Salute SA is the new kid on the block in the event management industry, showing an exceptional 300% growth in the last five years.
The business blasted onto the scene in 2020 with the latest in uber-stylish party must-haves: stunningly sophisticated Mexican tequila fountains and unforgettably beautiful cocktail walls, the first of their kind in SA. These high-impact, visually striking focal points blend aesthetics and interaction, transforming guests’ experiences into something extraordinary and delightful.
Since then, Salute SA has taken on the entire event ecosystem, providing superior, reliable event support alongside its bar innovations. Salute SA’s Director, Adam Chaskalson, says, “At a time when the industry was craving something new, Salute didn’t simply enter the market – we disrupted it, with ideas and experiences that had never been seen before locally. Since then, our business model has evolved to provide a single, reliable event support service that takes care of every aspect of an event, rather than the traditional fragmentation across multiple suppliers, which complicates the process. In a nutshell, our business model is to simplify the lives of event planners, agencies, and brands by providing an excellent one-stop shop for event support. We’re proud to have rapidly become the market leader in event support.”
Before using Salute’s one-stop model, an event planner would need to use five or six different suppliers for each event. Now, Salute can do everything from sourcing bars, furniture, décor, tech, production and licensing, freeing up hours and days for our clients. Salute SA’s Director, Tyrone Lasarow, says, “Finding experienced people who know everything about the industry is priceless – and that is what Salute is.”
The South African entertainment market is estimated to be worth roughly US$2 billion, with the mobile bar and event support sub-sector being in the US$ 6-16 million range (R100 – R325 million). With head offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg and a satellite office in Durban, Salute has serviced more than 5000 events between 2022 and 2025, more than 1500 of those last year. The business employs 40 full-time staff members and has a few hundred part-time staff on its books, including bar staff, waiters and promotional staff.
Lasarow says, “Salute SA has managed to expand its footprint across South Africa while maintaining the creativity, quality, and attention to detail that built its reputation in the first place. Our ability to innovate while operating at scale has positioned Salute not just as a supplier, but as a strategic partner within the hospitality and events industry,” he says.
Chaskalson says, “We are proud to have some major brand clients, like Pernod Ricard, Campari, RGBC, SAB and Edward Snell, to name a few. We have also worked for many major corporate clients, including Investec, Yoco, Group Africa Marketing, Finance, and Rhino Africa. Last year, we built all the Aperol trolleys nationally, so every time you get served an Aperol spritz from an Aperol trolley, it was built by us. We also did the Corona Festivals nationally, which hosted from 6000 to 12,000 people per show,” he says.
More than a service provider, Salute SA has become a catalyst for change in the event industry, raising standards, introducing new possibilities and reshaping expectations of what event support should look like in a modern, fast-moving industry. From the new kid on the block, it has become a driving force in the industry, and the industry is taking notice.
Media contact:
Distributed on behalf of Salute SA by :
Inky Dresner t/a Soapbox Communications
Cell: 083 2977981
Email: [email protected]