Some 400 distributors and dealers from 40 countries as diverse as Uganda, Australia and Iceland will gather in Johannesburg in mid-May for the inaugural Pastel Software World Conference.
The largest get-together of an international software distribution channel initiated by a South African software developer, the Pastel Software World Conference at the Sandton Convention centre from 13 to 15 May, will have a strong SME business development theme. It will be opened by the former Minister of Transport, Mac Maharaj, a long-time champion of small business development.
In association with parent company Softline, Pastel Software is expecting more than 300 distributors and dealers from all corners of SA to be joined by 75 overseas delegates from 40 countries around the globe. This includes representatives doing business in 19 African countries.
Pastel expects Africa to figure significantly in its future growth and expansion plans and has been busy establishing a substantial distribution channel in East, Central and West Africa. A total of 19 distributors and more than 70 dealers/resellers cover Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, Togo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, the DRC, Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius and the Seychelles Islands.
"Today`s accounting and payroll software market is global and as a global competitor, Pastel has built up a significant distribution and dealer channel in not only Africa but also Europe, the US, Asia, Australia and elsewhere. Our products are directed at the high-growth SME market and our channel partners also fall into the SME category," says Pastel Software international sales director Jeff Lewis.
"With our widespread representation, we felt that it was time to bring the international Pastel sales community together in a forum that will be to the benefit of us all. We see our conference as an opportunity to not only get to know one another better but also as a means of exchanging ideas and experiences that will be of benefit to all of us. In fact, it is a showpiece for SME business development in the generic sense."
The morning business sessions at the conference feature presentations by leading international and local business personalities, consultants and motivational experts. Including David Shapiro, Quinton Coetzee and Tony Manning.
The overall brief to the speakers is to present delegates with information that will add value for them as the owners and operators of SME ventures. The afternoons will be devoted to internal Pastel channel matters and software product training.
Lewis points out that the small, medium and micro enterprise businesses in SA contribute 35% of the country`s gross domestic product and, unlike many major businesses, they are creating real growth in terms of employment.
"As a major supplier of business software and services to SMEs, I believe that Pastel and its distribution channel can play a significant role in helping to realise the full potential of this sector. Sound, simple and cost-effective accounting and payroll software plays a critical role in the success of small enterprises.
"Accounting software is becoming more and more intrinsic to good business practice. It forms the core of the business with management reliant upon it for information that enables them to keep the operation on track. The ability of the software to improve customer contact management, to integrate with other business software platforms and databases and its connectivity levels with Internet services add immense value with cost-efficiencies accruing from the streamlining of processes, productivity improvements and speed."
The South African government, through the Department of Trade and Industry, has made its commitment to small business quite clear. Its objectives include increasing the number of small, medium and micro enterprises, reducing their failure rate, improving their competitiveness and maximising their job creation potential.
Lewis believes that Pastel Software is helping to achieve these objectives: "We can do more by expanding our services and adding greater value. Today`s accounting software, with its connectivity and integration capabilities, is the core foundation for successful business. We can add more value by developing synergies with other major service providers such as banks and other financial institutions that provide capital loans to new businesses.
"It would be to the advantage of both parties if the use of a tried and tested SME accounting software package was an integral part of the deal. This would not only ensure that sound financial controls and management information were in place for the company taking the loan but it would also facilitate the secure e-mailing of the required regular financial reports and returns to the designated account manager at the bank.
"There`s a lot of potential for similar partnerships and alliances in other areas of business. We have to offer businesses more choices and the alternative solution provider (ASP) concept where the accounting software is remotely hosted and the customer rents access to the program via secure Internet links is another way to add value and another choice."
These concepts, and others that can boost growth, employment and success in the SME sector will be a feature of the Pastel World Conference. Lewis concludes that the conference will provide a platform for drawing out the experiences of other countries in supporting small business: "I`m sure we can learn from these experiences and from being exposed to different views and perspectives, bearing in mind the diversity of delegates."
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Pastel Software is South Africa`s largest accounting and payroll software developer. A company in the JSE-listed Softline group, Pastel has for more than a decade exported products to Africa, Europe, the US, Australia and Asia. Accounting software programs from Pastel are used by more than 150 000 companies operating in 40 countries.
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