"Cherish times like these. They are very special and the opportunity for guides to compete for themselves does not come around very often. Make this a week to remember and one that you can look back on in years to come as a very special time where knowledge was shared and bonds were formed. Just be you." Mike Karantonis, Co-Owner at Africa Direct and founder of Safari Guide of the Year.
Without these sponsors, this event would not have taken place. David Batzofin from Travel&Things got to ask all the sponsors the same set of questions… In no particular order, these are the responses…
Ruggedwear®
Ruggedwear® was born out of the need to create employment for women in the Lowveld and a need to manufacture uniforms for the safari hospitality industry in the Lowveld. Employing South Africans and creating functional durable garments of the best quality was and remains integral to our company vision.
How long have you been involved in SGOTY?
This is our first year and I feel extremely honoured and privileged to be involved with the 10th SGOTY event. Sadly last year was postponed which would have been our first event.
Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
Ruggedwear® has been associated with FGASA as one of their retail partners for a while now and when the opportunity arose to be a sponsor of this premier event in the industry, we just could not say no. Michelle and her team at FGASA are working so hard to lift the standards in the industry and to encourage excellence and professionalism, something which we as Ruggedwear® felt comfortable aligning ourselves with. It also provides us with an opportunity to give something back to an industry that has been severely hurt during this pandemic.
What will you be sponsoring?
Ruggedwear® will be dressing all the finalists, the judges and the media contingency in our new and exciting men’s and ladies’ ranges. We will also have the honour of dressing the presenter, Lauren Arthur. In addition to the apparel, we will also be sponsoring cash prizes for winners of 3 of the individual categories.
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
We wish them well and look forward to meeting the industry’s BEST.
Wild Earth
WildEarth was founded in 2006 by Emily and Graham Wallington. The vision was to create a LIVE wildlife channel that simultaneously broadcast on the Internet and TV. The principle involved taking the LIVE community-driven elements of a wildlife webcam and the high production values of a presenter-led TV series and getting them working together at Djuma Game Reserve in South Africa. Broadcasting began on the 27th of April 2007. Since the beginning of the global pandemic, the percentage of WildEarth’s South African audience has jumped from 5% to 65% due to lockdown. They now have five times more audience in South Africa than in the US with up to 3 million viewers per month. WildEarth is now a 24/7 TV channel on DSTV (channel 183) and many platforms worldwide.
How will you be involved in SGOTY 2021?
WildEarth will be creating the media event for SGOTY 2021. In the past SGOTY has not been able to create any awareness due to its lack of media partners. WildEarth believes it is a very important event for South Africa and wildlife and tourism as a whole and wants to create awareness for this around the country and the rest of the world. WildEarth will be creating the SGOTY media event and will broadcast this LIVE on 1st July at 6.30 pm on its channel in South Africa and around the world.
Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
WildEarth is about connecting people with nature and that is what a good safari guide does. Professional safari guides are extremely important to achieving this mission and therefore we believe that the men and women who have dedicated their lives to this should be celebrated.
Why do you feel that both the guiding industry as a whole and safari guests have to be made aware of this event?
It’s very important to have a professional and knowledgeable guide because this is the difference between a connection with nature or not. If the guest is to have a memorable experience such that they start to fall in love with nature, this will hopefully encourage them to preserve it. The guide that takes them on safari can make or break this experience. The people who dedicate their lives to nature and tourism and making sure guests have this experience need to be made aware of in the industry.
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
You are all winners to have got this far. You should be incredibly proud of the fact that you have flown this country’s flag high and enabled so many people from all over the world an opportunity to connect with nature.
Sapmok
I always wanted to start my own outdoor brand so Sapmok was born (Sapmok is Kompas written backwards) Sapmok sold its first pair of shoes in February 2015
How long have you been involved in SGOTY?
We have been involved with SGOTY since 2019
Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
I believe guides are today’s wildlife heroes and we at Sapmok like to sponsor guides in general, so what is a better platform than SGOTY?
What will you be sponsoring?
We’re sponsoring all guides, judges and some guests each a pair of our vellies.
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
Be Dangerous.
Drifters
Drifters was established in 1983, pioneering the overland safari industry, with tours throughout Southern Africa. We then also simultaneously developed quite a few eco-tourism lodges within the regions. We then also opened two speciality outdoor equipment stores.
How long have you been involved in SGOTY?
I am one of the founder members of FGASA and was chairman for many years, and was very active in professionalising the industry. So yes, I have been involved since FGASA’s inception.
Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
Drifters have always supported FGASA and this is an extension of that support. We believe that guides need standards to aspire to for the good of the industry and their own esteem.
What will you be sponsoring?
We are sponsoring a voucher from our Drifters shop to the value of R5000
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
In a crazy Covid world it is hard at the moment to stay focused and to see the light in this industry, but never forget to keep striving for the highest level that you can achieve.
RacknRoad
RacknRoad was started by passionate sportsmen, adventurers, and travellers to provide active people and families with transport solutions. The winning combination of world-class, award-winning products supplied and fitted by experienced and knowledgeable staff is what sets us apart from our competition.
This is the first year that you are involved in SGOTY. Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event? The outdoor recreation industry in South Africa employs 1 out of 10 people and is 370 billion rands strong. It is this significant even though only 10% of our population are active in the outdoors. Research supports that facilitated exposure to nature and wildlife leads to lifelong participation and appreciation of the long list of benefits nature contributes to well being and personal growth. We believe that the field guide plays a pivotal role in this facilitation process, and excellence should be celebrated and promoted. They are, in our view, the unsung heroes in the outdoor recreation industry!
What will you be sponsoring?
We will be sponsoring each finalist a Thule backpack that will help to protect their books, notes, and electronic devices while active in the outdoors.
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
Our sponsorship is a small token of appreciation for the great work our field guides do daily! Unlocking the socio-economic potential of the outdoor recreation industry starts with facilitated experiences in nature by FGASA trained guides.
Essentology
Roughly 10 years ago it was nearly impossible to find a chemical-free sunscreen. Being fair-skinned and fed up, I decided to make my own. I was also fascinated by the healing properties of the cannabis /hemp plant and was obsessed with researching the plant’s natural abilities to create homeostasis within our bodies, be it internal or as a topical. This led to a natural progression in developing more products using only essential ingredients that actually work and benefit my customers and me. All-natural, all organic, all eco-friendly and all made with love!
This is the first year that you are involved in SGOTY. Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
This event celebrates African and its wonders. Essentology wants to protect and share our experience with those who bring us closer to it through our healing products. We only source ingredients from the continent and salute the people on the ground for their hard work to conserve our environment and animals. We are all about practicality, whether it be in our day to day lives or the products we use. Those who are constantly exposed to the harsh African sun for hours on end need products that work fast and efficiently.
What will you be sponsoring?
We have put together a skin survival kit for the contestants, crew, media and staff.
For the long days in the sun, we have supplied all-natural mineral sunscreen that forms a physical barrier on your skin that deflects harmful UVA & UVB rays. With 150mg full-spectrum CBD oil, Essentology’s sunscreen repairs your skin of blemishes, sunspots and acts as an anti-inflammatory. It also acts as an anti-ageing moisturiser suitable for daily use on sensitive skin types.
And then there is our famous Skin Repair Balm. Be it a cut from a Doringboom that is infected, an inflamed sprained ankle or a mosquito bite that is unbearably itchy, Essentologys Skin repair Balm is invaluable! Consisting of 13 of nature’s finest kinds of butter, oils and waxes sourced from Africa, we have developed a balm to help repair the skin to its natural state. With 300mg full-extract CBD oil you will not find a better all-purpose topical.
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
Stay conscientious about the environment, be yourself, be calm, and enjoy the experience.
Accident Angels
Public hospitals in our country have been a popular topic for years, and not for the right reasons. With this said, there are almost 800 accidents daily on our roads and CEO Trevor Case realised that if you are in an accident, going to a private hospital is your best chance of survival. The only seventeen% of South Africans are covered by medical aid leaving the rest of the population vulnerable should an accident occur. Accident Angels was created to give people who cannot afford medical aid control in an uncontrollable situation.
This is the first year that you are involved in SGOTY. Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
We are so excited to be part of Safari Guide of the Year 2021 Awards.
I think during the pandemic, more than ever, we realised that supporting everything local is important, also that our country is in a state of economic shock and safaris are a big drawcard for travellers/foreigners. Aligning with SGOTY is our way of supporting guides to be their best and attract much-needed capital in our country. Giving tourists an experience that will keep them coming back for years to come is the outcome we are working towards.
What will you be sponsoring?
We’re sponsoring a R30k cash prize.
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
Focus on valuable storytelling skills and make sure your knowledge is better than your opponents! Personality and creating a great atmosphere goes a long way. Good luck and always stay passionate about what you do.
Canon
This is the first year that you are involved in SGOTY. Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
Canon as a brand has been associated with wildlife photography and conservation for many years, going back to those old NatGeo magazines in the ’70s and through our conservation partner status with WWF in the 2000s. This just seemed to be the right time to start getting actively involved with the tourism aspect of wildlife photography in SA and through this competition and event, become linked to the top safari guides in SA.
What will you be sponsoring?
We will be contributing not one but two prizes, both in the form of vouchers that can be redeemed for Canon equipment. A grand prize of a Canon voucher worth R20 000 and a R5000 voucher for the photography category.
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
I don’t want to reveal any of the secrets behind our judging process, but they need to think about light, behaviour and probably more about the photographer, than photography itself.
Kruger2Canyon newspaper
Kruger2Canyon is a community paper published for the last 18 years based in Hoedspruit – arguably the safari epicentre of South Africa. We cover the whole Kruger to Canyons Biosphere and we like to promote tourism, nature, the biosphere, businesses and the communities in the area. We took over in April 2021 and the new editorial team hope to extend our reach far and wide within the biosphere itself.
How long have you been involved in SGOTY?
We have been following the event for some years now, and as the publication features nature, wildlife and the people that operate within that sphere, we are happy to be involved as a sponsor and a “press” addition to the backend staff of the competition in 2021
Why have you chosen to align your brand with this event?
As the competition is about guiding, with finalists from the area, and as Hoedspruit is really the hub serving the vast number of lodges and reserves in its immediate surroundings, it is a natural alignment for us. We look forward to running features of the finalists and the competition to enable our readers to see the value that both FGASA and the guides bring to the nature/wildlife/safari industry as a whole – something that I believe is often overlooked.
What will you be sponsoring?
We will be sponsoring the Story Telling Category with a monetary prize and some books.
Any words of encouragement for the contestants?
I would say that above all they should go out to enjoy the experience, to learn from it and to appreciate the fact that they, and the other finalists, are all participating because of their achievements and dedication to their field of expertise. It’s not only about winning but participating to the best of one’s abilities.
Our location sponsor NJ MORE Field Guide College is gearing up to host the upcoming Safari Guide of the Year Competition …. The college delivers life-enriching nature experiences whilst training students to become exceptional guides!
Wild Earth
Wild Earth
