Qualia SA in quest for business

With this in mind, Qualia SA's Managing Director Richard Holt, a challenging and inspirational speaker and facilitator, saw an opportunity to connect some of these businesses and entrepreneurs with like-minded counterparts from the UK.

This lead to Qualia SA, the South African arm of the Qualia Group, an international coaching and business Development Company, recently facilitating Business Quest, an international entrepreneur's programme that brings business leaders from the UK and South Africa together to innovate, share learning to explore new business partnerships, joint ventures and outsource opportunities.

Business Quest is based on the learning styles of Entrepreneurs, who learn best from each other, do business with people they respect, trust and build relationships with. This successful initiative provided an inspirational environment for CEO's of companies to meet and interact with each other.

The primary objective was to provide an integrated service both in England and in South Africa, effectively matching companies to maximise business penetration. An important addition was Qualia's attention to the human dimension in ensuring team and moral obligation in the knowledge that Africa requires and gives back special respect to those from abroad who engage in a positive manner.

The Business Quest week was structured around a series of individual company to company meetings, group events and meetings such as the inspirational Design Indaba, personal meetings with the British Council the World Cup organising Committee, and the Township 'workshop' on the Monday morning.

The initiative proved to be hugely beneficial to a host of local businessmen who are now able to access markets and expertise in the United Kingdom. Access to some of South Africa's top creative entities and quality supply chains has also now become a reality for many UK based businesses.

The approach can work across range of different sectors, adding huge value to South African people and businesses and is not confined to just those operating exclusively in the creative environment.

When asked what were the three best things about Business Quest, that will have a positive effect on you and your business, Christopher Lloyd, from Dinosaur, an award winning UK advertising agency responded: 'An amazing opportunity to free my mind from the day to day procedures of running a small business in the UK and be creative again while meeting like-minded UK and SA people. The businesses from the UK were perfectly matched with interested and talented companies in SA. An amazing opportunity to develop what I've learnt in the last week and commit to doing something positive and real about this great chance that I was given.'

Michael Cluskey, of AMS NEVE says: 'The efforts of our hosts, Qualia and the support of the Film Commission was above and beyond the call of duty. Each minute of the trip was worthwhile and the amount of appointments was phenomenal. The research and matching by our hosts was a contributing factor in this.'

Business leaders, Local film makers, creative agencies, design studios are all looking to grow burgeoning opportunities to ply their considerable talents and abilities across a broader international platform.

In closing, Andrew Patrick, Regional Business Adviser, Creative Industries says: 'How to describe in brief summary one of the most memorable and uplifting experiences of my life? If cooking a recipe for this week then key ingredients would include; a raft of new international contacts, a host of new UK business relationships, great food, fantastic vistas, superb venues, amazing weather, hard work and hard play, exhilarating, exhausting and invaluable.

Essentially, I feel that this was one of the best managed and professionally executed events I have participated in - and I have participated in many over the years! This affords a great opportunity to build an ambitious and sustainable programme that could be of enormous importance to the vital task of bringing the creative industries of the North West and South Africa closer together.'

About Qualia SA

The Qualia Group is an international coaching and business development company. They have worked for more than 18 years in The United Kingdom, creating learning environments and designing and delivering programmes that support Entrepreneurs' personal and business development.

Led by Managing Director Richard Holt, a challenging and inspirational speaker and facilitator, their vision is matched by their passion for South Africa Entrepreneurs and their growth. Their reputation for innovation, creativity and delivering inspirational results, coupled with the group's individual 'breakthrough' coaching, mentoring, aftercare programmes, facilitated group learning events and peer group support networks such as the 'Enterprise Hothouse', are fast becoming a sought-after resource in the highly-competitive international business world.

The Qualia 'International Business Quest' programme also brings groups of Entrepreneurs from the UK and South Africa together across key industry sectors to look at opportunities for new learning and innovation but most importantly, to create new business partnerships, joint ventures and trading opportunities.

A growing Qualia portfolio of work in South Africa, and the increasing levels of work-creating opportunities for new trade, knowledge exchange and innovation between companies in the UK and South Africa, has led to the opening of their first international office in Cape Town, South Africa on 1st December 2004.

Now with offices in both the United Kingdom and South Africa, they can use their extensive network of knowledge and contacts to tap into and bring together new trade partnerships and supply chain opportunities between the UK and South Africa