Southern Sun Announced As The Official Hospitality Partner To The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards
Southern Sun Announced As The Official Hospitality Partner To The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards. The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards is thrilled to announce Southern Sun as its official hospitality partner for 2022, building on a successful association between the organisations, which commenced in 2018. The renewed partnership will see the prestigious 26th Michelangelo Wine & Spirits Awards being hosted at Southern Sun Cape Sun on 2 September, among various other collaborative projects showcasing the country’s finest wine and hospitality.
“The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards and Southern Sun share decades of experience in hospitality, and we see incredible opportunities to innovate and expand the industry’s global presence together,” comments Mynard Slabbert, co-owner of the Michelangelo & Spirits Awards. Over the past four years, the Michelangelo Wine & Spirits Awards focus has been expanded from being primarily an annual competition, to being a sales and marketing partner to the entire wine and spirits industry, as well as its brand partners on an ongoing basis. This has been achieved through partnerships with complementary top companies and respected brands – such as Southern Sun – in tourism and hospitality, as well as others in aviation, logistics, cellular supplies, printing, and business class lounges.
Says Slabbert, “With the South African wine and spirits industry employing 166,000 people, whilst contributing 1.3% of South Africa’s GDP, and being among the top 8 wine producers in the world, this partnership between the largest wine & spirits competition on the African continent, the Michelangelo Wine Awards and Southern Africa’s leading hospitality group, Southern Sun – is a perfect fit.” Through embedded QR technology on all Michelangelo Wine Awards, consumer engagement is tracked from 142 countries across the globe. Every scan of a smart device not only offers consumers information on the best award-winning wines and spirits – it also provides direct access to Southern Sun’s booking engine, as well as the platforms of other official partners to the Awards.
Marcel von Aulock, Southern Sun chief executive, says the group is delighted to continue its partnership with the Michelangelo Awards. “South African winemakers put exceptional care and effort into producing great wines which compete with remarkable success on the world stage. With the numerous lockdowns and challenges presented by the pandemic, the last two years have been enormously difficult for the wine industry – as they have been for hotels – and we are delighted to support this critical sector, which forms an integral part of South African production, export, and tourism.”
Southern Sun’s portfolio of brands extends throughout South Africa, and into Africa, the Seychelles and the Middle East, and includes award-winning luxury hotels such as Beverly Hills, Arabella Hotel, Golf & Spa, 54 on Bath and Mount Grace Hotel & Spa.
