Gale force winds and storms in Jozi and Cape Town couldn't keep them away, as the annual Loerie circus flew into Margate Friday night/Saturday morning. By 10am, Saturday, 28 July 2007, the Margate beachfront was pumping with branded and blinged-out advertising folk, another species compared to the local population who have rolled out the welcome mats – more slick year on year. And this is despite having had to contend with a beached whale earlier this week, a swim ban due to the hundreds of sharks feeding on said whale, high winds which resulted in the awards tent being evacuated Friday night during rehearsals, and an awards results leak scandal which could cause Loerie MD Andrew Human to go grey prematurely.
The town was pretty quiet Friday evening as storms delayed flights from other major centres, but blue skies and bright sunlight brought the brave out in baggies and T-shirts, although a chill wind caused the poor promo girls decked out in varying stages of undress, clutching sponsor flags and other branded stuff, to shiver around and about.
The music pumping from the beachfront kept the vibe up as the festivities went from breakfast at the Mugg & Bean – de rigueur for announcing your arrival at the Loeries in Margate and showing off your latest T-shirt with meaningful message (‘101% Boer'; ‘Frankie The Dealer') – to the pre-teen Miss Margate on the beachfront and the invite-only Velocity pool party.
While the wind threatened to blow away all the sponsor signage blanketing the town, gas heaters for the beach festivities this evening were being carted away, dented in the gale last night and the Mugg & Bean was being ‘mugged' by brands - Bizcommunity.com got in there first Saturday morning, taking over a centre table, Bizcomm crew all decked out in our branded red gear, red carpets and taking ‘Mugg shots'.
While the wind threatened to blow away all the sponsor signage blanketing the town, gas heaters for the beach festivities this evening were being carted away, dented in the gale last night and the Mugg & Bean was being ‘mugged' by brands - Bizcommunity.com got in there first Saturday morning, taking over a centre table, Bizcomm crew all decked out in our branded red gear, red carpets and taking ‘Mugg shots'.
A strong police presence attempted to keep a watching brief on anyone getting too out of hand, although there were boos when they persisted in trying to pinpoint the identity of the full frontal flasher who waved his “abundant” equipment around (description courtesy of an impressed Bizcomm sales rep) from a balcony at the Margate Sands.
Local musical ‘talent' entertained on the stage, while sponsor banners threatened to take off.
Louise Marsland is editor and editorial director of Bizcommunity.com, Africa’s leading provider of daily media, marketing, and advertising news and information. She is also the South African joint-coordinator and founder of the Trade, Association, Business Publication International (TABPI) Editor’s Chapter. She has recently also been appointed to head up the Magazine Publishers’ Association of South Africa (MPASA) Business-to-business Media Sub-committee. A journalist with 21 years’ experience, Marsland started in daily newspapers in South Africa in the 1980s and has specialised in media strategy and B2B and online media in the last decade, editing and launching publications in the main in the marketing and FMCG retail market, both print and online. She recently researched the sustainability of the B2B media sector for her Masters in Commerce degree: Strategy & Organisational Dynamics, through the Leadership Centre of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is currently researching a book in her field and develops training programmes in the B2B media sector; and marketing communications arena in knowledge management from a media perspective. Contact her on: editor@bizcommunity.com.
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Louise Marsland is editor and editorial director of Bizcommunity.com, Africa’s leading provider of daily media, marketing, and advertising news and information. She is also the South African joint-coordinator and founder of the Trade, Association, Business Publication International (TABPI) Editor’s Chapter. She has recently also been appointed to head up the Magazine Publishers’ Association of South Africa (MPASA) Business-to-business Media Sub-committee. A journalist with 21 years’ experience, Marsland started in daily newspapers in South Africa in the 1980s and has specialised in media strategy and B2B and online media in the last decade, editing and launching publications in the main in the marketing and FMCG retail market, both print and online. She recently researched the sustainability of the B2B media sector for her Masters in Commerce degree: Strategy & Organisational Dynamics, through the Leadership Centre of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is currently researching a book in her field and develops training programmes in the B2B media sector; and marketing communications arena in knowledge management from a media perspective. Contact her on: 
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