Allan Gray Makers is a South African initiative funded by Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Endowment. This admirable initiative provides transferable entrepreneurial skills and support to youth who are technically or vocationally talented but don’t have the facilities to grow.
The programme aims to create a new narrative of entrepreneurship. It focuses on how technically talented entrepreneurs can play a more active role in reducing poverty, by accelerating the creation of meaningful employment opportunities in South Africa. One of the objectives at Allan Gray Makers is to ignite a pipeline of technical entrepreneurial talent through their event.
The Event
The Allan Gray Makers Fest sought to capitalise on the growing trend for local, handmade, goods. In this way, the Allan Gray Makers Fest could inspire, connect and celebrate all artisanal entrepreneurs. The theme of this year’s Fest was to connect entrepreneurs in the technical and vocational space, to their peers and industry experts. At its core, the event focussed on inspiring youth and exposing them to opportunities and innovation in the industry. Additionally, it celebrated Maker talent, highlighting entrepreneurs who shine in the technical trades industry.
The event was fortunate enough to secure some of South Africa’s most influential speakers in Finance. As they took the stage, they addressed some of the most persistent economic problems in the country.
The spokespeople included former ministers Trevor Manuel and Nhlanhla Nene, who brought economic problems such as unemployment, inequality, exclusion and other social issues to light. Funda Wande, a non-profit organisation in Cape Town also shared what they are doing to help equip young minds. They believe that the ability to read for meaning and excel at maths, will empower youth to contribute to our economy in a positive way.
Flock’s Involvement
Firstly, we want to commend Allan Gray Makers for bringing people together, and thank them for partnering with us to make it happen. Throughout the course of the event we saw one common theme – a hunger to impact lives, businesses, and industries.
The Flock Team stepped in to offer Allan Gray Makers SMS invitations that were sent to all guests and provided easy access to all event info. Compared to email invitations, SMS invitations could be accessed by all guests on their mobile devices, with or without internet connectivity.
Flock’s team also set up a landing page for guests to register, read more about the event, and view both the programme and the directions to get to the venue. To ensure the event ran smoothly, the Flock team was available and onsite for two days at the venue to assist with registrations, managing a total of 277 registrations. It’s this kind of comprehensive service that sets Flock apart from competitors. This, and the post-event report we provide so you can look into metrics like registrations with attendees.
Flock Can Help
Are you looking for an effective and efficient digital solution for your next event? Book a demo today so we can start the conversation – we would love to work with you.