Guests were met in the foyer and after being ticked off the list were greeted personally by the author as they entered the reception lounge. The tables with wine, juice or water – the last delicately flavoured with fresh fruit – formed the perfect display and were easily accessible with the waitrons ready to assist. Ambling into the launch presentation room, one found tables laden with roasted vegetablse and hallumi wraps, speciality chicken kebabs, dip platters, choc and pecan wedges, strawberry tartlets and an array of other treats. A very, very good start!
The presentations were equally impressive, complete with radio mikes for the speakers; large screens so each audience member had a clear view; a drama skit and a slide show of inspirational quotes with striking graphics, and an inspiring South African music mix by another DAV employee, Daleen Atherton.
The proceedings began with an introduction by Ingrid Kast, CEO of DAV, telling guests about how this “superb leader and astute business woman” had been part of the management team and had excelled in the company for “twenty extraordinary years, leaving a lasting legacy that has been instrumental in making our company what it is today.” She continued, “Annette combines human insights with love, intelligence, a vast knowledge and deep conviction. Her combination of emotional connectedness and capacity to challenge on a strategic level allows her to bring an abundance of creative solutions to every situation. There is a deep calling within Annette to make the world a better place, she does so through her passion to help people to develop to their full potential, to achieve what they may not even realise they are capable of.”
There followed a skit by Gloria Matlapeng and Zelda Vermooten that gave a humorous take on the daily lives of placement group executives – complete with dancing with scarves, plus various other props employed to help visualise clients’ dreams.
Kinnear spoke of her first attempt at a book, a twenty-two page manuscript, written when she was eleven years old in Germany and was given the difficult lesson by her teacher, Frau Klein, that an unfinished book… is not actually a book. She said that Your Career, Your Life reveals that it is sometimes through hard lessons that we get unstuck from not progressing in our lives.
The author welcomed the Jamaican High Commissioner, Kurt Davis, and told guests how one week in Jamaica helped her change her own life and steered her in a direction she wanted to go. She has started a consultancy company, Irie – www.irie.co.za – in the wake of that experience.
Kinnear was not shy to convince guests to buy her book – saying with a twinkle in her eye that this was merely practicing what she was preaching! She pointed out that the structure of the book is set out in weekly lessons to make it accessible to everyone, even non-bookish types. Further, the book stands out in it that relates specifically to career development within the South African context.
An inspiring event for an inspiring author newly-arrived on the scene.
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