Leading local exhibition organisers RX Africa saw their Decorex Africa portfolio scoop three coveted awards in three categories.
RX Africa won Best PR Campaign for Decorex Africa, Best Consumer and Trade Exhibition under 6 000 squaremetres for Decorex Cape Town and Best Consumer and Trade Exhibition over 6000 square meters for Decorex Joburg.
"We're elated," says portfolio director Sandra Barrow, "but also humbled and inspired to push even harder to make 2024's shows in Cape Town and Joburg even more impactful for our exhibitors, trade guests and members of the public."
The 'Roar' in
Roar Awards is a handy acronym for:
- R — Respect
- O — Opportunities
- A — Achievements, and
- R — Recognition.
According to AAXO, the
Roar Awards are "aimed at acknowledging and recognising excellence in exhibition organisation".
Decorex Africa says the awards "provide organisers with a platform to showcase their event, positioning the exhibition as an award-winning event and allowing for further growth opportunities". All entries were judged on their successful exhibition strategy incorporating:
- marketing
- public relations, and
- operations and activation.
Decorex Africa's standout PR campaign for both of its shows last year was managed on behalf of the portfolio by Scout PR & Social Media.
Agency director Lauren Shantall says, "We congratulate the Decorex team on successfully revisioning their shows and being recognised for such. We're thankful to have had the opportunity to represent them in the traditional and non-traditional media space, and we're grateful to AAXO for the acknowledgement."
The AAXO Best PR Campaign award category is designed to recognise the most innovative and effective public relations campaign implemented by an AAXO member for an event. The winning campaign needed to have successfully generated significant media coverage and buzz — ultimately contributing to the success of the event, says Decorex Africa.
The
Best PR Campaign was judged on a number of criteria, including:
- creativity and innovation
- media impact
- audience reach
- measurable results
- budget management
- team collaboration
- ethics, and
- integrity.
Scout PR & Social Media demonstrated impressive year-on-year results, showing a 35.4% increase in media coverage and generating an AVE of over R81-million. The earned social media coverage generated increased by 126.7% compared to 2022.
The theme for Decorex 2023 was 'Reimagined', and that is exactly how the show organisers approached both the organisation of the show and the media campaign around it, says Decorex Africa.
The Decorex Africa team wanted to showcase the events as more than just trade shows but as an industry platform and pushed the boundaries beyond the walls of the exhibition halls.
According to Decorex Africa, the first-ever Cape Town Decor and Design Week and Joburg Decor and Design Week were introduced into the mix. Also for the first time, 100% Design Africa and Design Joburg were collocated in one hall, uniting an industry and providing a one-stop decor and design powerhouse under the banner of better:
- celebrating the industry
- promoting the exhibitors, and
- exciting and attracting new visitors.
Decorex Joburg, 100% Design Africa and Design Joburg ran simultaneously, each retaining its own powerful and distinct identity, Decorex Africa says.
All around them, South Africa and Africa's top designers, retailers and creatives joined forces for a city-wide celebration of creativity, inspiration and insight, which was Joburg Decor and Design Week. The collocated shows made for the biggest design and decor event on the African continent, adds Decorex Africa.
Decorex Africa concludes that the PR campaign worked exceptionally well to highlight the many unique ways in which the Decorex Africa portfolio events and the exhibitors on display were embracing out-of-the-box innovations and bringing world-class decor and design to South Africa.