FusionDesign has been appointed to design and develop the exhibition stand for Hylton Ross Exclusive Touring at the 2008 Tourism Indaba that will be held this year in May in Durban. Carmen Lerm, CEO of FusionDesign commented that:"It is always a challenge to come up with a fresh new idea that attracts the crowd, whilst selling in a meaningful way what Hylton Ross stands for: Connecting dreams to destinations!".
Indaba 2007 exceeded all expectations with over 12000 attending this South African tourism showcase. Hylton Ross are as synonymous with Indaba as they are with tourism in the Western Cape and the reputation they have as the most trusted tour operator is something they embrace in everything they do.
Planning for the event began in January in consultation with brand design agency FusionDesign. A partnership shared for over four years now. “The theme was a combined effort and the way we prefer to work on these kinds of projects so that the client has complete buy-in to the creative rationale and execution,” comments Carmen Lerm, CEO of FusionDesign. “Hylton Ross wanted to incorporate the concept of a puzzle, and we came up with the tagline ‘Connecting Dreams to Destinations' that brought everything together perfectly and gave us the inspiration to create a new visual experience for them. We designed a new exhibition stand; packaging, signage and corporate gifts for Indaba 2007 and their workshop team built the stand that has now been relocated into their Cape Town office, but that was only the start.”
Indaba 2007 ran over three days and each day something different was handed out to Hylton Ross's partners: a puzzle piece and corporate brochure, branded chocolates and Khayelitsha cookies prepared as a social investment initiative from a local township. Hylton Ross hosted an invite-only function for key clients and suppliers and used the puzzle piece as the invite – with a twist – if the puzzle piece fitted into the main puzzle, the person qualified as a final entrant into a competition. The six competition finalists were given stationery to create a Cape Town attraction of their choice and jewellery prizes went to the top two. It was a great way to get people to interact with the brand and create general awareness from the passersby that all joined in to cheer.
“The theme ‘Connecting dreams to destinations' exactly describes what we do, both for our clients and our staff, including the tour guides that spend hours on the road showcasing the Western Cape to mostly international visitors,” adds Geert van Doorn, COO of Hylton Ross. “The theme for Indaba 2007 worked so well that we decided to use it as a brand extension and FusionDesign redesigned the Hylton Ross website and we're currently rolling it out across all our marketing material. We're very happy with Carmen and the FusionDesign team. Their creativity and energy for building Hylton Ross as a brand and attention to detail has helped move our image and ensured we continually reinvent ourselves without losing the essence of our brand. It's a continuous process and we constantly have to surprise our clients and staff.”
“Each year Hylton Ross arrives at the Durban event with a surprise and a few things up our sleeves and this year was no different. Indaba for us is about networking to strengthen relations with existing clients and suppliers,” concludes Hylton Ross Director, Dale Richards.
