The 2023 MACE Annual National Conference – held on 15 and 16 November 2023 at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town – brought together over 150 delegates from member institutions, for our annual celebration of excellence and achievements among specialists and practitioners in marketing, advancement, and communication in the higher education sector.

Under the theme ‘Higher education institutions in a world of artificial intelligence (AI)’, some of the expert attendees included keynote speaker Dr Max Price, Emeritus Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town; Ms Yenani Madikwa, Creative Director and Brand Strategist; Ms Isabel de Necker, Senior Marketing Manager at the University of Pretoria; and Ms Phuti Mothapo, President of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA).

After two days of expert presentations, peer-to-peer parallel learning and sharing sessions, the Conference culminated in the 2023 Excellence Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner, held at the Pigalle restaurant.

The MACE Excellence Awards Ceremony takes place annually and recognises the year’s best achievements in marketing, communication, and advancement among the submissions made by member institutions, as judged by an expert MACE panel.

Last year, a record 255 entries were received from 17 institutions. The Awards Ceremony saw 82 Bronze Awards, 48 Silver Awards, 19 Gold Awards, and three Platinum Awards of Excellence handed out. The University of the Free State won the Chairperson’s Award, Stellenbosch University won the Severus Cerff Award for Consistent Excellence, and Fort Hare University won the MACE Award for Outstanding Research.

“We were very pleased with the outcomes of the 2023 National Conference,” said Silvanus Welcome, Chairperson of MACE’s Board of Directors and Director of Institutional Advancement at Walter Sisulu University. “It is always energising to gather the country’s best marketing, advancement, and communication professionals working in education – to learn from each other and help each other sharpen our skills by hearing about the latest trends and what’s working and not working for our colleagues. The Board of Directors congratulates all the winners, and looks forward to the 2024 Conference and continuing to celebrate excellence.”

See the MACE Facebook page for photos from last year’s Conference and Excellence Awards.

See the 2023 MACE National Conference Programme here.

The re-established Central Region (Gauteng and surrounds) hosted its inaugural regional event in Johannesburg during August.

The Free State region enjoyed the company of Thabang Chiloane, State Protocol Specialist on 31 July 2018 in Bloemfontein.

Experience an authentic taste of Cape culture and see why Capetonians live by the mantra Local is Lekker! This year’s Congress is taking place in Cape Town and will be hosted by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology on their Bellville Campus.

Define your strategic role and agenda, think smarter and more creatively and always look for areas that need improvement, are just some of the viewpoints shared by experts who addressed delegates at the 4th annual Directors’ Symposium.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) hosted various higher education institutions during the KwaZulu-Natal Regional Workshop held on 30 May.

Entries for the MACE Excellence Awards are now open.

The North-West University (NWU) hosted the annual MACE National Workshop on 10 and 11 May 2018 at the NWU’s campus in Potchefstroom.

The Central Region (Gauteng and surrounds) kicked off the annual MACE regional programme during a recent workshop, which saw 30 representatives from five MACE member institutions converge at Wits University.