Johannesburg, 27 Feb 2017
Bytes Technology Group has sold a 51% stake in its Bytes Conference Centre business to empowerment group IYAVAYA HR Solutions, a 51% black women-owned and managed company, providing specialist services in the fields of black economic empowerment, employment equity, skills development, health and safety, and staffing strategies and solutions. The partnership became effective in January 2017.
The IYAVAYA HR Solutions board comprises Thembi Chagonda, MD of IYAVAYA, and Jonathan Goldberg, CEO of Global Business Solutions, a leading labour law, human resources and industrial relations consultancy. Both will become members of the Bytes Conference Centre board, along with Paul Campbell, MD of Bytes Conference Centre, and Mkhuseli Tindleni, Facilities Lead at Altron Shared Services.
According to Andrew Holden, Altron Operations Executive: Information Technology, under which the conference centre resides, the partnership with IYAVAYA is part of Altron's commitment to invest in black-owned SMEs in order to drive value for the business and to bring a fresh impetus to the conference centre as it seeks to broaden its services to a wider audience.
"Both Thembi and Jonathan bring a wealth of expertise to the partnership and we look forward to working with them as we position the Bytes Conference Centre as a leading conferencing and events centre," Holden said.
The Bytes Conference Centre, located in Midrand, Gauteng, is a multi-purpose venue that can accommodate up to 300 delegates. The venue is managed by a dedicated events team and provides an all-inclusive service that includes catering, decor, audio-visual equipment and technical assistance. The centre also has a generator. The venue can be used for conferences, exhibitions, product launches, presentations, graduation ceremonies, IT training, cocktail parties and gala dinners.
During the course of this year, the entire conference centre will undergo an extensive R10 million renovation to provide customers with a hi-tech user experience. This will include a new-look auditorium with state-of-the art audio-visual equipment, a revamp to the existing d'ecor and meeting rooms, in addition to the creation of a 150m2 walk-through Enterprise Business Centre with exhibition room, two boardrooms and coffee bars to showcase and demonstrate the latest solutions and technology offerings from Bytes Technology Group.
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