Jannie de Jagger on DWR webinars

Jannie de Jager copy

Jannie de Jager, head of training at DWR Distribution, was instrumental in orchestrating the DWR Webinars during the Covid-19 lockdown which ranged from MA Lighting courses he personally hosted to Q&A sessions and assisting the sales team with their online courses. The response from the industry has made it all worthwhile. Jannie answered a few questions about this experience.

 

What were the initial challenges when heading training during lockdown?

Definitely getting used to the world of streaming. Seeing as though everything happened so fast, I felt like we were not 100% prepared for what we were going to be doing during the lockdown, so in the beginning, there was still a lot of trial and error. @Dylan Jones and I quickly investigated streaming options in order for us to take the training online. You would think this would be easy, but funny enough, it involves quite a bit of admin. Nevertheless, we quickly adapted and made the best out of it.

 

Did you enjoy this journey, and do you think this is the future of training?

I am always keen on a bit of a learning curve. I have definitely enjoyed the process and it has been fun connecting with people on a virtual level. That being said, I don’t think online training will completely take over for now, although I have learnt that this is a great way to do crash courses or more focused courses. I will definitely be using this method of connecting in future.

 

How has the training been met by the industry?

It has been very well received. We have had people from across South Africa, and even some internationals attending, and once you start seeing people coming back for more you think to yourself, “Okay we must be doing something right.”

 

When do you manage to rest and what did you enjoy doing most during the lockdown period?

Oh, trust me, there was time to rest (haha). But when I am not working, I head to my PlayStation for two reasons; the first being that all my friends are in the same place and this is a fun way to connect as a group. Secondly, I am a bit of a fan!

 

Did you try any new recipes?

Lots! My diet definitely also adapted during this lockdown period. Even the scrumptious Cinnabon’s my mother made also adapted… but to the hips.

 

Anything else you may want to share?

Stay safe everyone, be smart about everything, and we will see another banging Rock ‘n Roll Concert, another electrifying EDM concert and another humbling theatre production. Look after yourselves.