My interview with Events Manager and DJ, Lance Theron

Who is Lance Theron?

"I’m Lance Theron, 31 years old from Rondebosch-East in Cape Town, South Africa. My profession is a mix of many things that I consider is ones dream job. At least to me it is. I am the Events Manager of a night club called Kennedys Cocktail Lounge situated in Long Street , as well as a Professional DJ and last, but not least, I opened two small businesses which is in the similar field as the above mentioned .

What was your one favourite place either locally (in South Africa) or abroad to visit?
"Sweden is my place of choice for favourite places I have travelled to. You might be thinking, why would you visit Scandinavia? It’s like the coldest, wettest places in the world. It’s the least travelled by any South African and I wanted to experience the culture, night life and the standard of living."

Lance in Sweden.

What about the place did you enjoy?

"It’s so difficult to narrow down the experiences that i have had /enjoyed during my stay in Sweden. It’s such a huge country, which is a tourist dream. Let’s start off in the city where I stayed in named Gothenburg or as they would say Goteborg. It’s like Cape Town in every way-a fishing city very laid back and it felt like home. I enjoyed the night life because they have a street called the ‘Avenue’ which is like long Street pubs , clubs and restaurants. Everywhere the people are polite and friendly, food  is amazing and the transport structure was a dream . Trams, trains, cabs all run until 4am and its so safe to walk the streets. There’s a smell of kebab in the air, people rushing to get to the bottle store which I might add is open till like midnight and the customer service is top draw . The best of all there’s a Dubliner pub which I visited on regular basis.

NOW WHEN YOU ASK what else is there to do- only one city can stand out and that’s Stockholm- the heart of Sweden. This gem of a city has everything from a club just around the corner from the Kings Palace called Café Opra. We would meet in the cities most popular meeting place called The Square.  I shopped myself to a standstill at places like H&M, Jake Jones , Zara, to name a few. Places to eat- Oh,  how I love food. Most of the pubs serve fine dishes just as good as the next."

Lance shopping in Gothenburg.

Lance at the IFK Football Stadium in Gothenburg.

The Zara store in Stockholm, Sweden.

Lance at a pub in Gothenburg

Any interesting fact(s) that you learned about the place while you were there?

"Interesting facts.... hmmmmm, let’s see. If my memory is as good as my age, well there are about 600 000 people living in Gothenburg and 300 churches and only 2% attend a service on a Sunday. Next fact Volvo cars are produced in Sweden, so basically it’s a Swedish brand , the same goes for the cell phone brand Sony Ericsson. Something on the light side- witches and Vikings originate from Sweden and the children’s book Pipi Long Stalking is based on a Swedish underprivileged girl . About 40% of Sweden is occupied by foreigners like Turkish, Iranians, Somalians, Congolese, Nigerian and  Morrocans.

There is a church which they have turned into a fish restaurant locals told me just call it The Fish Church. "               

The Fish Church

A church in Gothenburg.

                                                                                                            

Any recommendations that you would give to others when visiting the place?

"I don’t really want to repeat the places of interest that I have mentioned, but  I have forgotten to recommend the Ice Hotel which is in Stockholm. It's very pricey. When booking for accommodation, backpackers are just as good as B&B's. They are comfy and spacious. I have discovered that it’s important to have accommodation near to the city centre and airport as it’s a distance apart. No need for a map. Just a pocket dictionary and you will be fine as most Swedes speak fluent English. Festivals to attend are the midsummers, which basically kicks off the summer season in Sweden and the Crayfish festival which happens in August. The biggest party in summer happens in Stromstad, which is on the border of Sweden and Norway. I am very happy to be a part of it this summer as I will be doing a DJ  tour for 2month, but that’s as far as I will go regarding places of interests and recommendations. It's always better to be there an experience it first hand."

The crayfish in Sweden.

How did visiting the place allow you to change in any aspect of your life, whether personally or professionally?

"All I can say is this: Once you get the travel bug, its game on! My feet has been itching since I left Sweden in April 2012. When landing in Sweden, it was a culture shock of note and this is housing, transport as I have mentioned, the fast life, the success of all these people, no matter your skin colour or ethnic group, you are accepted and looked after by the government. There is not a poor person on the street. You don’t hear of any violent activity on the news and they are very opened minded. With saying all of this, this trip has made me more focused to better myself in all aspects work, home and private life. I have taken all I have learnt in Sweden and brought it home with me for example as an Event Planner or DJ you need to be ahead of the competition, whether it be décor or music. I have taken these concepts along with the old and have combined it into a fusion that only myself and the people involved would grasp, which is perfect because other venues and dj's have not done research to see what works. That is why I chose Sweden as the place to visit they are trend setters in fashion , music and events. I have become more goal driven and I am hungry for that success. You can’t wait on success. It will never come, but going out and finding it- now that’s a concept that speaks volumes to me. Being in Sweden has changed me for the best! "

What would you do from a Media/ PR perspective to let the place receive more exposure on what it has to offer?

" I have this concept where I would like to take a few working South Africans and swap them with some Swedish and let them live their jobs for 3weeks. This is not just a free trip, but a culture awakening for both parties involved. This will get them to respect and better themselves as a person . I would like to see more South African artists going over and showcasing our talents. So far we have seen Avicci- a Swedish DJ who is only 23 years old and he has performed in South African as well as Swedish House Mafia. Not many people know that Sebastian Ingrosso is South African born from Grahamstown. I’m doing an event in Sweden for 2 weeks in June called the Swedish South African experience. Basically I’m taking the Mzolis type theme and introducing it in Sweden as I have taken many Swedes to Mzolis. The biggest form of PR is letting one see, touch and taste the different lifestyle. If we don’t do it,  who will. "