Speakers

14-15 June 2007 Printing courtesy of Cape Town

SHINING UP OUR INDUSTRY● BACKPACKER & ADVENTURE CONFERENCE 2007●THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL

SpeakersAfter graduating from Rhodes University in 1985, with a degree in Physical

Education & German and doing his 2 years obligatory stint in the army, Steve cycle

toured extensively with his wife, Di, across the U.S.A and thereafter across Europe

with their 6-month old son in tow. He returned to South Africa in 1992 and set up

Day Trippers, a small cycle touring company, operating from home and beginning

with an old VW combi and 6 bicycles. The business has steadily grown over the

years into one of the leading adventure touring companies in the Western Cape with

7 busses, 5 custom made bicycle trailers and over 200 bicycles in their fleet.

Notoriously laid-back Steve is at the helm (with his wife, the proverbial muscle

behind the man). His promise is “We don’t just get you high… we raise your

consciousness!”

Gary started his career at Wits University before joining Manchester United in

1977 and less than a year later he became their number one goalkeeper, playing

373 competitive matches and winning 2 FA cup medals. He played for England

from 1978 to 1986, winning 17 U-21 caps, 2 B caps and 2 full caps, and was part

of the 1986 world cup squad that made the quarter finals in Mexico. After retiring

from professional football at the young age of 28, he returned to South Africa to

play for Kaizer Chiefs for 2 years during which time the team won 5 trophies. Gary

currently works at Supersport where he continues his passion for football by

anchoring all the soccer shows. He has a BSc in Physics and an MBA from

Henley in Oxford and was one of South Africa’s soccer ambassadors for the world

cup bid.

Steven Thomas

Gary Bailey

Uno de WaalUno de Waal is a social media consultant, geek, entrepreneur, electo-listening

person. Since an early age Uno has been involved with the internet in some way

and it has finally born fruits with his current passion – social networking, new

media and innovative uses of the web. His expertise is in seeing how business

can leverage the internet using social media and other networking effects that

have been made possible around the new direction the internet has taken

(generally termed Wen2.0). While studying a BA (Value and Policy studies) at

Stellenbosch University Uno became interested in the way that social networks

connect people and their similar interests. He moved on to delve himself in the

world of Web2.0 applications and has become one of the most respected youth

opinions in the South African blogosphere on topics around the relevance of

Web2.0 to business and other aspects of the internet. He is also a keen mountain

biker and drinks his coffee black with one sugar. His blog, resume and other

interesting bits about him on www.unodewaal.com

http://www.unodewaal.com/



Speakers

Cany Bugler

Pat Collier

Toni ShinaLee’s partner and childhood friend, is also passionate about the environment,

sustainable and ethical tourism. Toni is also very committed to uplifting the

underprivileged and is a keen fundraiser. Moola Magic is her bright idea and

also one of the conference conveners.

Pat Collier has two passions in her life – her family and her work ! She and

husband, Eric, moved to Cape Town in 1998 when Eric accepted the position of

Senior Lecturer at the Cape Town Hotel School. Their sons, no surprise, are

both in hotels in England. Pat, a THETA accredited assessor for the Tourism

Grading Council, was excited to join the pilot team to formulate minimum

requirements and criteria for the Backpacker & Hostelling sector. “The

Backpack, Cape Town was the first to be awarded 4 stars and this year – like

“Nothando,” Plett – achieved a 5 star grading! Pat arrived in S.Africa in 1971

after gaining extensive experience in 5 star hotels in England. She joined the

Southern Sun “Elangeni” intending to enjoy a 6 month working holiday.

Influenced by the charisma of Sol Kerzner, she accepted the position of C.R.O.

Manager for Southern Sun. Until 1980 she was also closely involved in the

introduction of S.A’s first package holidays and the opening of several Southern

Sun hotels, the last being Sun City. Pat, a THETA accredited Assessor & Trainer

and has her own Hospitality Management consultancy covering in-house training

and quality assurance reports. “I don’t view this as a job, it is a way of life and

there is nothing more rewarding than being part of this “people pleasing people

business”

Cany Bugler has been in the tourism industry since 1988. With a strong prior

background in the administration sector, she started up and managed her own

company, Which Way Adventures, a specialist adventure tour operating

business, offering river rafting and overland safaris. After the sale of the

company, Cany took up a contract in Kenya to assist with the development of

two overland adventure companies (2 years), as well as being contracted to

handle the international marketing for a South Africa based, adventure

company, WildLife Adventures, which she fulfilled for 4 years. Having started a

quad biking operation in 2001, which operated fairly low key up to her return to

South Africa, in 2003, Cany and her husband, Anton, pursued their new

company Tri Active Events Management, a national tour operator and events

management company with a wide portfolio of services in the MICE market as

well as services for the leisure traveller – tours, excursions, adventure activities.

Their new tented lodge, conference and adventure centre situated in the Elgin

Valley has just been launched and is already very busy with team building,

conferencing and social events.



Speakers

Gareth Haysom

Robin Thomson

Dave Martin

Gareth Haysom’s original training was in the hospitality industry and he

subsequently went on to advise both government and the private sector. Current

active projects focus heavily on emerging businesses, entrepreneurship &

sustainability and include work in partnership with the Sustainability Institute,

managing research and formulation of initiatives to support Integrated and

Sustainable Human Settlements within South Africa as well as a project, in

partnership with Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, focussed on assisting the

Tourism Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Charter Council in

anticipation of the role out of BBBEE within the tourism industry. Gareth also

works as a FTTSA assessor (he played an active role in Spier’s application for

FTT status) and is currently completing an MPhil in Sustainable Development

with Stellenbosch University, where he presents a module on Sustainability.

Robin studied Mechanical Engineering at UCT, and started off his working life

underground on the gold mines of South Africa. He progressed to oil and gas

exploration from 1989 to 2003, working in many countries from Papua New

Guinea in the East to Mauritania in West Africa. He returned to South Africa in

1994 to start The Green Elephant Backpackers , aiming to make it African,

memorable and environmentally sustainable. The Green Elephant Backpackers

uses solar water heating, grey water toilets, pool water recycling and has solid

waste recycling programs. He retired from the oil industry in 2003 to study an

MBA at UCT. His Research Report was a Case Study on What Cape Town

should do to reach its target of having 10% of houses with solar water heaters by

2010. After his MBA, Robin started Sunpower Solar Water heating. Sunpower

promotes, sells and installs solar water heaters. He is a committee member of

the newly formed Solar Water Heating Division of Sustainable Energy Society of

Southern Africa (SESSA)

Dave was born in Cape Town. While studying at UCT he got involved with

SHAWCO (a student-run community development organisation) and was active

in the townships around Cape Town for 5 years. He then backpacked from

Cape Town through Africa for 18 months until he reached the UK where he

worked as an IT consultant for 2 years. After backpacking for another year or so

around South America, China and Oz, he returned home to SA and started

Bulungula Lodge. Bulungula aims to be a model for using tourism in sustainable

rural development. The lodge is eco-friendly and the local community has a

40% share in the business. The lodge (Fair Trade accredited) has also assisted

the community in starting and running a dozen small businesses including:

horse-riding, guided canoeing, fishing, herbalist forest tours, Woman Power

tours (a day in the life of a local woman), a local restaurant, cultural tours, bee-

keeping, a vegetable seedling nursery and a vegetable farm to supply the lodge

restaurant with fresh veggies.



SpeakersDi Thomas

Lisa Mason

Dave Malherbe

Di Thomas, along with her husband Steve, is the owner & General

Manager of Day Trippers - an alternative tour company, specializing in

biking & hiking tours, corporate events and Day Trips for the young and

young-at-heart. She has been Tripping since 1992 and is still on a High,

loving her job and passionate about her hobby, mountain biking and

about the Tourism Community Development Trust, of which she is a

founder and to which she devotes the remainder of her spare time. Di is

also one of the convenors of this conference.

Lisa Mason is a partner in one of the first backpacker lodges in Cape

Town, Ashanti Lodge, which opened in 1993. It has since expanded to

include 2 more guest houses and a travel centre with no plans on

stopping there. Born in the UK but schooled both in South Africa and

London, Lisa worked for major international finance houses in London

where she gained invaluable experience in commercial and financial

matters. Whilst travelling extensively around the world she gained first

hand knowledge of the tourism industry which allowed her the

opportunity to be a founding member of BSA as well as the Tourism

Community Development Trust. This has enabled her to contribute to

the development of tourism in South Africa in a more meaningful

manner. Lisa is one of the convenors of this conference.

Dave has been the chairman of BSA EXCO for a number of years and

dedicates a great deal of time, energy and passion to the association.

He is also a veteran Springbok surfer, part-owner of Coffee Shack

Backpackers and husband of Belinda.

Lolla MeyerLolla Meyer is the BSA National Cooridnator and has been working for BSA

full-time since August 2005 and part-time since 2001.Her Job in a nutshell –

Lolla does almost EVERYTHING! Main responsibilities: International and

Local Trade Show and Conference Coordinator, BSA National Cooridnator,

Membership, Moola Magic and Exco duties. She has been working in the

tourism industry since 2001 and has backpacked through most of Europe,

Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Southern Africa! She

obtained a BA Language degree at UCT, studied in Germany, France and

Switzerland. Before working for BSA she lived and worked in Switzerland

running a little hotel in the Alps after her stint as PR and Marketing

Assistant at South African Tourism in London. Of all the destinations,

South Africa is still her favourite place!

Travel

Speakers