Last chance to enter The Loeries

If you've already begun entering your work online, please make sure that your entry batch has been closed, and that payment and physical entries are received at the organisers' offices by this date. If you have any questions regarding preparation, categories or anything else that comes to mind, phone +27 (0)11 326 0304 or email .

Pulling out the stops

Tickets are in great demand so please book your tickets now to avoid disappointment (www.theloerieawards.co.za/festival/). South Africa's advertising, design and marketing communication companies - as well as those that provide services and support to the country's agencies and consultancies - have pulled out all the stops to create a spellbinding 2006 Loerie Awards, if the level of sponsorship commitment is anything to gauge by.

The three major sponsors are the SABC, Media24 and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) and more than 20 organisations have signed up as category sponsors and official suppliers. While TKZN support will be used at all levels as the host of this year's Festival, the SABC is the host of the Sunday night award ceremony, the major sponsor of The Loerie Awards 2005 Travelling Exhibition, and the sponsor for the radio and TV categories. Media24 is the host of the Saturday night award ceremony.

The Loerie Awards 2006 organising committee chairman, Wingwing Mdlulwa, comments, "All our partners are vitally important to the smooth running of our call for entries, management of those entries, and judging as well as The Loerie Award Festival and award ceremonies. It is a credit to the industry that so many players are prepared to stand up and assist us. The entire industry owes these companies a hearty pat on the back for their contribution to the Awards' success."

Wonderful hosts

Says TKZN CEO Miller Matola: "The province benefited greatly from the Festival weekend last year, and the townsfolk of Margate proved what wonderful hosts the province can be. We are confident the 2006 Festival will be as exciting and as much fun."

Discussing the SABC's new involvement with the Loerie Awards 2006, Mark Jakins, outgoing group executive: commercial enterprises of the SABC explains: "Our role as the public broadcaster is to assist in the transformation of creative strategy to an environment embracing diversity, heritage, and true South Africanism - including the recognition of industry excellence.

"We depend heavily on the support of marketers and advertisers to fund the SABC, as well as creative excellence in the delivery of language marketing to South African citizens. Through our involvement, we intend partnering with the Loeries Committee, utilising our platforms of television and radio, to make this year's Loeries build-up and event bigger and better than ever before."

Sarel du Plessis, senior general manager, Media24 adds: "We see a long and mutually beneficial relationship ahead, one that will benefit the communication industry, the media industry, marketers as well as consumers."

Other sponsors and partners are: Aon-Shield, Brandhouse, Cell C, Design Indaba, Gallo Images, Gauteng Film Office, Gearhouse, Hetzner, Hibiscus Coast Tourism, Joe Public Advertising, Kulula.com, Lightworks, Lithotech, Nashua Mobile, Online Publishers Association, Orchestra Blue, Ornico Group, Paygate, Proximity#ttp, Rocketseed, Sappi, Six Million Dollar Media, Sonovision, The Video Lab, Ugu District Municipality, and Verdantpoint.

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