The workshops take place on 16 November in Johannesburg and on 17 November in Cape Town, just ahead of the glamorous awards ceremony on 18 November. The Bookmarks - South Africa's premier digital awards showcase - is hosting these workshops to give its expert judges an opportunity to provide insight into what the judges were looking for, their opinions about the standard of the entries they evaluated and how the entries compared against local peers and international benchmarks.
The international expert judges in the publisher and agency awards categories will both be presenting talks on the latest global trends. Chris Colborn, chief experience officer, R/GA, will discuss the latest agency trends while Suhela Gremmel, head of global CRM at ADTECH AG in Germany, will talk about developments in the international online publishing industry.
There will also be a presentation by an executive from Facebook - one of the premier sponsors of the 2010 Bookmarks awards along with the BBC and ADTECH.
The expert judges responsible for the agency and publisher judging processes will then provide feedback about the entries they evaluated.
"We have secured some top speakers from South Africa and abroad for these workshops to ensure that they are crammed with useful information for Bookmarks entrants. We hope to facilitate debate, provide a space for learning and have a chance to network," says Nikki Cockcroft, chairperson of the Bookmarks awards and deputy-chair of the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA), which organises the awards.
"The workshops will give attendees insights into what they're doing right in the online space as well as where there are opportunities for growth and development in the months ahead. They will walk out knowing exactly what separated the winners of Bookmarks awards this year from the rest of the pack."
The DMMA has extended the deadline for entries for the 2010 Bookmarks awards to 29 October due to a rush of entries and enquiries.
*Workshops take place on 16 November at Hackle Brooke in Johannesburg, and on 17 November at The Pavilion in Cape Town from 8:30am - 1:00pm. Tickets are priced at R300 per person. Secure your space for these events now. Visit www.thebookmarks.co.za for more information or follow the Bookmarks on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/TheBookmarks).
