Creating magic at Maropeng: it’s all about the people and the story

On 4 and 5 June, Kirstenbosch in Cape Town will host the continent’s inaugural Attractions Africa event, a two-day symposium designed to bring together all those involved in the business of attracting, satisfying and retaining visitors in Southern Africa.

Along with other heads of leading tourist attractions, including Craig Allenby and Clifford Nxomani of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Sabine Lehmann of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, and Carla White of the V&A Waterfront, Maropeng MD Tony Rubin is all set to deliver his address – Creating magic: the link between employees and the visitor experience.

Tony hopes the conference will act as a collaborative platform and ideas exchange, where business and tourist heads of Africa’s leading tourist hotspots can talk openly about the challenges and opportunities facing attractions in Africa.

“I expect it’s going to be a meeting of like-minded people who face similar business challenges, but are unaware of the fact that they face the same challenges because they don’t find time to speak to one another. I can’t wait to be in the same room as my peers, where we can talk and share our experiences and together find some astounding solutions to the challenges facing our industry,” he says.

What are some of the challenges facing attractions in Africa in general?

“A lot of attractions are run as businesses, and so obtaining funding is extremely difficult because businesses don’t fund other businesses. Internationally, donors fund museums and attractions, but in South Africa (and Africa), donor funding isn’t that easy to come by,” says Rubin.

Speaking about the nature of certain attractions, Rubin says that South Africans as an example don’t visit museums as a matter of course.

“We also don’t have the population that drives feet through the door. The visitor numbers show that for most South Africans, museums are just not a part of their lifestyle,” he says.

What are some of the lessons learned by Maropeng?

Rubin says that one of the most important things for attractions managers is this: don’t employ skills, employ attitude.

“Skills can be taught. I look at my hotel manager, Peter Mhanaza, as a sterling example. He was employed as a cashier in the ticket office when he first started at Maropeng. Today he’s the manager of the Maropeng Hotel. Because of his attitude – his will to succeed – he’s blossomed here at Maropeng,” says Rubin.

Attitude is important at all levels of the business, Rubin continues.

“Over the past seven years we have made a conscious decision to ensure that our staff are storytellers. We are all here to tell stories, no matter what position we formally hold at Maropeng. We exist to entertain visitors, and storytelling is key to visitor retention,” he says.

All members of staff go through an orientation and are inducted with the tale of mma ega digang, Maropeng’s story.

Once your people understand your story, then your people make the backbone of your business, he says.

What are some of Maropeng’s unique successes?

Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves together host some 250 000 local and international visitors annually. But the tourist attraction’s continued success and popularity didn’t happen overnight.

In 2008 Maropeng won the South African Tourism Welcome Awards for the Exhibition of the Year. Shortly after, Maropeng’s guides began to win awards.

“We’re one of the few attractions in South Africa that only employ accredited guides,” adds Rubin.

In time, the entity received a Gold rating from the Heritage Environmental Management Agency, became part of the Proudly SA family, and was accredited by Fair Trade Tourism.

“Our continued success in visitor appreciation speaks to our success as an attraction. Our rating by visitors remains above 90%, when the country standard is at around 85%. But our success is the result of a lot of effort. Success happens by design, not chance,” he adds.

Book your seat early

The conference is a must-attend event for all those interested in attraction management. The programme includes educational presentations by some of the leading heads in the business, networking opportunities and a small exhibition.

Delegates who register before 23 May qualify for an early-bird discount.

Visit www.attractionsafrica.co.za to find out more.