Event organisers have been using posters and flyers to advertise their concerts, festivals, shows and so on for a while now. But these have their limitations, such as being location-specific, easily damaged by rain, or simply discarded and forgotten. Zacio Event App aims to change all this, and is the brainchild of smart young entrepreneur Siyasanga Mbiko (25) from Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
As their website says, ‘zacio’ is Xhosa slang meaning ‘Inspiring an overwhelming feeling of enjoyment or having the time of your life.’ He says Zacio helps to organise a fun social life by creating “a virtual event platform which provides a more informed, organised, simple and efficient event mobile application … We’re not creating events but merely delivering them to the intended audiences. We’ll work closely with event organisers to ensure that there’s constant communication between them and their customers.”
Siya says they understand that the country is facing tough economic times and Zacio is nothing short of a highly affordable app: “It will be available for free downloads. With the free Wi-Fi that’s being rolled out nationally it means more people will have access to Zacio. However, we do want to keep it low on data. It will be accessible on both smartphones and feature phones,” says Siya.
Siya maintains that customers have in the past been ripped off by organisers – for example through false promises or disorganisation – and Zacio aims to shut off all that and promote radical transparency.
“We want to keep customers ‘in the know’ by informing you about potential cancellations and new developments about the event you’ll be attending. Previously, customers would arrive at a venue to find out their favourite artist won’t be performing anymore,” says Siya. He does emphasise however that they’re not discriminating against anyone but merely providing a more transparent and convenient platform.
The app will not just allow users to hold event organisers accountable, it will guide you to the event and give you an opportunity to rate it on the spot.
“The app will give you directions to the venue and how much it will cost to get there. We’re working closely with MyCiTi and Metrorail’s GoMetro to ensure that users receive accurate routes and fares,” he adds.
Organisers too will now benefit from instant feedback and be able to track their own progress effectively. “It will give organisers the proper stats that could help them with their organising. It’ll offer surveys and a live stream of a show instantly.”
He adds that there’s something for everyone plus the ability to prevent info overload by being able to customise to your tastes. “There’s an option to filter everything that you don’t want to see. You’ll only see events that speak to you. There’s something for house fans and gospel lovers as well.”
Who is the whizz kid behind this idea? Siya holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Law) degree from the University of the Western Cape. He’s a former Deputy Chairperson of the Black Management Forum Student Chapter, Western Cape. As if that’s not enough, he worked for Capitec Bank where he, “proposed an innovative business solution to solving Card Retained Fraud.”
His love for business dates back to primary school and he says he’s always been “innovative”. For example, “In primary they asked us to sell ice-creams and I was in a group with two of my best friends. We went an extra mile and bought silver [hair] spray. We offered to spray anyone who bought from us and started buying other people’s stocks. We won,” Siya recalls.
Siya credits all his success to his parents who worked to provide for him.
“My dad imparted the knowledge he had to me. They gave me room to play and experiment with things,” he says.
To find out more about Zacio and its sophisticated features just log into www.zacio.co.za
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