The Aleit Group - Cape Town

The Aleit Group

By the time, Swanepoel was ready to start the business officially, complete with an office and staff, the consultancy had an impressive client base, so he no longer had to pump money into the venture, as it was able to carry itself.

Formally, the Aleit Group was started in 2002. This was a time when hiring the services of a wedding planner was not the norm in South Africa. However, instead of considering the disinterest faced in the local markets a hurdle, Swanepoel set his sights on international clientele. This approach worked for two reasons:

• South Africa had been voted as the premier international wedding destination for UK couples.
• Foreign clients were not only used to enlisting the help of a wedding planner but were also willing to pay for bespoke  

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So, in its early years, the Aleit Group primarily focused on international clients and to this day, 60% of their customers come from outside of South Africa. Currently, the Aleit Group is at the forefront of the events and wedding planning industry of South Africa. Their dominance in the sector can be attributed to the fact that Aleit was one of the first consultancies of its kind to exclusively concentrate on wedding management. Clients of the consultancy also point to the tailored and trend setting concepts offered by the company as the reasons for their popularity.


The growth and diversification of the Aleit Group

Apart from maintaining their position at the forefront of the event management industry, the Aleit Group has been transformed into a global brand that boasts of a diverse and extensive range of offerings. At the core of this drive, has been the comprehensive business strategy followed by the management.

The breadth of services not only ensures higher client satisfaction but also allow the Aleit Group to capitalize on cross selling opportunities, while controlling key and allied aspects of their core business. Currently, the Aleit Group has branched out into the design, media, catering, bar and staffing, decor, entertainment and venue management sub sectors, encompassing nearly every aspect of the hospitality and event management industries.

While the wedding management division of the Aleit Group handles no less than 10 weddings each year, which are personally arranged by Swanepoel, entertainment arrangements are tackled by another division, Aleit Music. The Aleit Shop, which is an eStore that specializes in wedding gifts, completes the suite of wedding services offered by the consultancy. For corporate clients, a separate division, Aleit Event Projects has been set up to cater to the unique requirements of the business sector.


The policies of the consultancy

Despite significant strides made in the direction of diversifying products and offering large scale event management solutions, the consultancy has retained its collaborative HR and client service policy. Swanepoel accepts that it is a challenge to find the right employees who share the company's vision and excitement that is why all staff members are handpicked.

He also believes that in order to create a distinctive identity for his business, he simply cannot afford to compromise on the quality of service. "I believe in and strive to offer faultless service, time after time and every time", says Swanepoel. In order to achieve the harrowing task of coordinating several people with varying expertise, the wedding planning team keeps its communications transparent.

Since emails are sent out to all staff members, back up is always available even if something happens to the coordinator. To further lower the element of risk, Swanepoel assigns a team to each event instead of just a single coordinator.