Johannesburg Keynote Speaker
International keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and author James Taylor travels all around the world, from Johannesburg to Singapore, to provide lively, insightful, content-rich and entertaining keynote speeches to a large variety of individuals and organizations coming from a diversity of industries. During the past 20 years James has travelled to Asia, the Middle East, South America, Africa, Europe and the United States to help his audiences marketize, monetize and maximize their innovativeness.
A world-leading expert in creativity, innovation, leadership, artificial intelligence and marketing, James is highly passionate about unleashing his audiences’ creative potential and helping them cope with the changes characterizing contemporary society. He has an MBA in international business, is a notable fellow of the Royal Institute of Arts (an organization with previous fellows including Nelson Mandela and Benjamin Franklin) and is the recipient of the Modern ONTRApreneur and S.D. Southern awards. His past clients include large multinational corporations such as Sony, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Bertelsmann and Yamaha. Besides providing advice to companies and organizations, Taylor has also engaged in one-on-one coaching with world-famous figures such as entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, educators, writers and musicians. He featured in a diversity of media outlets and was the subject of a 30 minutes BBC documentary about his accomplishments as an entrepreneur and global keynote speaker.
Past Clients Include:
CONFERENCE CENTRE VENUES
Johannesburg, South Africa has many excellent conference centers and facilities, including:
AstroTech Conference Centre, on 3rd Ave., Parktown
Glenhove Conference Centre, on Glenhove Rd.
Plumpudding Guesthouse & Conference Venue, on Chiselhurst Dr., Rossmore
Profound Conference Centre, Corlett Dr., Bramley
The Pyramid Conference & Venue Centre, on Eloff Ext SE St., Village Deep
Turbine Hall, on Ntemi Piliso St., Newtown
GENERAL INFORMATION
General Information about Johannesburg for Meeting Planners and Event Professionals
With a population of almost 10 million, Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa. It was established in 1886 after the discovery of an enormous gold deposit in the area, and is currently the economic hub of the country and one of the most important economic centres on the continent, with about 10% of the sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP being generated here. Johannesburg has particular strengths in finances, banking, IT, services, manufacturing, real estate, retail, transports, tourism, and media, and hosts the regional headquarters of major companies, including IBM, Standard Bank, BHP Hilton and First National Bank. Moreover, Africa’s largest and oldest stock exchange, the JSE Limited, is located in the city. Johannesburg is also an important tourist destination, attracting annually millions of visitors. Some of the most important landmarks include: the Cradle of Humanking, a paleo-anthropological site designated by UNESCO a World Heritage Site; the Lesedi Cultural Village, offering traditional food and dances; Ferreira’s Mine, an abandoned gold mine from the 19th century which was rediscovered during the construction of the Standard Bank; and many excellent museums, including the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the Museum of Africa, the Apartheid Museum, the Workers Museum, the South African National Museum of Military History, and the South African Museum of Rock Art.
The City as a Conference Destination
Johannesburg is a major centre for conferences and conventions, including: the Digital Transformation Congress, a large event about the latest developments and trends in digital marketing; EduTECH, the largest conference on education from Africa; the Blockchain Africa Conference, a meeting point for worldwide experts in cryptocurrencies; the Africa Health Exhibition, Africa’s largest gathering of healthcare professionals; the Healthcare Innovation Summit, an important convention focused on innovations in medical practices; the Chief Digital Officer Africa Conference, bringing together leaders from insurance, telecommunications and banking to explain how digitalization is influencing their practices; and the African Conference on Experimental Archaeology, an event organized by the University of Witwatersrand and dedicated to archaeology scholars.
Johannesburg Food Options for Conference Delegates
While you are attending a business conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, a few local restaurants to experience include: Mike’s Kitchen Parktown (+27 11 484 2688) and Moyo Zoo Lake (+27 11 646 0058), two of the best places to sample traditional South African cuisine; the Grillhouse Rosebank (+27 11 880 3945), a restaurant famous for its delicious steaks; Tortellino d’Oro (+27 11 483 1249), an excellent Italian restaurant; Thava (+27 11 728 2826), a restaurant offering a large variety of North and South Indian dishes; Urbanologi (+27 11 492 1399), an Asian-fusion restaurant; and Restaurante Parreirinha (+27 11 435 3809), a fabulous Portuguese locale renowned for its seafood dishes.
Johannesburg Attractions for Convention Attendees
There are a large number of highly rated tourist attractions that you can visit after your business conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, such as: the Cradle of Humankind, an enormous paleo-anthropological site designated by UNESCO a World Heritage Site and containing a great variety of primate fossils; the Carlton Centre, one of the Johannesburg’s largest skyscrapers, offering breathtaking views of the city from its observation deck located on the 50th floor; the Gold Reef City, a large amusement theme park with more than 30 thrill rides, a 4D Cinema and an interactive history of gold mining; and MuseuMAfrica, a museum showcasing African cultural and historical artifacts, and featuring rich geology and photography collections too.