21/07/2026
Corporate South Africa has split into two camps.
One is barefoot in the veld, building rafts out of oil drums and discovering which colleague becomes “Boet van die Bushveld” after two shots of mampoer. The other wants nothing to do with khaki shirts and obstacle courses, they're after exceptional chocolate, boutique wine and real conversation.
Different activities, same goal: bringing people together and creating moments they're still talking about on Monday morning. And every office seems to have a Trevor from accounts who secretly loves the obstacle course, and a Karen who swore she wasn't joining in, only to end up fiercely competitive by lunchtime.
This week, I sat down with Leanne Hicklin from Hicklin and to talk about what Joburg corporates actually want in 2026.
The answer?
Absolutely everything.
One month, it's Survivor challenges and outdoor cooking. The next, it's elegant dinners, signature chocolate tables and wine-and-chocolate pairings. And now, thanks to AI, clients arrive with mood boards and prompts for experiences that have never existed before.
One client recently wanted their team to feel as though they were summiting Kilimanjaro. The venue? Bryanston — flat as a Disprin on an ironing board, without a koppie in sight.
Somewhere between ChatGPT, Pinterest and sheer optimism, event coordinators are now expected to move mountains they can't even see.
Beneath all the mood boards and AI-generated wish lists, though, there was a more serious conversation happening: what companies are prepared to invest in, and why. The old line is that corporates have “shorter arms and deeper pockets”. I'm not so convinced anymore.
On our side, we're seeing fewer clients ask, “How little can we spend?” and more asking what they're actually trying to achieve: stronger teams, better client relationships, or perhaps a CSI box that needs ticking.
Leanne and I even talked about combining the two worlds: chocolate-making sessions where the finished pieces are donated, purpose stitched into the fun.
Because whether you're crawling through mud or pairing chocolate with wine, the goal hasn't changed.
It's Monday morning, and people are still talking about what they learned and how it made them feel.
As we move into the third quarter, are clients spending differently, or simply spending more thoughtfully?
