Distant rumbling of thunder and bright flashes of lightning lit up the evening sky above Gansbaai, as 135 community members arrived at Xplorio’s first ever Community Member Evening, held on November 2 at the Gansbaai Tourism Info Centre. Mother Nature seemed to be cheering happily from above with her natural fireworks display in celebration of this event, held to thank existing Xplorio members for their loyal support as well as to give an overview of exciting new projects that Xplorio will be rolling out in the near future.

Xplorio is fast-becoming the most talked about online marketing specialist in the Cape Overberg and offers an online platform in the form of a personalised town website, where community members can collectively showcase not only their businesses and establishments but also their much-loved town.

The eclectic group of people attending the function mingled happily, enthusiastically embracing the opportunity to network with like-minded community members, while enjoying a glass of delicious local wine and some tasty canapes. Amongst them were representatives from the Gansbaai Tourism Bureau, the Overstrand Municipality and the Gansbaai Business Chamber, with whom Xplorio shares a passion for Gansbaai and a commitment to taking the town forward to new heights.

Anticipation reached a peak when company founder Jan Lutzeyer and his business partner, Dr. Sanja Lutzeyer, took to the stage to address the crowd who have championed them on their journey since the company was founded in 2012. Animated with excitement and pride, the brother and sister duo highlighted what Xplorio has done to promote local businesses online, as well as sharing their vision for the future.  

Emotions ran high when the powerful Xplorio video of Gansbaai was unveiled. The spectacular footage captures the heart of this seaside village, showcasing the many aspects of the town that wow visitors and never cease to lose their shine in the eyes of those lucky enough to call Gansbaai home. Another exciting announcement was the imminent roll-out of the Xplorio Gansbaai Town Directory, which comprehensively lists all businesses operating in Gansbaai and will soon be available to locals and tourists alike. Lastly, community members were shown images of new town signage, which will be erected at several locations in town, helping to promote Gansbaai by making the town website more visible to those driving through the area.

The evening culminated in a lucky draw and the tension was palpable as community members scrambled for their Smartie boxes, containing Smarties representing Gansbaai’s online visitors, which doubled up as lucky numbers and produced more than just sweet treats for the joyful winners. Prizes included four Profile Set-up packages, for an NGO/NPO or young entrepreneur of the winner’s choice (to the value of R1,300 each), and four Feature Blog Stories (to the value of R1,000 each).

As the full Xplorio team of 14 people took to the stage to accept a warm round of applause from the enthusiastic community, the evening drew to a close. The storm outside subsided, leaving behind it the hum of excited chatter and a strong sense of community spirit.

For more information about how you can join the Xplorio community, contact Sanja on 071 266 2755.

Special thanks to all members again and very special thanks to Community Movement Leaders - Build it, OK Foods, Marine Dynamics, De Hoop Collection and Grootbos Nature Reserve.

Prize winners:

Profile Optimisation for an NGO/NPO or young entrepreneur of the winner’s choice to the value of R1,300, including professional write-up and photo shoot:

• Adele Geldenhuys (Taurus Cape Kelp)
• Clayden Burger (Overstrand Build it)
• Liesel Trollope (Whalecoast Vet)
• Simone Davel (Grootbos Foundation)

Featured Blog Story to the value of R1,000:

• Frieda Lloyd (Overstrand Municipality)  
• Hein van Wyk (Overtek Computers)
• William Stephens (De Hoop Collection)
• Henk van Zyl (De Kelders Drip Cave Tours) 

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