A look back at our online client events during 2021
We had hoped that 2021 would mean we could go back to our in-person events, but sadly it was not to be. Despite this, we still managed to host some fantastic online events that were topical, inspirational, informative, entertaining, and most importantly, relevant to the times we are living in.
We kicked off the year with Mandy Wiener, who enthralled us with tales from her book The Whistleblowers, where she spoke about the people who have courageously come forward to expose corruption and wrongdoing.
As it became glaringly apparent that face-to-face events were unlikely, we organised the first of two quiz nights for the year, hosted by Lynda Smith and Frank Davis. The quiz nights provided some light relief and a chance for clients to connect. Donations after each quiz night were made to African Food for Thought and Vulpro, respectively.
Kim Potgieter’s new book Midlife Money Makeover was launched at the beginning of May. Kim firmly believes her book is a reality due to the wisdom, insight and lessons that clients have taught her over the years. To celebrate, we hosted an event where Kim was in conversation with Maya Fisher-French discussing what it takes to live purposefully. We realised the importance of self-care while navigating life in a pandemic, so we hosted a Women’s Wellness event where Image Consultant Wendy Hind and Makeup Artist Holly Petersen shared some tips and tricks on looking and feeling great.
Kevin Lings joined us in June and presented us with a global and local economic overview. In the throes of yet another lockdown, we planned to host events that would provide some light relief and allow us all to have a bit of fun. Sean Brokensha, The Music Guru, took us on a musical
journey that traced the evolution and revolution of music in our country and how the sound of the new South Africa was born. TV presenter, author and safari guide James Hendry delighted and entertained us by sharing the story of humanity’s tumultuous relationship with wilderness
during his presentation, Plugged into the Wild.
We will always remember July 2021 as a tumultuous one in our country’s history. We all felt rattled by the events taking place. In order to try and make sense of what was happening, we hosted an event with thought leader and renowned scientist Prof. Anthony Turton, who shared his reflections on our young democracy, with particular attention to understanding the complexities of the events that took place in July.
In August we celebrated Women’s Day with Nikki Bush, who gave us tips and valuable insights on how to bloom through disruptive times. During this month, we also hosted Director of NinetyOne, Jeremy Gardiner, who shared his invaluable insight into the impact that the disruptions were likely to have on our investments, our economy, and the country we live in and love.
We kicked off Spring with an event hosted by Dr Karin Lourens, Nicci Wright and Richard Pierce, highlighting the plight of the world’s most trafficked mammal, the pangolin. This was followed by a session with Ida Doyer, a sensory integration occupational therapist, who took us on an enlightening journey around our response to the environment around us through the seven senses.
Renowned political commentator Justice Malala was our guest speaker in October, and his insights into the political landscape of South Africa and the elections were sobering. Given the events of the past year, we have realised what a necessary skill resilience is, so we decided to end October off by hosting endurance athlete, author and brain cancer survivor, Richard Wright who inspired us with his story of endurance, passion, heartbreak and triumph of the human spirit over crippling adversity.
Evita Bezuidenhout entertained us at our final event of the year – Evita Adapts and Does Not Dye.
Thank you to all clients who joined us at these events. We look forward to hosting a combination of in-person and hybrid events in 2022.
