BIG INTERVIEW
BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
The bushland for Cennergi’s Lephalale Solar Project is entirely off-grid, and required all infrastructure, water, energy, and ablutions to be brought in for the sod turning event.
When it comes to doing business better, John Arvanitakis, CEO and founder of Chat’r Xperience, is not taking any shortcuts. Here he shares his vision and values for the company – and therefore his clients and partners.
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hat’r (pronounced “chatter”) is a full-service experiential marketing agency named after its core purpose; to generate talkability and therefore connections. “Our aim is for our work to always tell a story and spark conversations. This means we never do anything ordinary; we love to push ourselves to think differently and innovate in a way that will grab attention and get people talking,” explains John Arvanitakis, CEO and founder of Chat’r Xperience. “Why? Because this means that, through our work, people are engaging with our client’s brand and with each other – which is what the events and marketing industry is all about. Stirring emotions and creating connections.” He adds that inspiring conversations can generate additional PR for Chat’r clients (such as social media photos and commentary), creating an attractive added-value benefit.
Another Covid-induced impact is that Chat’r doesn’t only deliver physical activations such as exquisite exhibition stands, retail displays, product launches, and corporate events, but it also operates in the digital realm of marketing, with Chat’r TV. This all-in-one business event solution is primed for multi-media events, with green screens, live 3D virtual studios, virtual reality venues, exhibition gamification, and more. And it doesn’t stop there. The company’s ongoing evolution has most recently included taking strides towards greater sustainability. John says, “Throughout my career in the events industry, I’ve come to recognise how wasteful it tends to be. Because most installations are very
temporary, the industry has tended to design for make-and-break. This single-use habit is inflicting havoc on our planet, rapidly depleting finite resources into goods which are soon destined for overflowing landfills. And it’s a big contributor to climate change. “At the same time, we don’t have to work this way. By rethinking how we operate, we can still create beautiful exhibition stands and showstopping events, but without the negative effects on our environment. It’s a win-win situation.” As a result, John’s goal for the future is for his work to have a positive impact on the world – not only in terms of exceeding his client’s
A CONSTANT STATE OF EVOLUTION John has been in the industry for close to 30 years, while this year marked the 10th anniversary for Chat’r. He shares that Covid was an incredibly tough period for the company (as it was for the whole events industry), but a positive outcome is that it is now a leaner operation with few overheads. This enables it to be competitively priced, with in-house creative design talent and a vetted network of professional partners to ensure it can execute an extensive range of projects. l NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 www.theplannerguru.co.za 8 • MEETINGS www.chatr.co.za +27 (0) 83 415 2774 hello@chatr.co.za