It’s the one time in the year Executive Communities partners get four high-energy minutes to sell their idea or product to a room full of executives.
Every year, for one night only, Executive Communities invites its partners to do a hard sell to the communities of finance, HR and IT executives. All the other events in the course of the year focus on executive engagement, learning and networking, but at the Pitch Parades, the partners take centre stage.
“With our focus on executive engagement at our events, our partners focus on high-end networking and participating in relevant conversations to make themselves known to the communities,” says Nick Smith, head of sales at Executive Communities. “However, these partners have exceptional solutions and services to offer to the executives, so once a year, we host the Pitch Parades where our partners have the opportunity to do a four-minute pitch to an audience of executives who’ve made the time to hear their story.”
The partner representatives must complete their pitch in four minutes or a claxon sounds and they will be ushered off the stage. The comedian host ensures the rules are followed, and that these evenings are always hilarious fun for all involved.
Of course, it’s beneficial for executives to learn about the solutions that are out there. “Like other people, their inboxes are groaning with emails from people trying to sell them stuff, and it is very easy to push delete. But at these pitch parades, they get the opportunity to devote time to learning about the cutting edge of software, products or ideas that are available, and the people who deliver them,” says Nick.
CIO South Africa Pitch Parade
First up was the CFO South Africa Pitch Parade, billed as “the one night a year CIO South Africa lets the sales pitch in”, partners were challenged to present their case in four minutes, no fluff, under the mercilessly teasing direction of comedian Bongani Dube.
Artificial intelligence was the hero in round one, as presenters from Entelect, Workday, Kaspersky, Change Logic and HCLT India explained their AI-driven solutions to particular problems confronting information technology leaders. As the night wore on, the presentations displayed ever more ingenuity in order to keep CIOs engaged, using QR codes, news headlines, and sound effects – and even a minute’s silence – as clever hooks. Partners iOCO Technology Group, Hyland, MagicOrange and Cassava Technologies presented on various aspects of cybersecurity and information management. In the third round, it was the turn of ITR Technology, MakwaIT, Nihilent, and Clickatell to turn CIOs’ heads – and all managed it in under four minutes!
CHRO South Africa, Johannesburg
Next up, on 29 July, was the CHRO South Africa Pitch Parade on 29 July, where trusted partners were given four minutes to stand in front of HR leaders and share an idea they believed could help solve a workplace challenge. Comedian Trevor Gumbi kept the evening moving with his trademark humour, balancing laughs with light-hearted reminders that the clock was always ticking.
Presentations were made by Old Mutual (presenting on financial stress among employees), Workday (do chatbots work?), JobJack (making better recruitment decisions), Wits Plus (skill building and continuous learning), Lyra (employees’ invisible challenges), Discovery Corporate & Employee Benefits (debt), Deel Local Payroll (employees’ experience of payroll), Korn Ferry (designing organisations around people), Paymenow (financial well-being), Excel@Uni (administering bursaries), Jem (reaching frontline workers), LRMG (leadership development), Regenesys (lifelong learning) and Factorial (using data to make better decisions).
Whew! That’s a lot to stew on in under four minutes each. Presenters were proud to say no buzzer was heard, but plenty of buzz was created.
CFO South Africa Pitch Parade
Last but not least was the CFO South Africa Pitch Parade, on 30 July. Finance leaders gathered to see solutions providers showcasing the ideas and technologies shaping the future of finance, in under four minutes each. These solutions ranged from AI-powered automation in financial reporting and auditing, to tokenisation, to treasury innovation, all hosted by comedian Mark Banks.
Representatives from CFO South Africa’s principal partners Alteryx and Dimago, executive partners Marsh, Magic Orange, Ninety One, BDO South Africa, Stanlib and Workday, together with associate partners AICPA & CIMA, Caseware Africa and Wings Global Travel, took to the stage to pitch solutions designed to help finance leaders navigate an increasingly digital and complex business environment.
The magic is in the format
The unique format of all three Pitch Parades proved once again just how much fun can be had in under four minutes. The shrieks of laughter, from presenters and executives alike, are a reminder that pitches can – and should – be enjoyable as well as stimulating and engaging.