Rea Kekana

I am a reliable, highly motivated person with over a decade of experience working in Public Relations and Events.  I am an early riser, love people and am solutions driven which is necessary in both the fields I work in. I have a strong work ethic - I always show up and on time. My work at Jozihub.org developed my love of entrepreneurship - supporting them and seeing them thrive within the hub was a highlight of the last few years.  I am looking to spread my wings, keen to develop new skills and open to new opportunities and experiences in this next phase of my career.

JoziHub

Event Coordinator and Hub Manager

06/2014 - 12/2020,

 Co-creation space in Johannesburg dedicated to creating sustainable change in Africa. 

Achievements/Tasks

• Coordinated vendors, timelines, and budgets for events. Oversaw event logistics, venue scheduling
• Organised event facility, food and beverage selections, and audio-visual arrangements.
• Led site walk-throughs and meetings prior to the event to go over checklists and delegate assignments to staff.
• Oversaw advanced event registration and day-of check-in to handle a high volume of guests

In one year Jozihub hosted over 400 events, large and small. My role at Jozihub was as on-site event manager for the space as well as the day-to-day hub manager.  The role included:

Event Management

• Managing the booking of the event spaces and boardrooms at Jozihub
• Liaising with clients regarding their booking requirements
• Developing the event budget
• Sourcing suppliers and costings to inform the budget
• Signing off the budget for billing
• Planning the event including the booking and briefing of suppliers such as caterers, technical suppliers, furniture hiring etc
• Set up and smooth running of the event for the client
• Reconciling the budget and closing off the project
• Handled the guest registration lists and registration procedure for our own events which often included a high volume of guests.

Hub Management

• The day to day running of the co-working and event space included:
• Opening up the office in the mornings
• Managing staff to ensure the space was clean and ready for our clients
• Ensuring our coffee bar and barista was up and running and well stocked
• Assisting co-workers with day to day requirements
• Managed the boardroom bookings for co-workers, ensuring the boardrooms were clean and ready.
• Liaised with new business or co-working clients, showed them around the space and signed them up.
• Managed the day to day social media posting to highlight events, programmes and projects at Jozihub. 

A Better World Network

Public Relations Assistant

04/2012 - Present,

 A communications company working with brands and organisations with a vision for a better world.

Achievements/Tasks

• Assisting with the organisation and execution of various media and PR events.
• Managing and updating media lists.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key media contacts
• Distribution of press releases to media and arranging media interviews
• Work collaboratively with internal teams to develop effective public outreach
• Office and Admin Manager, PR and Media Liaison

 The Speakers Corner Communications

 04/2007 - 09/2012, Gauteng Achievements/Tasks

• Receptionist duties included greeting visitors, answering and directing phone calls, booking boardrooms, ensuring boardrooms are set up

Matric

Dr Johan Jurgens High School

Date: 1996 - 2000

Subjects: English, Afrikaans , Accounting , Economics, Business Studies and Hotel Keeping and Catering