On Saturday 16 November 2019, clients from the travel and conferencing industry spent the day at Spier to experience firsthand the wide range of exciting conferencing activities on offer.
The morning kicked off with the ultimate destress activity: a muscle release, stretch, breathing and meditation class – leaving guests ready to take on the day. During a delicious breakfast, energetic attendees vigorously blended their own smoothies on a smoothie bike (a firm pre-conference favourite).
Then it was time to explore the farm! Some guests went gliding among our certified organic pastures and vineyards on a Segway tour, while others pedalled (using Qhubeka bikes) to the Tree-preneurs nursery. Here they learnt about this project, which teaches people from disadvantaged communities how to look after seedlings in exchange for much-needed livelihood support such as food vouchers and clothing. Since it launched a decade ago, Tree-preneurs have grown almost a million trees!
At the Spier Craft Market, clients got creative – under the guidance of friendly artisans, they were able to make something special to take home. They also explored the range of custom conference stationery these talented crafters can make – including lanyards and conference bags.
Lunch was a delicious farm-inspired picnic with wine on our shady Werf where we also treated clients to neck and shoulder massages and the chance to make their own mosaic. Jenni Jones of Pie Management had a vegetarian picnic. “The presentation [and] the food combinations in the picnic were really good accompanied by the delicious wine and a neck and should massage. How lucky were we,” she said.
For a number of attendees, Spier Conference for Good – our commitment to sustainability and positively impacting people and the planet – was inspiring. This ethos not only informs several conferencing activities (such as Tree-preneur visits) but also is woven through every element of our conferencing offering. A pithy afternoon talk shared a few sustainability facts: for example, we recycle 100% of our wastewater and over 98% of our solid waste. 156 solar panels on our Conference Centre’s roof offsets roughly 40% of the Centre's annual power usage.
“I loved the Tree-preneur opportunity and feel I will be able to find clients to get involved in this and help make a difference as a team build,” added Jones. “We will do our best to help Spier with its plan of making a difference.”
When thanking us for a “fantastic day”, Nahdia Rodgers of Giltedge Incentives said: “I am very intrigued by the sustainability projects at Spier. Moving forward this is definitely something I will highlight with my colleagues and clients.”
“You are so much more than just a venue,” said Zelda Coetzee. “Your #ConferenceForGood journey is inspiring.”
The afternoon’s activities included a self-guided walking tour of the farm and a wine blending workshop. It concluded with a relaxing dinner at Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery where clients got a taste of its famous low-and-slow roasted meats and veg.
Fun on the farm: more client love
“It was a lovely function! We loved it and hope to be sending more bookings your way!” said Daniele Keese from Tourism That Cares. Jenny-Lee Smit, also from the same company, added: “[W]e do believe Spier will be a great fit in our Incentive, groups and FIT quotes… it really fits any client profile.”
“We really enjoyed all the activities you had on offer for us,” shared Deidrè Cloete of Conferences Et Al. “It was super to have the opportunity to experience what we can sell to clients and it was great to be treated by Spier.”
Ebba Ahlberg, Propel Africa, said: “Thank you so much for a lovely day. It was fantastic to see the premises again and a beautiful event.”
“Thank you for the great event on Saturday. It was great fun and so well organised! We really enjoyed it!” said Terra Nova’s Maren Reichel.
“Thank you SO much for an amazing experience this weekend. It was such a treat to experience Spier as a guest and to spend time with your awesome team,” said Angela Beukes of XL Millennium.