Hot off the press in time for South Africa’s Heritage Day celebrations next week, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber Coffee Table Book is a celebration of 150 years the city’s organised unique business culture which all started in the Main Library with the PE Chamber of Commerce.
With the glossy, visually driven Coffee Table Book, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber – in celebration of 150 years of organised business in the city – undertook to capture snapshots of the working character of the city.
The Coffee Table Book is a legacy project from the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber 150th celebratory campaign last year, explains Business Chamber CEO Kevin Hustler.
“While it would be impossible to include every member company in the 128 pages of the photobook, we decided to focus on the working character of the various suburbs and geographical areas of Nelson Mandela Bay, which puts the city as a whole at the centre-stage of the keepsake publication,” said Hustler.
Images portrayed in the Coffee Table Book vary from the manufacturing giants of our city, to the street vendor who sells fruit and vegetables in Govan Mbeki Avenue. It also offers a diverse mix of carefully selected historical pictures, balanced with current pictures of the Bay’s everyday working culture – focussing on the bright future of the city.
In order to capture the essence of the city’s business culture, we needed a talented mix of individuals – all hailing from the city of Nelson Mandela Bay – to make the Coffee Table Book a reality. From the printer, designer and the grouping of talented Bay photographers to the book shop who has agreed to retail it on behalf of the Chamber – the people who produced the Coffee Table Book are all members of Nelson Mandela Bay’s vibrant and diverse business community.
Countless cups of coffee went down while the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber Coffee Table Book was in the making, but for the contributors it was a labour of love.
The main contributing photographer was David Dettman, an internationally celebrated photographer who has made the Bay his home.
“I feel very privileged to have been offered the opportunity by the Business Chamber to be involved in this fantastic project. As a photographer, I am always looking for new and different surroundings to keep my passion and creativity at the highest levels. The photography brief gave me the chance to visit many areas of our city with a fresh perspective – for both the past and present – which has left me with a great sense of enthusiasm for the bright future of our Bay,” Dettmann said.
The creative force behind the publication, Strategy Advertising, was responsible for the layout and design of the book. Strategy director Warren Upton said what made the experience particularly special for the Agency was that many of the stories told in the publication, were interwoven with the stories of their clients.
“A brief like this doesn’t come by very often. So when we got the call to design the 150 year book for the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, we threw ourselves into the project.
Our mission was to ensure that each and every page was designed with great admiration and respect for the remarkable businesses that it features. We were determined to create a publication that not only reflects our city’s past achievements, but to create a sense of pride to ignite its ambition for the future. You only need to flip through a few pages to realise that most of these businesses have their humble beginnings firmly rooted in the Eastern Cape – and are now competing (and flourishing) on a national level; proudly putting our growing city on the global map,” Upton said.
Nelson Mandela Bay printing company Cadar Printers were responsible for the high-quality printing of the publication.
“We at Cadar are really grateful that we could be an integral part in the printing and production of this fine publication. We, too, have been around for many years and have witnessed the changes and growth in and around the city – a proud moment for all involved,” said Cadar Printers Sales Director Chris Gilson.
The unique publication of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, our 150 year celebratory Coffee Table Book, will be sold at the offices of the Business Chamber in Norvic Drive, Greenacres, as well as at Fogarty’s Bookshop in Walmer Park Shopping Centre.
Alan Straton
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Because it is not the PE Chamber of Commerce anymore it cannot celebrate something which it is not.