Ovation Art
Founders
No.005
RSVP and guest management for events, run by a team of four women
Ovation Art started in 2007 as two friends sharing a desk and now runs RSVPs and guest management for events. It has run more than 1,300 events and about 155,000 registrations, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation Annual Lecture.
Marisa Buys, Melodie Schoeman
Ovation Art began in 2007 with two friends sharing a desk. Marisa Buys and Melodie Schoeman are its founders and directors. Marisa is head of growth and connections. Melodie is head of operations.
Over the years the trade changed from faxed RSVP forms and printed guest lists to digital tools, and the team changed with it. In 2020 they created ARTcolab, a way to keep their connections in the events industry going during the pandemic.
Ovation Art
Ovation Art, known as OART and short for Ovation Audience Relationship Team, manages the guest side of events. If you are hosting a conference, a lecture or a corporate gathering, they look after the people: who has been invited, who has replied, who needs a transfer, and who walks through the door.
Their work is set out in six parts. Invite and RSVP management covers the invitation and the replies. Guest logistics covers arrivals, transfers and check-in. Engagement tools keep an audience involved during sessions. Speaker and content management keeps speakers prepared and sessions on time. Exhibitor and sponsor solutions deal with visibility and leads for the people paying to take part. Data and insights report on what happened once the event is over.
Technology is part of how they do it. They work on Cvent's event platform as an accredited Cvent Silver Partner, offering Cvent consulting and support, custom integrations and reporting. Their own tools include ARTy, a WhatsApp broadcaster, along with facial recognition check-in and RFID guest tracking.
Ovation Art has been in business for 18 years, has delivered more than 1,300 events and has managed more than 155,000 registrations. Among the events it has handled is the Nelson Mandela Foundation's Annual Lecture with President Obama.
The team is four women: the two founders, plus Thato and Dalu, who coordinate guest logistics. The company also works with a network of partners and specialists.
To get in touch, use the contact form at ovationart.co.za or write to Melodie or Marisa at their company email addresses. Existing clients log in to the Cvent portal through ovationart.co.za.