The Edith evolution

Edith Venter talks A-lists and event etiquette

When Edith Venter dropped off the events map in 2009 because of a partnership turned ugly and a resulting court interdict, the industry lost a critical barometer of style and standards. An Edith Venter event is the one event on your social calendar that you do not say “no” to. With Venter and her many years of moving in high circles comes a formidable guest list and an impeccable fusion of fashion, food, entertainment and, more often than not, support of a worthy cause while you wine and dine the night away.

To borrow the tag line from her company, Edith Unlimited, which was launched just over a year ago, Venter’s guests have come to “expect the unexpected” and nothing less. Her rebranding of what used to be Edith Venter Promotions is a celebration of both the reclamation of her good name and her right to practise in the industry again, as well as the result of the growth that her business has been experiencing.

“When the interdict was issued, I wasn’t allowed to use my name or my company, and I had to get special permission to work any charity events,” Venter explains. “It came as a huge shock to me: it was as if I had been kidnapped and had to pay ransom.

“I had to settle, and I am still paying back bank loans. It could have been devastating, but I am just not the kind of person to lie down and die. Sadly this world has become very materialistic, and maybe this was a lesson I had to learn; I learnt it well and I learnt it the hard way.”

Her comeback has been truly phenomenal. Edith Unlimited launched in September last year, and Venter says 2011 has been her busiest year since she first entered the events industry more than 10 years ago.

The work that she does focuses on both charity and corporate events. Venter supports the Red Cross, Reach For A Dream, Cotlands Baby Sanctuary, JHB Child Welfare, the SA Guide Dogs Association and, ever since losing her father to cancer, she is also a dedicated patron of the Cancer Association of South Africa.

No matter what the cause or occasion, however, the cream of South African society is ever at Venter’s side. In fact, if anyone knows the in and outs of SA’s A-list, it’s Venter. Although from the comfort of her couch (bolstered on either side by two of her five adoring cats) she is quick to jokingly ask why anyone would want to be in such demand night after night, the politicians, CEOs, celebrities, diplomats and thought-leaders filling up her weighty contact book are proof that this social butterfly has a magnetism that few can resist.

When it comes to events, Venter practises what she preaches. Her policy is to give priority to whichever event invitation she accepted first. If she promised to attend the Saturday church fete down the road and then suddenly an invite to meet Prince William and Kate popped into her mailbox, she’s adamant that she would stick to her original commitments.

This unwritten rule is one that Venter says has served her very well over the years – unlike many fickle celebs who fabricate excuses, are caught red-handed at another event on the same evening and as a result are deftly erased from Venter’s future guest lists.

Another of Venter’s unwritten rules is that whenever she attends an event she always remembers that she is there for her name and that she is there to work; be it to spread the word about the good work that a charity or its sponsors are doing or to network with people and make them feel included and special on the night.

The celebrities on Venter's personal A-list are those people that Venter says she knows she can always count on and that she will always invite to all of her events as a result.

Venter’s last gripe is about that thing called “African time”. Too many celebs, she says, have an inflated sense of self-importance and think Joburg’s biggest event won’t start without them. Not only does Venter pride herself on always arriving at an event on time, but if she’s running the event herself she has a strict rule to never wait for someone for longer than half an hour, if that. Time is money, lateness is asking for a culinary disaster, and her respect and consideration lies firmly with the guests who have arrived on time and are looking forward to commencing with the celebrations.

Talking events with Venter offers you an insider’s look behind the social scenes that few will ever experience. She tells amusing anecdotes about rotund gentlemen stealing their partner’s food when they aren’t looking and shocking stories about naughty grandchildren of the rich and famous pinching goody bags. But her best stories by far are those that keep her firmly grounded and humbled by her own successes and achievements, like the one about the enthusiastic man from a very small town who responded to the dietary requirements request by reciting exactly what he would like to eat for breakfast.

*Article first published in the December issue of Sandton magazine. Photo courtesy Craig Heath Photography.