Sandton City nominated for global award

by TINTSWALO BALOYI JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) SANDTON City, Africa’s leading retail and lifestyle destination, has been nominated for a prestigious international industry award.The nomination for the MAXI Award adds to the already impressive repertoire of endorsements and accolades received by the South African city. The International Council of Shopping Centres runs the awards.Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Las Vegas later this month. Toyland Factory, the centre’s festive season 2021 campaign, conceptualised and executed by Excellerate Brand Management (EBM), Sandton City’s strategic property marketing agency, has been nominated in the experiential category.”Sandton City is known for its signature activations throughout the year, but especially during festive season, as shoppers of all ages, and from beyond our catchment area, look forward to what we conceptualise and curate,” said Michael Wilson, Group Marketing Head for EBM. “Taking this further was a key driver in the conceptualisation for Toyland Factory, and I am thrilled that we were able to exceed those expectations,” he added.Toyland Factory, which included a festive-themed, family-centric entertainment hub designed to deliver an immersive experience and increase foot traffic, drive greater digital engagement and increase turnover, led to a 217 percent increase in visitors to the festive activation, compared to the pre-lockdown 2019 season. Hosted for one month, it broke a five-year festive season foot traffic record.The campaign yielded a 13 percent increase in overall turnover in the centre, a 793 percent increase in publicity value and a 22 percent increase in funds raised for charity over the same period in 2019.Wrapped with over 1,5km in custom-designed vinyl, Toyland Factory spanned 700m2 in the Centre Court. Heloise Mgcina, Marketing Executive for co-property owner, Liberty Two Degrees, shared her excitement at the nomination.”With an already-fledgling economy and a well-documented state of economic inequality, it was important to offer an experiential festive activation that was free and inclusive. I am thrilled that we were able to do exactly that, and beat former retailer and investor results over this period,” Mgcina said. CAJ News

Source: CAJ News Agency