The South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) celebrated its 50th Anniversary Convention & property Exhibition in style at the Sandton Convention Centre from 21-23 June, bringing together the most influential national and international property professionals. The organisation also celebrated 50 years of serving the commercial property industry.
“This anniversary milestone highlights the staying power and success of our industry body,” says Jane Padayachee, marketing manager of SAPOA, who adds that the convention was used as a platform for redefining the organisation, as well as acknowledging the membership that has ensured its ongoing success.
The convention accommodated close on 1 300 delegates and included a main plenary session and conference featuring high-level industry pundits who shared their opinions, expertise, and knowledge, other smaller meetings, and an exhibition.
The three-day event culminated in a gala dinner which served to recognise various areas of the property industry, including the presentation of two much-anticipated awards, the SAPOA Property Journalism Awards for Excellence and the SAPOA Property Development Awards for Innovative Excellence.
This year, SAPOA also introduced the Lifetime Achievement Awards for Excellence to honour and celebrate exceptional contributions made by an individual. The inaugural award was presented to Growthpoint Properties’ CEO, Norbert Sasse.
“The exhibition showcased outstanding contributions from world-class owners, developers and built environment professionals who create more smart and beautiful buildings every year that significantly enhance the industry,” adds Padayachee.
She says the quality of the service and facilities at the SCC during the convention was excellent, as a range of venues were needed for the different events, as well as catering for coffee breaks, lunches and dinner. “We decided to bring the 50th anniversary convention to Gauteng – and everything went very well. We had positive feedback from many of our delegates, visitors, and exhibitors on the success of the convention.”
A highlight of the convention was the presentation – and eating – of a gigantic 50th anniversary cake created by SCC’s able catering team.
The convention was organised by Scatterlings Conference & Events, and Charlene Jansen, Head: Operations, thanked the SCC team following the event, “for all the assistance onsite and during the pre-planning, and for always going out of your way to provide a professional service – such as the cake and a gluten-free meal. The team work was amazing! We enjoyed working with you and hope to work together in the near future.”
Debra de Sousa, Sandton Convention Centre’s Operations Manager, says the SCC team was delighted to accommodate an event of such high calibre, representing an important sector of the South African economy, and they pulled out all the stops.
“The SCC team worked hard together to make sure that SAPOA was well planned and executed, and that the conference, dinner, and all the ancillary events were a resounding success.”
