Booking.com and the Department of Marketing Management at the University of Pretoria collaborated to present the Build-Your-Own-Business (BYOB) Masterclass series to accommodation establishment owners in and around Cape Town, Kruger National Park, and Johannesburg. The purpose of the masterclass series was to inform small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the accommodation sector on how to use marketing to drive bookings, especially since this sector is struggling to return to pre-Covid-19 booking levels. The masterclasses were presented by Prof Adré Schreuder, Dr’s Michelle van der Merwe, and Michael Humbani. 

The Booking.com bursary students attended the Bring-Your-Own-Business (BYOB) masterclass, sponsored by Booking.com, in collaboration with the University of Pretoria. From left to right: Thabiso Magubane, Dr Michael Humbani, Dr Michelle van der Merwe, Taha Tayob, Tamara Rungasamy, Prof Adré Schreuder, Declan Scheepers.

In addition to the collaboration, Booking.com awarded bursaries to four BCom Honours (Marketing Management) students. To celebrate being selected for the bursaries, the four students were flown to Cape Town on 28 February 2023 to attend the first BYOB masterclass held at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and to spend the day with the Booking.com team, including Gareth Maritz, Senior Manager: Marketing, Fouad Talaat, Regional Manager: Middle East & Africa and Natalie Wills, Vice-President: Brand), and Carlo Olejniczak, Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa).

After attending the Masterclass, and hearing an inspiring success story from Jerry Mabena, the CEO of Mutsamayi Tourism, attendees enjoyed lunch at Moyo’s and had an opportunity to network. To end the perfect day, guests were surprised with a live performance by South African rapper, Cassper Nyovest.

Here’s what the Booking.com bursary students had to say:

“I am exceptionally thankful for Booking.com’s generous bursary that funded my Marketing Honours degree this year. In addition to the bursary funds, they also invited us to Cape Town for a day of activities! It is truly incredible how much faith and support Booking.com has shown us with both their financial assistance and valuable time dedicated to our learning experiences”.    ~Declan Scheepers

“It was with great excitement that we found out our entire tuition for 2023 would be paid for by Booking.com. We enjoyed lunch, heard music from Cassper Nyovest, and got to network with many amazing people. It was an experience I’ll never forget. I am forever grateful to the University of Pretoria and Booking.com for the experience”.    ~Tamara Rungasamy

“We got to meet highly accomplished and successful individuals from all over the world and engage in conversation with them. It was highly beneficial and eye-opening to get a taste of the industry we are soon to be a part of.  I can confidently say we all flew home that night excited and motivated to make this year incredible”.    ~Taha Tayob

“The highlight of the event was the fact that Gareth Maritz made a surprise announcement during lunch, informing us that Booking.com is paying all four of our tuition fees in full. All those who attended can attest that the event was informative, inspiring, and engaging, but most of all, as Prof Schreuder said, ‘IT WAS FUN!’”     ~Thabiso Magubane