Marketers Association of Zimbabwe successfully held its first unique hybrid conference for both online and physical attendants.

For the past 12 years the Annual Marketers Convention has been open to physical participants only, however due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the Association in accordance to its theme quickly reconfigured and adapted to the new normal to ensure that the Conference goes ahead.

Virtual participants were following up all the sessions from different parts of the world via Zoom.

The 12^th Annual Convention was held at Troutbeck Inn in Inyanga from October 21 to 23. This year’s Convention was held under the theme Marketing 5.0: Reconfiguring Business in the New Normal.

The first speaker at the Convention was CBZ Holdings Group Human Resources Director, Nyasha Mutsai who shared on Building Teams.

She delivered a powerful presentation on what makes a great team the challenges and how to overcome.

She first defined what a team is … “a group of imperfect but talented contributors who are valued for their strengths and who need one another to realise individual and team excellence”.

She highlighted that a team can only be successful if it has a shared mission and purpose.

Mutsai said some of the reasons behind a dysfunctional team are inattention to results, avoidance of accountability, lack of commitment, fear of conflict and absence of trust

Spanish based Marc Mekki shared on Advanced Marketing Strategy. He challenged marketers to be different and to always use the best digital tools in order to gain traction.

“As Marketers always give your extra edge. Always use tools that most people don’t have access to. 90 percent of the data in the world was generated in the last two years.  Don’t do what everyone else is doing, you won’t get traction. Dare to be different,” said Mekki.

Famous Digital Media , Chief Executive Officer , Maxine Bolt shared on leveraging Digital Media Channels and Social Media for Business Growth.

Other Speakers at the Convention were Professor Earnest Kadembo who spoke on Brand Management: The Power of Story Telling in the New Normal.

“As a brand, what is your promise? What is your image? Effective branding needs a simple formula that works. Fulfill your promises,” said Prof Kadembo.

Professor Gift Mugano shared on the economic outlook for Zimbabwe.in his presentation he highlighted some of the critical elements needed for the growth of the country’s economy. In his presentation, Prof Mugano also explored some of the shortcomings of Treasury which he said were bad economics.

BancABC Managing Director, Dr Lance Mambondiani shared on companywide Digital Transformation. He highlighted that one tool marketers should utilise are location services.

“It is one of the most revolutionary things in our phones. You can target a person on what they want based location services, said Dr Mambondiani.

Standards Association of Zimbabwe Director General Dr Eve Gadzikwa, FMB Capital Holdings, group head of Marketing and Communication Dennis Mambure together with Cassava Smartech head of Marketing- Insurance, Liberty Kazhanje tackled the theme of the conference. The trio highlighted the importance of Marketing 5.0 in any business globally. They emphasised that local companies need to move with the times invest in digital technology and utilise artificial intelligence as one of the critical components in Marketing 5.0.

A pannelist session on Marketing and CSR Best Practices in Dealing with National disasters featuring Idorenyen Enang from Nigeria, National Foods Marketing Manager and Titus Moetsabi a communication and development expert with Unicef wrapped up the conference.

The trio highlighted the need for synergies in the corporate sector in light of national disasters for a more coordinated response while Enang shared on experiences from Nigeria.

Industry and Commerce Minister, Hon Sekai Nzenza officially opened the Conference on Thursday October 22 with emphasis on the need for marketers to prioritise local products.

The Marketers Golf, President’s Dinner hosted by National Foods and the Exceptional Marketing Awards sponsored by Pure Oils Industries were some of the major highlights of the 12^th Annual Marketers Convention.

Ends//