Dear MACE member

We’re so thrilled to be communicating with you again, in our first 2023 edition of MACEzine!
With the year hurtling toward its halfway point, there is of course already a lot of marketing, communication, and advancement news we want to share with you.

In this issue you’ll find details about the 2023 Directors’ Symposium, which will take place in Cape Town in August; a preview of some of the educational MACE webinars we will roll out in the second half of the year; an announcement of the opening of entries for our flagship MACE Excellence Awards (and an exciting announcement of where the Excellence Awards and Annual Conference will be held); as well as articles with fun facts about MACE and details about how to join if you’re not yet a member or your membership has lapsed.

Thank you for reading, and please do share your ideas for building an even stronger MACE by contacting us at chair@mace.org.za

See you at the next MACE event!
The MACE National Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

Silvanus Welcome
Chairperson

Thembi Tlale
Deputy Chairperson

Hernan Finkel
Treasurer/ Secretary

BOARD MEMBERS
Christopher Motabogi
National Board Member
Sbongiseni Magwaza
National Board Member
Elmarie van der Merwe
Co-opted Board member: TVET Representative
Lacea Loader
Co-opted Board member: Excellence Awards Coordinator

As part of the Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) mandate of adding value to practitioners in marketing, advancement, and communication, the national and regional structures are organising a roster of exciting webinars for the second half of 2023.

Some of the webinar topics being planned for include:

• Basics of SEO (search engine optimisation) – How to make SEO work for you
• ChatGPT: How will AI chatbots impact communication?
• Fundraising trends: What’s working, and how can we improve?
• MACE Excellence Awards presentation, and tips on preparing winning entries

As always, the MACE 2023 webinars will be presented by colleagues from member institutions who are experts in their field related to marketing, advancement, or communication in the higher education sector in South Africa. Of course, the expert presenters will use a global outlook to examine and analyse trends and best practices emerging among higher education institutions around the world, and how we can best apply those lessons and forecasts to our sometimes very different South African and African contexts.
Please watch MACE’s social media profiles and your email inbox for updates on the exact dates and details of the 2023 webinars.

The national and regional structures would also love to hear more from members about what type of webinars and topics you would find useful and educational – please email chair@mace.org.za with your ideas.
We look forward to engaging with you during the webinar series!

Think you know everything there is to know about Marketing, Advancement, and Communication in Education (MACE)? Let’s see!

* MACE evolved from a number of former organisations, starting with Public Relations Officers from South African Universities (PROSAU) in the early 1980s.

* In 1989 PROSAU merged with Public Relations Officers from South African Technikons (PROTECH) to form the Association for Marketing, Communication and Development Professionals in Higher Education (UNITECH).

* FET colleges (now known as TVET colleges) were incorporated into UNITECH in 2005, and in 2008 UNITECH was renamed Marketing, Advancement, and Communication in Education (MACE).

* In addition to its national structure, MACE consists of six regions: the Central region, Free State, Northern region, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.

* Regional programmes involve the implementation of regional events (such as training seminars, professional development interventions, networking opportunities, information-sharing/ research undertakings, etc.) hosted by one of the regional member institutions.

* MACE hosts various workshops and events on both regional and national level annually, including national workshops, a Directors’ Symposium, an Annual Conference, and the flagship MACE Excellence Awards held at a gala dinner during the Annual Conference.

* The University of Pretoria hosted the 2022 MACE Conference and Excellence Awards. The theme of the 2022 Conference was ‘The Power of Staying Relevant’. It was the first Conference since 2019 because the 2020 and 2021 Conferences had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 6th MACE Directors’ Symposium is set to take place on 23 and 24 August 2023 at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Granger Bay Campus.

The symposium will feature a line-up of distinguished expert speakers who will deliver and convene keynote speeches, panel discussions, and interactive workshops that will cover a range of topics relevant to marketing and communication, branding, alumni, and fundraising.

The event will be a valuable opportunity for you to gain insight into the latest trends and best practices in the higher education sector.

Please look out for additional information and details about the symposium and the programme in the next few weeks.

Host: Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
Facilitator: Prof Anesh Singh
Date: 23 & 24 August 2023
Venue: CPUT – Granger Bay Campus
Times: 9:30 on 23 August 2023 to 14:00 on 24 August 2023
Theme: Sustainability in a changing higher education landscape
Cost: R500 per delegate (Delegates are responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements.)

Who should attend?
Executive Directors, Directors, Deputy Directors, and Managers in marketing, advancement, and communication at HE and TVET institutions in South Africa

Click here to register by Wednesday 10 August 2023.

Link to online invitation: https://mace.org.za/events/symposium/directors-symposium-2023/

Enquiries: chair@mace.org.za | 066 304 6666 | 084 681 5281

We look forward to your attendance!

If you work in marketing, advancement, or communications in a higher education environment, you (and your team) could greatly improve your competitive edge and advantage through ongoing learning about current best practice – and joining Marketing, Advancement, and Communication in Education (MACE) is the best way to network with and learn from fellow expert peers at other higher education institutions across South Africa.

MACE has played a leadership role in the higher education sector within Southern Africa by adding value to practitioners in marketing, advancement, and communication since the early 1980s. It was founded in its current form in 1989, evolving from a few previous formations. Since adopting its current name in 2008, MACE has grown in leaps and bounds, now drawing an average of 190 delegates from universities, TVET institutions, and private education institutions to its annual national conference.

Who can join:
Any public or private higher education institution may join MACE.

Benefits of joining MACE:
• Liaison with counterparts.
• Annual MACE Conference – exposure to latest trends and research.
• Regional and national workshops.
• Directors’ Symposium.
• Benchmarking.
• Sharing best practices.
• Enjoying a joint platform with other professional bodies.
• Rewarding excellence and gaining recognition.
• Adds value to practitioners in marketing, advancement, and communication through high-quality development programmes, facilitating networking partnerships and transformation, and promoting best practices among these professions.
• Rewards excellence and helps marketing, advancement, and communications teams gain recognition in their respective field through the annual MACE Excellence Awards programme.

Membership fees (annual):

Universities and universities of technology: R8 000

Technical and vocational education and training (formerly FET) colleges: R5 500

Education role-players and service providers (Associate membership fee): R5 500

Join now
To become a member of MACE, contact the National Chairperson at chair@mace.org.za

It’s time to boast about your excellent work! Entries for the 2023 MACE Excellence Awards – which will take place during a gala dinner at the MACE Annual Conference in November – are now open. And to get you even more excited: thanks to requests from many members, the venue for this year’s Conference will be at the coast! The University of the Western Cape will host us on 15 and 16 November.

The MACE Excellence Awards recognise and celebrate excellence and the achievements of specialists and practitioners in marketing, communication, and advancement in the higher education sector. The Excellence Awards are only open to paid-up MACE members, and each member institution nominates as many of their best projects/ campaigns as they want to, after which entries are evaluated by our panel of expert evaluators comprising senior marketing, advancement, and communication professionals hand-picked from tertiary institutions and commerce and industry.

Entries with points above the thresholds receive Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Awards, with other prizes including the Chairperson’s Award of Excellence, MACE Award for Outstanding Research, and the Severus Cerff Award for Consistent Excellence.

This year’s entries must be implemented, published, or broadcast between March 2022 and 30 September 2023 to qualify for submission.

Entries are now open, and getting your entries in early saves you money: Pay R600 per entry until 7 August, R750 up to 4 September, and R980 before the final deadline of 9 October 2023.

Find out everything you need to know by visiting the MACE Excellence Awards website, where you’ll find detailed guidelines including videos that will help you prepare a winning entry.