The 17th Annual @Vodacom @rAgeExpo Brought Fans Another Year of Awesome! #17yearsofawesome

Hi Friends, 

Vodacom rAge 2019 saw four days of setup, 69 solid hours of LAN gaming, an entire day to break down and many kilometers worth of fibre, network cable, power cables, and steps walked all over the Ticketpro Dome, as well as over 30,000 cold drinks and 1,635 kgs of chips consumed.

From robotics and other cutting-edge tech to celebrity appearances and action-packed esports tournaments, Vodacom rAge 2019 had it all. The atmosphere was electric (in some cases, literally), and like-minded fans from all over South Africa came through en masse to dress up, shop, play and take in the fantastic sights.

South Africa’s biggest annual video gaming, computer, technology, and geek culture exhibition once again transformed the Ticketpro Dome into a 17,483sqm galaxy of geek over the weekend of 27-29 September. With an increase in visitor numbers, 35 615 people found their happy place among the stands, stalls, and stages.

The creative genius of Artists’ Alley showcased its share of amazing South African creative talent, including Steampunk and cosplay fashion designer Sin-Bin, local author Chantelle Roberts, and one of SA’s international comic art sensations, Warren Louw.

There were many firsts for South African gaming and geek culture this year. The first-ever NAG LAN Super Pass was introduced, allowing 150 die-hard gamers early access on Thursday evening, before the rest of the LANners joined them early on Friday morning.

There was also an exclusive Streamers’ Zone – an online sharing hub for fans to broadcast up-to-the-minute video and content in streamer booths. For the younger members of the family, there was the vibrant Kidz Kage play area.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans got to see South Africa’s CS:GO elite competing for a prize pool of R 150 000 and the ASUS ROG Invitational Trophy. Eight teams played their hearts out, but only one could emerge victoriously. And after one of the toughest challenges ever, Goliath Gaming walked away with the ultimate prize in front of a capacity crowd.

For the first time ever, the World Robotic Olympiad (WRO) came to the expo and brought together some of the smartest young minds in the country, to show off their amazing brain power and problem-solving skills at the WRO robotics competition. Locally, five provincial events took place and the top-nine national qualifying teams who won across the different categories at Vodacom rAge this year will head off to compete at the WRO International in Hungary.

Over the last 17-years, the annual NAG LAN has become one of the most anticipated events at Vodacom rAge, and this year’s turnout to southern Africa’s largest BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer/Console) event once again proved that.

NAG LAN sponsors Nutanix, MWEB, Aruba and My Sky Networks made sure the NAG LAN was consistently connected and glitch-free. Collectively, 3,252 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive games were played for 2,925 hours, 1,838 DOTA games were played for a total of 2,281 hours and 645 Playerunknown’s Battleground games were played for 522 hours over the weekend.

Exhibitors at Vodacom rAge this year saw record attendance and sales at their stands.

Imran Sorathia, Managing Director, from premium computer and gaming supplier Evetech said, “It has always been an absolute pleasure to exhibit at the Vodacom rAge Expo. At Evetech, we pride ourselves on establishing relationships with our customers, not seeing them as just a ‘target audience’.

“Vodacom rAge is the perfect opportunity for us to not only get a better understanding of what our customers enjoy but also to gain some insight into what they expect from us.

“Evetech made the decision not to sell any products at the Vodacom rAge Expo 2019, as we wanted to emphasize the real gaming experience, allowing people to test all the peripherals and to get a sense of what they enjoy using. It was a unique opportunity for customers to “try before they buy”, which is quite rare.”

Belinda Marais, Marketing Manager from Acer Predator commented, “Vodacom rAge Expo 2019 was every gamer’s dream! The energy was electric, and the gaming experiential stations were world-class. Predator will definitely be back next year!”

Cosplayers came out in full force to show off their impressive and detailed costumes on the Cosplay Stage and in Sunday’s Cosplay Parade. The Best In Show for the Vodacom 4U Cosplay Contest this year went to Maoukami Cosplay who cosplayed as Katsuki Bakugou (My Hero Academia).

Overall, the Vodacom rAge Expo 2019 was a colossal success, with gamers, geeks, cosplayers, fans and supporters going large at the Ticketpro Dome this year. Vodacom rAge is going strong and the organizers are looking forward to another great expo next year.

Thank you to Vodacom and all the sponsors and exhibitors for their part in Vodacom rAge’s #17yearsofawesome.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!

@AcerAfrica Brings #TakeaSpinwithAcer With @IncConnection #WalkOutWorking

Hi Guys, 

 

Acer announced the launch of the #TakeaSpinwithAcer campaign in collaboration with Incredible Connection. The campaign will run throughout June and invite customers to take a risk-free trial with Acer’s top tier products for up to 30 days.

Sounds too good to be true. It’s not. If at any point the customer is unhappy with the purchase they can opt for a full refund within 30 days. All Incredible Connection stores nationwide have introduced the Walk Out Working (WOW) offering. The techxpert station will help customers’ setup their new device for free in-store enabling them to walk out already working on their device. No hassle, no fuss, no risk.

Belinda Marais, Acer Africa Marketing Manager explains that the #TakeaSpinwithAcer campaign displays the complete confidence Acer has in their products. “We have done some research and found that people often don’t purchase a new notebook due to the drawn out process of transferring data from one device to another, as well as the fear of buying a product they may not be able to return if it doesn’t suit their lifestyle”. Marais adds that customer satisfaction is important to Acer and we want to give the customer more than just a device but an experience.

This exclusive offer applies to Acer’s core processor range which is any product with an Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 Intel Processor.

Visit our Facebook page and see how music sensation, Idols presenter and all-round good-guy ProVerb show you how to take a risk free spin with Acer:

• Come in-store with current notebook
• Purchase any Acer notebook with an Intel® Core™ Processor
• Visit the techxperts counter and get your device setup for free
• Walk out working. Test it out for 30 days and enjoy the freedom and power to explore

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to blog, share and influence about your products and services on all my Social Media channels #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra !

#AcerForGaming Breaks Through Gender Bias @AcerAfrica

Hi Guys,

Have you ever played Candy Crush, Tetris, Farmville, Solitaire or Minesweeper? Then you are in fact categorised as a gamer. #AcerforGaming is embarking on an endeavour which will showcase the company’s commitment to the development of woman in gaming. In an event last night in Johannesburg, Acer along with leading professionals and enthusiasts hosted an event aimed at showcasing how accessible and valuable the Esports industry really is.

When the term gaming comes to mind the stereotypical thought is to envisage teams of young adult males spending days in isolation clutching controllers and staring at computer screens, a label Acer is set on changing in the near future. One of the most astounding facts that have recently come to light is that 41% of gamers are in fact female, many over the age of 50.

Pippa Tshabalala, presenter, avid gamer and mother of two recalls fond memories of how she started playing games on a video console at a very young age. According to Tshabalala, gaming has been an integral part of her life which she has now also introduced to her sons. South African born, Sharon ‘ShazZ’ Waison has been gaming from the age of 13 and now competes internationally, already boasting several titles among them as winner of the Copenhagen Games where she partook in an all-girl group. ShazZ is one of the latest female gamers taking steps to challenge the dated idea of gaming.

Although the world of gaming may seem like an unattainable abyss, according to both gamers you simply need to start by deciding on what ‘game’ you like to play and start there. "Lately we are seeing more women stepping up and being more comfortable to play games – a phenomenon we are welcoming," says Belinda Marais, Marketing Manager of Acer Africa. Playing Candy Crush and Farmville have been known to assist with innovative problem solving and utilising resources. Something that many decision makers within the industry are required to do. “You may be of the opinion that you are simply passing time and playing to relax, however you are building strong skills without even realising it” Acer has the Nitro Series, VNitro and the Nitro 5 which are versatile machines that double up as day-to-day devices and fulfil your gaming needs.

Some criticism in gaming has been that it may lead to unsocial behaviour, but Tshabalala disagrees, “My sons love playing outside as much as they love playing PC Games. For me it’s all about a sense of balance in all things. SHazZ also mentions that being disciplined and exercising self-control to manage gaming in your daily routine, “Everything in moderation”.

 

Checkout some of the photos from the event on my instagram.com/araijain

 

Cheers!!!

 

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to blog, share and influence about your products and services on all my Social Media channels #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra !