themany stalls. From candy floss andhamburgers to chicken wraps andpancakes. The children had a lot offun on the carousel, pony rides,

jumping castles, clowns on stilts,mechanized bull riding, bungeejumping trampoline, soccer pitchand tattoo airbrushing which wasalso to the delight of the parents.

But what did the parents and childrenhave to say?

Bernard Moloantho, Oasys Electrical:“Please, we must do this next yearas well”

Asif Kahn Oasys Procurement: “Thisis very good and the youngsters reallyenjoy it but more Halaal please”

Jeremiaj Dami, Oasys Electrical:”A wonderful day. Thanks to themanagement”

Bongani Maloi (child): “I like it verymuch. I want to work for Oasys”

Bafana Nkosi, Oasys Events: “This isreally special and shows the companycares for us”

Tanya Roosenschoon (wife): “It’s justgreat! This should have happenedyears ago”

It was an informal event whichallowed colleagues and their familiesto mix and just to have a good time.Our CEO Brian Kennedy thankedeveryone for their attendance andhard work in 2009 and said that heis very positive about the futurebeing surrounded by so many happyemployees and their families. Hepresented vouchers to Frans Fouche

for his suggestion for a name for thecompany newsletter (Inside Oasys)and to Carl Woodland for his winningentry in the newsletter photographiccompetition. A new company-wideinitiative was launched titled “Star ofthe month” and the winner for theperiod November/December wasSinet Mathebula, who also receiveda voucher for special performanceand for going the proverbial extra mileduring the Nedbank Golf Challenge.Our HR Manager Petros Myenineeded no microphone or loud hailer

when he read the names of 180 staffmembers who received certificates forfive years service and more.

Brian extended a big vote of thanksand appreciation to the organizingcommittee consisting of ShareenDriver, Leon Brummer, BrandonJardine, Monique Placido andMarcelle Vermeulen and to brotherKevin Kennedy for having initiated theevent. .

For the second year in a row we havesupported the Goodwood Rotary Clubby donating a sum of money andtaking part in the club’s annualfundraising golf day. The funds raisedon the day was donated to theMuscular Dystrophy Foundation(MDF).

Muscular dystrophy causesprogressive muscle weakness and

deterioration. There are more than 70types of muscular dystrophy and thecondition affects 1 out of 1200 peoplein South Africa.

The role of the Foundation, which wasfounded in 1974, is to supportresearch projects for the condition aswell as to create public awarenessthrough its website and the MuscularDystrophy magazine. The Foundation

also offers emotional support to thoseaffected by the illness. Thanks to allstaff members who made acontribution directly and indirectly tothis worthy cause.

Our Cape Town colleagues support charity golf day

We were one of the proud sponsors ofthe fourth annual Avis ‘Wow & Wag’doggie fashion show which recentlytook place at Montecasino. The showinvolved the ‘catwalk’ being convertedto a ‘dogwalk’ and dogs were seenwearing the latest couture dreamedup by celebrity designers.

Craig Browning says, “Oasyssponsored equipment to the valueof R80 000, which included a ramp,sound and lighting equipment andvideo screens. We have beeninvolved with Wow & Wag since the

very first show. Animal charities alsoneed support in order to survive andwe take pride in the part we play inmaking a difference to the lives ofhumans and animals alike.”

Each year an animal welfareorganisation is chosen which thenbenefits from Wow & Wag, not justthrough the funds raised, but alsothrough media exposure andincreased awareness. This yearwe selected ACSA’s Bird StrikeAvoidance Project.

Each dog was dressed in a specialevening wear outfit designed bydoggie couture designer Angie Kempof Doggie Hillfigher. Some dogs thatparticipated were show dogs thatTracy Cox from Animal Talk arrangedwhile other dogs were the celebrities’own pets.

We add bark to the bite

1. What are the main criteria for aprofessional stand design?

Visual impact and visualcommunication. A professional andimpactful representation of your clientthrough graphics and/or productdisplay with the use of light, colourand texture.

2. What are you trying toaccomplish in stand design?

To successfully display orcommunicate the client’s needs andgoals within the boundaries provided.

3. How can you stretch anexhibition budget through design?

Not everything has to be expensive –creative thinking resolves manybudget related issues. Well designedsimplistic concepts often work thebest.

4. What matters to a target audi-ence when visiting the client’sstand?

Visual impact often plays a big role,yet most visitors want to hear or seesomething new that relates to theirindustry.

5. What message do you want yourclient visitors to get in the firstthree second?

“We’ve arrived”

6. What do you want visitors toremember after visiting yourclient’s stand?

From a client perspective: You goonto a show with a certain goal. If theclient leaves your stand educated andinformed with regards to that specificinformation – goal achieved.

From a design point of view:…everything about it!

7. What balance should there bebetween visual and textcommunication?

Text communication should beapplied as visual as possible. Peopleseldom read long text messages.

8. When designing, how do youmaximize your space utilization?

Unfortunately clients often play a largerole in this area. Try to educate yourclient as much as possible when itcomes to displaying, especiallyproducts. Less is often more. I trulybelieve mastering simplistic designconcepts come with experience.

9. From where do you source youdesign ideas?

Design is very universal. Any shapeor colour could be the catalyst to amasterpiece.

Under the microscope with Henry Jacobs

For several months we have seenmany new faces at our RobertshamHead Office. We thereforeannounce the names of thesecolleagues. As people come andgo with different assignmentson the World Cup project wewill announce them at regularintervals. We have certainlybecome a multi-nationalorganization.

On behalf of the Oasys familywelcome to the following members:

- Arnaud Montet- Augustin Coste

- Brad Bodsworth- Camille Bajot- Cedric Fournier- Chloé Ouvrier-Buffet- Chris Iddon- Danny Samu- Edward Parsons- Etienne Benit- Fabien Mayer- Gregory Nadot- Guillaume Bonnet- Gunar Steinert- John Donovan- Jonathan Coles- Julien Davayat- Kate Stanley- Lauren Mallet-Veale- Lizzy Herron

- Lloyd Phillips- Luca Cattaneo- Mandy Lowe- Marine Cauet- Matt Clark- Maxime Rosenwald- Michelle Bajot- Neal Giddings- Olivia Mushamba- Paul Minchin- Pierre-Jean Vignand- Richard Parmentier- Ronald Whammond- Stephen Brady- Tamsin Stedall- Theresa Da Costa- Xavier Becker

Our colleagues in Cape Townworked with undivided attention tolive up to the stringent internationalrequirements of the 2010 FIFA draw.Graham Jeffery was the “face” to thecustomer but confirms that without theJoburg team under the leadership ofAndrew Gibbs the mountain to climbwould have been sky high.

The entire CTICC was used for theFIFA draw plus two floors of anadjacent building. Oasys CapeTown supplied all the furniture for theaccreditation centre, SAPS marquee,draw halls, dressing rooms, crewcatering zone, the marshalling yardOutside Broadcast Centre, the LOC,

OC and FIFA offices, as well asMATCH IT work stations. The build-up/ load-in took 18 days, while the strikeand load-out took only two and a halfdays! Always a sad sight for anyexhibition builder. The entire staffcompliment of 70 people of OasysCape Town  as well as an additionalcasual compliment of 25 staff workedon the project.

Graham says that the team placed4000 chairs in the draw hall for VIPguests and furnished dressing roomsfor show presenters including CharlizeTheron, Johnny Clegg, Carol Manana,Jerome Valcke and Seb Blatter. Mer-chandise sales booths were built and

commercial display pavilions wereprepared for some of the worldsponsors to FIFA, including MTN andCoca Cola. In addition we providedsufficient office and workstation spacefor more than 1000 press delegates touse as a media centre.

This awesome project clearlydemonstrated that throughprofessional cooperation betweenOasys Johannesburg and an Oasysteam anywhere in the world we cando it together!

What a draw!

Governments appoint ambassadors inother countries to represent the homecountry on a political, economic andsocial front. This may be in Argentina,Germany, Botswana or Sweden.

These people are carefully chosen toconduct themselves in a manner thatwill make both the home country and

the host country proud to have themas representatives and as a linkbetween the two countries.

Similarly, employees are carefullychosen to represent the companyboth internally amongst colleaguesand externally with customers.

However, there are certaincharacteristics that each personneeds to observe and to embrace asa way of life. Quality of language,knowledge about the company and

the person’s own portfolio or workassignments, presentation at eventswhere you represent the company,social graces, personal image, dresscode and much more. For example,dress as the customer does, be polite,talk sense, be knowledgeable yethumble and conduct yourself in amanner that will be returned withrespect. In the end, it is not only abouthow you reflect on your employer, butyou as an individual and the imagethat you portray.

The Ambassador

Nedbank Golf Challenge 2009We have provided hospitalitymarquees and infrastructure for theNedbank Golf Challenge (NGC).Account Executive and editorialcommittee member Cheri-LeeLamprecht and Oasys CorporateMarketing Designer Lauren Santowskireports on Nedbank Golf Challenge2009 – our thirteenth year partneringwith Sun International to host thisevent.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge whichtook place from 3 – 6 December 2009was once again a fun filled success.Clients who attended the VIPHospitality and Challenge ClubMarquees had an absolute blast!We received many compliments onthe marquee décor and some clientseven commented that it was the bestOasys Hospitality facility at NGC yet.

Over the years the NGC tournamenthas become increasingly popularand is one of the highlights on theinternational golfing calendar.

Preparations for this event started inOctober 2009. Many thanks to oursuppliers as well as the Oasys teamfor all your hard work and support.

Following the announcement of anew newsletter for Oasys employeesan internal competition was heldmotivating staff to recommendnames for the newsletter. FransFouche suggested “Inside Oasys”and received a cheque for R1000for his creative effort. In additionFrans will be receiving R1000 todonate to his charity of choice.Well done Frans!

The committee also extends a hugevote of thanks to all the suggestionsthat were received from around thecountry. Your enthusiastic support isgreatly appreciated.

Newsletter competition winner

Brian Prowling reports on Durbanoffice activities during December.

We built the Souk Fair at the DurbanExhibition Centre. This is one of thelargest consumer Trade Fairs inKwazulu-Natal. The 10-day showstarted on 25 December and wasvery successful even though theweather wasn’t playing along…

Furthermore we were also asked tobuild the Kizo Heritage Arts Festivalat the Gateway Mall in time for theDecember holidays. Holiday makersand residents in the area were able toenjoy the art showcase while taking abreak from shopping.

With 2010 now in full swing we areexcitedly gearing up for all theprojects we plan to tackle this year.

News from our Durban office

Carl Woodland’s oldest son Daneand his ‘snappy’ friends.  Carl tookhis family on a trip to Zambia inDecember, where a friend breedscrocodiles as part of a conservationinitiative. Dane thought they wouldbe great company at bath time.

competitionPhotographic

Inside Oasys

As a company, we have beenmembers of the Exhibition andEvent Association (EXSA) for manyyears. In 2008 Brian Kennedy wasthe Chairman of the Associationand Carl Woodland is still theChairman for the Supplier’s Forum.

Sue Gannon, acting general managerfor EXSA reports: “EXSA continues torepresent the exhibition industry withinevery sphere from venues, toexhibition and event organisers,suppliers and visitors to the variousevents. And 2010 sees an importantmilestone reached with EXSAcelebrating its 30th birthday! EXSA iscontinually re-evaluating itscommitment and communication withits members, and improving thetechnological capabilities at the EXSAoffice. It’s founding objective, whichremains today, is to sustain theinterests of EXSA members,exhibitors and visitors.

Whilst 2009 saw a year whichpresented significant challenges forthe South African and global economyin general and the exhibition industryin particular, the growing internationalrecession showed that manycompanies began to re-evaluate theirmarketing budgets, which had animpact on all business.

However, whilst attendance atexhibitions dropped slightly during thecourse of 2009, international andlocally based research has indicatedthat key corporate and governmentdecision makers still view exhibitionsand events as critical to their businesssuccess. The best way to reach onestarget audience is through one-on-oneinteraction – at an exhibition!

South Africa is of course in a uniqueposition to embark on one of the mostsignificant marketing endeavoursduring this year. 2010 is now finallyhere! The date has attained asomewhat mythical status for manySouth Africans since the bid to hostthe World Cup was accepted severalyears ago. We now stand on thethreshold of an unparalleled chance toachieve success during the course ofthis year, as well as strengthening ourposition on the world stage. EXSAmembers will be an integral part ofthis exciting World Cup soccer event –including, of course, OasysInnovations!

In 2008 ‘Events’ were added to theEXSA fold and ‘Memorable Events’was added to the EXSA awardsportfolio in 2009. This newcompetition is open to both membersand non-members and the entriesreceived were judged by a panel of12 experts from a wide range offields, all of whom areacquainted with themarketing value of a successfulevent. EXSA firmly believes“events” will form an intrinsic part ofthe Association moving forward intothe next decade.

I wish to re-iterate some of the mainobjectives of EXSA: To increase thesignificance of exhibitions and eventswithin the marketing mix; to satisfythe needs of an increasing number ofvisitors to exhibitions; and to promote

and grow the exhibition and eventindustry within South Africa.EXSA is proud to have Oasys as oneof their Patron Members and looksforward to working closely together inthe years ahead!”

EXSA celebrates 30 years

After eighteen months of serving as adomestic departure hall at the CapeTown airport, our marquee was takenback into stock. This was a temporary

facility until completion of the newpermanent building which compareswell with the best in the world. Duringthis period there was much stress

when our marquee had to withstandgale force winds typical for the CapePeninsula. However, after a bit ofrepair work all is well that ends well.

All is well that ends well

Dm PieterseS Van Der SpekA MkhizeM MkhizeMm PlacidoN EastShareen DriverFrank MulhongoMzwandile NtombelaJohannes MohlalaPetrus PodileWelcome M ChoncoHenry MqombotiPetrus MokwanaAlbert NjotiThomas GaselaMandla XuluSiphiwe MbeleA MsibiDumisane SibuyiMandla Sibiya

M PakkiesJm MabuzaJonathan MayburyHenry JacobsAgrippa NgwenyaJoseph SitholeGill GibbsBenedict SitholeErick NtuliLeon BrummerStephen NongGerhard RoosenschoonDebra XabaAnna SithebeCraig AndrewTennyson MudauAp NonambaneDanie GerberDavid MinneMw MhlahloWilliam Parkin

Beulah HenningMdlungu MziwonkePatrick MadikaneJustice JiholoD MiyekeFreddy NkunaE MasekoL MokgatlanyaneLinda CoetzeeMs MolelkoaElias TsotetsiBM MakhethaOO MotaungSM MatlouE MakhethaPaulus MoloiVernie NaidooElias MphephuWiseman DyasiSD ZuluElias Ngobeni

Solly KheswaDaniel DhlaminiC AndrewL FojisaA MookeV HlungwaniM ZikhaliF MasingeM GqoithisoE MorenaFP MosiaLK KhozaFS VilaneSV TlouammaSolly HlungwaniSinet MathebulaCinky MatomeM NobandaJP Nase

Long service certificates5-9 years of service

Adri PentzCarmen BaartmanLittleman KgosanaAnna LennoxRaymond PattersonLawrence BezuidenhoutPetrus MphutiPhillip Nkosinathi MfuphiL NtuliVictor MagodiGeorge MhlongoBeauty SeeteJohanna MokwanaLetta SoyizwaphiSylvia HlabaneA GibbsBenedictah MlamboMagdaline MookiElliot LibisiEunice Mudau

Siyabinga MabasoCarl WoodlandMoses SandleniFWG FeldbergFrancois FoucheFrans RapolayiRobert ManqeleRoger LuthuliNeil FeltonMarius WagenaarPatrick SikotaMonde MacingwanaDuncan PretoriusKevin Cuthbert HughesJoshua LetsoalaOupa NkomoLevy NhlangwiniChris MgengquezanaJustice KhumaloBen Nhlangwini

Chris ManyikeMorris NsibanyoniAlfred NtuliShadrack ShibambuBetwell SinekoPrecious MtamzeliWilly MarediMaxwell ManganyiBazner SityoshwanaRaymond MbeleJack MaphangaJeremiah DaniAgnes GalaweniElias MhkasibeGodfrey KuneneEndrick NkunaIsmael MadauJackson MagwezaMA SobekwaPonki Mgedezi

Given NomeyaRebecca LetshitwiFaith NkosiKevin KennedyM CockroftBrian KennedyP CronningL RamudzuliTP SeefaneJune MkhanziS MthenganyaMN GuleRX TonjeniW KumiraRM ZwaneJM TlouammaAP MorenaRaymond Patterson

10-14 years of service

Stafford SmithThomas NdengezaPetros Maphosa

Dumisane NtombelaFanie NhlapoEdwin Mosese

AS QuecoFM Modiba

NC ZimbaSM Macuacue

15-19 years of service

Mike RadebeM Zungu

Phineas NematomboniLaurie Parker

Josef NdlovuElizabeth Mudau

AK MaqinaJ Ndlovu

20-24 years of service

Josef Madonsela Peter Le Roux E Mchwangi

25-29 years of service

E X C E L L E N C E

Many of our clients who organizeexhibitions and events are membersof The Public Relations Institute ofSouthern Africa (PRISA). It isimportant for us as Oasys employeesto move a little closer to that industryand to know what they are about.

The Institute represents professionalsin public relations and communicationmanagement throughout the southernAfrican region. It is a foundingmember of the Global Alliance forPublic Relations & CommunicationManagement (GA) and initiated theformation of the Council forCommunication Management (CCM)in South Africa. The Council is theco-ordinating body representingvarious groupings of professionalsin South Africa.

The industry is defined as theconsulting companies and theprofession encompasses allpractitioners – consultants,academics, government andcorporate communicationpractitioners.

Representation, lobbying andrecognitionLocally the institute plays a leadingrole in uniting professionals and driv-ing transformation. It represents andpositions its members at variousforums, including the 2010Communication Partnership, theServices Seta, chambers ofcommerce, Marketing, Advertisingand Communication Charter

committee and other industry bodies.It ensures that the profession ispositioned at Business Unity SA andNedlac through the Services Seta’sBusiness Coalition SA.

Globally, PRISA has a highreputation for professionalism andits practitioners are recognizedthrough the Global Alliance’s 60national association membership.It has led the task team on globalprofessional credentials since 2006.

In South Africa the profession isgaining recognition among businessleaders for the impact it delivers onthe bottom line. Government hasalso recognised the professional’scontribution to effectivecommunication by upgradingthe public relations andcommunication managementposts within its departments tochief director level.

Professional development andprofessional designationsPRISA has developed a careerpath, leading to the internationallyrecognized Accredited Practitioner(APR) designation. It supports thisthrough providing continuingprofessional developmentopportunities for its registeredpractitioners and students.

Practitioners are awardedprofessional designations of APR*,CPRP* and PRP* when registeredwith the institute – those not qualifying

for these may register at an associateor affiliate level and progress towardsthe professional designations.

Ethics and standardsThe PRISA code of ethics andprofessional standards set the tonefor professional behaviour and theconsulting management standards forconsulting companies will be launchedin 2010.

Recognition and awardsThrough PRISA’s PRISM awards,best practice in public relations isrecognised. Apart from creativity,emphasis is on the research andevaluation component of theprogrammes/campaigns submitted.

ChallengesKey focus areas for the future includeethical practice, the link betweensustainable development and publicrelations and communication, thepromotion of professionalcredentials/designations andrecognition of accreditation andthe encouragement of creativity andinnovation.

* APR Accredited Public Relations Practitioner* CPRP Chartered Public Relations Practitioner* PRP Public Relations Practitioner

News from PRISA

Staff NewsWe wish Yudeshni Mahomed from theOasys Durban production departmentwell. She is expecting her first baby –due any day now!

At the Oasys Johannesburg branchwe want to congratulate the followingpeople:

Lerato Molele (Client ServiceLiaison – Oasys Exhibitions) gotmarried in December.

Leonardo Tommassini (AccountExecutive – Oasys Exhibitions) andLauren Santowski (CorporateMarketing Designer – Oasys

Innovations) got engaged over theholiday period.

Nicole East (Key Account Manager –Oasys Exhibitions) and MaralizeWilkins (Oasys Payroll) are bothexpecting their first babies. Boththese babies are due early July.

Gerard Roosenschoon (Estimator –Oasys Exhibitions) and his wifeTanya are expecting their secondlittle girl on 29 March. Big sisterQuinette is absolutely thrilled that shewill have a sister to play with soon.

In today’s work environment manyoffices are open-plan or shared withmore than one person. According toa recent survey it was found that40 % of office workers polled hadconsidered changing jobs becauseof a colleague’s irritating habits. Youmay not think that you are drivingyour colleagues round the bend, butthe study found that many everydayhabits may irritate other colleagues.How bad can it get? Well, if you’veever had to contend with a colleague’slengthy and loud personal phone callwhile you were trying to make animportant business phone call, youwill know how important it is to beconsiderate in the office environment.We have compiled a list of tips to helpyou steer clear of becoming the‘open-plan office pest’.

Be considerate

Don’t swear at yourcomputer. This disruptsthe concentration of thosesharing the office withyou and if one of yourcolleagues happens to be

busy with a business call when youdo this, it will reflect badly on thecompany.

Consider others whenplaying a radio inthe office andkeep it to a lowvolume. Alsoremember that notall people enjoy thesame kinds of music.

Don’t continuouslyask your colleagueshow to spell words.All computersnowadays havea spell checkingfunction.

Talking orsinging toyourself inthe officeenvironmentis verydisruptive.

When you are stressed do notassume that all your colleaguesare stressed as well. Likewisewhen you are not very busy it is notgood manners to make small talk

with fellow colleagues who may bebusy or trying to meet a deadline.

When the printer runs out of paperwhile you are printing a document,make sure that you replace the pa-per so other colleagues can print.

Kitchen & eating

If your officehas a commu-nal kitchen,leave it clean-er than youfound it.If you use thelast water inthe kettle,refill it. Thecommunal

kitchen should not be used as adining room.

When eating atyour desk, tryavoidingsmelly andmessy foods.What smells goodto you may beunbearable tosomeone else and it is nogood trying to work with greasyfingers.

Telephones and cell phones

Try to take yourpersonal calls

outside of theoffice. Talking loudly

on your cell phone af-fect your colleagues’ability to concentrate on

their work.

Don’t listen to your voicemailmessages on speaker phone.This can be very disruptive.

Don’t interrupt others’ worktelephone conversations by at-tempting to make suggestions re-garding the conversation they arehaving.

E-mails / Web

Don’t use the company’s internetfor browsingthat is notwork-related.

Limit or avoidreceivingpersonale-mails on your office e-mailaddress. Most companies won’tmind if a family member or friendsends you a short message.However if you spend more timereading personal emails than atwork than actually working andreceive countless large e-mailswith pretty pictures and funnyvideo clips, you are wastingcompany time and resources.

When sending a work-relatede-mail it is essential that yourspelling and grammar is correct,otherwise it reflects badly on thecompany – especially if the e-mailis sent to a client or supplier.

Avoid using short words such as‘U’ instead of ‘You’, ‘Plz’ insteadof ‘please’, etc. This may beappropriate for communicatingwith your friends through instantmessaging, but it is not acceptablein the business environment.

Don’t use e-mail as an ‘easy’ wayto deal with problems. It can bevery tempting to voice yourfrustrations in an e-mail, but thiscan lead to misunderstandingsbecause e-mails can bemisinterpreted. Rather pickup the phone or engage inface-to-face conversation.

You may have been surprised bysome of the content in this article andmay even have discovered that youhave some habits that should ratherbe avoided. Maybe you nodded yourhead in agreement while readingthis article, because you haveexperienced the poor office etiquetteof a colleague. A lot of time is spent atthe office and through being a littlemore considerate of those around youa lot of unwanted negative feelingsand situations can be avoided.

Unspoken office rules

‘IYKWIMAITYD’‘If You Know What I Mean

And I Think You Do’

Shareen Driver, our project managerfor Soccerex 2009, says that theshow proved that the organiser’sdecision to nominate Oasys againas main contractor after one yearabsence in 2008 was a huge vote ofconfidence.

“We were ‘Simply the Best’ in everyrespect. From the basic shell schemeinfrastructure to the 23 design andcustom exhibition stands we built notonly for the main organizer,  but forsome of  the sales teams base aswell.

There was one underlying reasonwhy we were – and still are – thebest. A huge vote of thanks goes tomy supporting team from keyaccounts Leon Brummer, Brad Hookand Pontsho Mohlohlo as well as thedesign team, headed up by Mary-LeeMichell,  together with  Letisha duToit, Lethabo Moroka and RahkeeGanda.

As a supplier of note we can have thebest materials with which to build in-frastructure and design stands, but atthe end of the day we’re in the peoplebusiness. Thanks guys!  With you Ican climb Kilimanjaro.”

Simply the best!