The Society for Asphalt Technology’s iconic green, blue, and white logo and colours stood out strong and proud at the CAPSA 23 conference in the Drakensberg in October.
Whilst at least 20 SAT members were directly involved in the success of CAPSA 2023, serving on the executive committee, chairing and presenting sessions, or leading workshops, among other functions, quite a number of the conference delegates were also SAT members.
Many of the more than 550 conference delegates no longer ask SAT, “Who Are You?”; now they ask, “What can you do for me?” and “What can you do for our industry?” and “What can I do for you?”.
“That’s what we want to hear and numbers of CAPSA delegates who showed their interest in joining the SAT family at our stand reiterated this,” said SAT Operations Manager John Onraet.
“The joy of SAT members Belindar Preethapal and Yajna Nankhoo in setting up our exhibition stand was indeed the right start,” commented SAT President Krishna Naidoo. “Nik Berning was, as usual, the last man standing with a smile when he took down the stand – more in celebration than closure.”
SAT members used the exhibition stand as their “refuge” between sessions. Nik (barista) Berning seemed omnipresent, working magic with the coffee machine to make everyone feel at home. Visitors were welcomed by various SAT members who put up their hands to help host the stand. SAT Vice President Joanne Muller truly embodied the “SAT vibe”, speaking warmly of the camaraderie she experienced during her stints at the stand.
Several SAT Exco stalwarts, including Past President Herman Marais and Honorary Secretary Duncan Mason (also a CAPSA Exco member), found time to be present at the stand. John Onraet and his SAT colleagues caught up with longstanding SAT members, reminiscing as well as probing current thinking in asphalt pavements. SAT has a responsibility to engage with industry in the interests of its members, and the event provided an opportunity to quiz suppliers on their latest products and test methods and the industry in general on what’s hot and what is not.
“These exchanges gave us ideas for future events that will certainly benefit our members and the industry,” said John.
One recurring theme was the issue of young professionals leaving South Africa for what they perceive to be better opportunities abroad. SAT will address this as a matter of concern for the local industry. Nik Berning added that the topic of cold mix asphalt and emergency road repair, as well as the advantages of warm mix asphalt, featured strongly and will be driven further by SAT in the coming months.
A treasure hunt jointly hosted by SAT and ROMH Consulting offered a prize of two tickets to attend the 8th E&E Congress 2024 in Budapest, Hungary, worth R30 000. This attracted 42 entrants, who had to visit various exhibitors’ stands at CAPSA to collect clues to solving a puzzle. In addition to SAT and ROMH, these included the Western Cape Government, Ingevity, Tosas, Roadlab, Ammann, AECI Much Asphalt, and Specialised Road Technologies.
“The idea was to involve all aspects of building an asphalt-surfaced road – the client body, consulting engineers, material suppliers, laboratory, equipment manufacturers, asphalt manufacturers, and various individuals,” Nik explained. This also increased traffic to the participating stands.
Among others, SAT President Krishna Naidoo met with the Improved Asset Management Focus Area presenters at the SAT stand. He was also pleased to welcome some National Department of Transport colleagues. In addition to visits from across the South African asphalt and bitumen spectrum, International Society for Asphalt Pavements (ISAP) colleagues from Brazil paid their respects.
This was an excellent conference and a fertile breeding ground for brainstorming and new ideas to take the industry into 2024 and beyond. SAT has taken away many learnings and will engage with the industry to ensure that the conversation, and Nik’s coffees, do not stop there.
We hope to see you all at the next event!
