MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay will be hosting a Mighty Men conference (MMC) for the first time from 15 to 17 December and organisers are aiming for 300 000 attendees.
The first two days are for men only and on the third day, families are welcome to attend.
These Christian conferences were started by well-known evangelist and farmer Angus Buchan and several MMCs take place in South Africa and overseas each year.
Jannie Moolman, who together with Buchan, is a trustee of Buchan's Shalom Ministries Trust and deals with the MMCs, said December was a good time because many people go to the sea then.
Holidaying
It is hoped many men holidaying in Mossel Bay will attend the conference and that still more will be drawn to attend because they can combine it with a holiday in Mossel Bay and bring their families with them.
Moolman noted that MMCs usually took place before or after winter, not in summer.
The conferences first started in the Karoo.
The Mossel Bay MMC, themed Arise Mossel Bay, will be held at Bartelsfontein Farm, on the R327, off the N2 on the Cape Town side of Mossel Bay.
Prayer group
The conferences are organised by a local committee. Lukas Swart, a Mossel Bay resident and member of a prayer group, Coffee for Men, said that in November last year the group had the idea of a Mossel Bay MMC.
Coffee for Men approached Buchan's team and put the idea across. Since then, Coffee for Men and Shalom Ministries have been working on making the dream come true. Swart is chairman of the local organising committee. Garden Route tourism expert and events organiser Alewijn Dippenaar is assisting with the event.
Buchan will not attend the conference himself, but there are usually well-known, carefully chosen speakers at the conferences.
It is the local organising committees who choose the speakers, who are then briefed by the central Mighty Men team.
The way MMCs are organised is that it is the local committees who must raise the funds necessary for the conferences.
Attendance of the Mossel Bay conference will be totally free.
The conference will be held at Bartelsfontein Farm. Photo: Jannie du Plessis
No admission fee
"In order to get as many visitors as possible, we decided not to ask an admission fee," says Swart, adding that it would be "a gathering for Jesus, and there must be no restrictions to access".
Hosting a conference of this size requires substantial funding.
Swart is asking for potential sponsors, suppliers and vendors to contact him, should they wish to be involved.
He said: "Sponsors will benefit greatly from many good advertising and marketing opportunities."
Email him (lukas@degoedeuniverse.co.za) for details and to find out more about camping and reservations for the conference.
'Phenomenal'
Noting that the conference would be "phenomenal for tourism", Lieschke Steven-Jennings, chief operations officer of Tourism Mossel Bay, said: "We support events of this size through marketing. Organisers send their marketing material and we share it with our 48 000 followers on Facebook."
It would also be sent to Mossel Bay Business Chamber members.
"We also advise on traffic, municipal and permit particulars." The tourism office also plays a liaison role, keeping everyone involved informed of proceedings.
Steven-Jennings said with all events in town - large or small - it was most important that visitors experienced Mossel Bay as a kind, warm community, and enjoyed good hospitality and support.
"This is what keeps them coming back, not just the beauty of the town."
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
