May Newsletter

MORE NEW MEMBERS!
After a very positive Indaba/SATOA drive this month we anticipate welcoming many new members over the coming weeks.

Our first Indaba welcome is to :- Lungisa Hooper of Safrica Tours - Overseas member www.safricatourism.com We look forward to working with you Lungisa and hope you enjoyed the SATOA Indaba Breakfast.

Also a warm welcome to Tony Flynn - Discover Africa - overseas member www.discoverafrica.ie..

Committee and Chairperson nominations - AGM 9th July 2007

After 4 years of dedication, Alison Whitfield will be stepping down as Chair of the Association. We welcome volunteers that would like to stand for this position and emphasise that it is a voluntary role which requires knowledge, enthusiasm and a small amount of time, which ultimately will benefit our industry, the association and your organisation as a whole.

SATOA would also welcome any SATOA member wishing to stand for the committee and offer your expertise and support. There are endless opportunities for SATOA and with the drive and support of an active committee we can achieve substantial and rewarding results !! Interested parties are welcome and should contact ailsa@satoa.com Let's be pro-active !!!

We shall be sending out invitations for the AGM and forms for nominations in the near future.

Revised Date Confirmation - Travel Agent Workshop HEMEL HEMPSTEAD (St Albans) 25th July 2007
We are now running the Hemel Hempstead workshop on 25th July to replace the Norwich workshop..

We still have ' non presenting exhibitor' places available at £200 + vat or we can offer you 'brochure distribution/presence'. The brochure presence is outstanding value at £75 + vat and we ask that you have your brochures sent to either the SATOA office or directly to the venue. Please contact info@satoa.com to book this service and for further information.

INDABA BREAKFAST- a huge success We welcomed over 75 members, prospective members and press/media to our second annual Indaba breakfast. Whilst I apologise that I did not get to speak to you all individually, I have received very positive feedback and feel the event was a resounding success. Our thanks to Frommers travel guides for the i-pod which was won by Ian Thomson of Talking Travel - Africa (see picture right) and backpacks for assistance with brochure transportation! Thank you also to The Royal (Three Cities Hotels), KWV and The South African Shop (UK) for hosting and sponsorship of the goody bags.

SATOA BOOKING ENQUIRY FORM We have now launched the online booking enquiry form on the 'homepage' of the SATOA website. This form can be completed by travel agents and direct clients and when submitted, will generate an enquiry direct to our members e-mail inbox. The email body will be blank, however, the pdf attachment will be a black and white copy of the completed webform. It is then up to you, as members, to address the enquiry according to the product you offer and as you see fit.

As with anything technical there is always a trial period and whilst I am not a computer programmer, I do appreciate the time, knowledge and effort that is required to ensure new systems run smoothly. Please bear with us during the initial stages and contact us if your feel there are any glaringly obvious hitches when receiving the form. We hope to have rectified the duplicate test pages you all received at the outset and thank you for your support - ultimately, I am sure you will agree, this will be another feather in the SATOA cap and generate interest in not only the website but your organisations as individuals.

Simone, Chris and James Simone would like to say a huge thank you to all at SATOA for the flowers they received. James is a delightful baby and has settled effortlessly into family life.

OUR NEXT EVENT

Satoa's AGM is nearly upon us. we are hoping to confirm that this will be held at South Africa House, Trafalgar Square, London

(venue approval is pending)

AGM

GUEST SPEAKER

Rupert Millington

Worldwide Head of Innovation - Aegis PLC

An opportunity not to be missed - Rupert is one of the leading Marketing development strategists in the country and has worked with companies as diverse as The British Government, Coca Cola and Unilever on brand invention. 'Google' him and you will see he spoke in 2003 at the Scottish Tourism Innovation Day and was one of the main contributors to a bestselling book ' Sticky Wisdom - how to start a creative revolution at work'.

!!!! please note the date is now !!!!

9th JULY 2007

3.30pm

Please put the date in your diary to ensure that you have your say in the association and do not miss the guest speaker.

Invitations to follow .......

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them."

Benjamin Jowett

Ian Thomson - Talking Travel Africa - Frommers i-pod winner Indaba breakfast.