Talking Fragrance (And Frissons Of Fear And Excitement)

It’s good to talk about it, psychology tells us. But what about talking fragrance, as in talking at an actual event?

For someone who dreads public speaking (evidenced by my nervous state and on-off approach), I’ve surprised myself by going ahead with these things over the last five years.

I enjoy talking about fragrances with people, as many of us do, but actually talking to people about fragrances that’s a different matter completely. So why do I commit myself to these events when they can cause so much anxiety?

Because the annoyance with myself for not taking advantage of such an opportunity outweighs any other feelings. And truth be told, because I also get a buzz from them.

GANICO (FEBRUARY 2020)

The talking fragrance thing all started with a collaboration with my friend Hanley (dearly departed recently) at Ganico, a beautiful organic farm 30 minutes from Johannesburg.

I spoke about trends in perfumery. There were plans to do another one and then a pandemic called Covid-19 came along and changed everything. The Great PC Crash of 2020 also took care of many pics, although I did find this one of the venue.

GALERIES DE PARFUMS LAUNCH (JULY 2022)

For the official opening of niche retailer Galeries de Parfums in the rather posh Hyde Park Corner shopping centre, I was invited by the owner to join in the Sip & Smell festivities.

The original theme was pairing fragrances and The Macallan whisky cocktails, using perfumes from brands such as Christian Provenzano, Fragrance du Bois, Amouroud and Boadicea The Victorious.

The barman went rogue, in one of several changes to theme, so by the time my turn came around on the evening, my well-prepared notes were a right mess, I tell you.

Moral of the story: sometimes you must wing it, but not visibly so.

FRAGRANCE MEETS HERITAGE (APRIL 2024)

With a dear friend a member of the Rand Club, the grand Johannesburg institution dating back to 1887 (more about it in an upcoming post), how could I say no to the chance to speak here…

I thought I was a clever boy by contextualising the talk with the theme Fragrance meets Heritage – “the club and fragrance have more in common than you might think” – and used brands such as Chanel and Hermès to make the point that they use their undeniable heritage in contemporary ways to remain relevant and desirable.

A highlight: meeting people I knew from IG and reconnecting with others I hadn’t seen for ages.

CHANEL BEAUTY STAFF CONFERENCE (SEPTEMBER 2024)

A big one. A really big one. So big, in fact, I once again forgot to take my own pics.

In the run-up to the Christmas shopping period, I was invited to lead a fragrance session at the Chanel Staff Conference. The audience: staff members from various retail outlets across South Africa.

The theme was “we are Chanel with the audacity to believe… with a focus on reigniting what makes the brand so special”. With Coco Chanel as inspiration, I mustered up all the audacity I could muster and shared insights on trends in the market and the luxury fragrance landscape.

My brief also included tips for the sales consultants on how to improve service to their customers. I emphasised the fact that very few companies have the diversity and quality of Chanel. Whether from the more widely available releases or the superb Les Exclusifs Collection, there’s almost always a suitable Chanel. Even in an oud-obsessed market like South Africa, customers could be directed to something with a similar profile.

My talking fragrance contribution was divided into two sessions with two separate groups on the same subject, more or less. Tricky to say the least. How do the professionals do it?

BREAKING ALL THE FRAGRANCE RULES (JULY 2025)

Back at the Rand Club. What can I say, I love this venue. I feel like I’m doing my bit for the regeneration of Johannesburg through events that involve club members and non-members.

I was feeling rebellious, so the over-arching theme: grand institutions like the Rand Club have a code of conduct for good reason. But what about fragrances? Do old rules still apply?

At one stage only nine people had booked for the event. But after much chasing, a diverse Johannesburg crowd of more than 20 pitched up.

There were lots of questions, always a good sign, but my critical voice says:

WORK IN PROGRESS / TIPS TO SELF

+ There is such a thing as over-preparation, especially for this self-proclaimed control freak.

+ Even when I’m staying at a hotel, I don’t travel light. Similarly, I find myself bringing way too many fragrances to illustrate various points.

+ Now, seeing that I’m an editor, with a drive to cut down to the essentials, clearly, I need to apply a strict edit to what I’m going to talk about (less angles) and the show-and-tell aspect. That way I might feel less overwhelmed.

WHAT I’M DOING RIGHT SO FAR

+ No death by PowerPoint.

+ Knowing my subject and doing the necessary research.

+ Not sounding like a press release.

+ It’s not all talking, God forbid. Fortunately, fragrance is very interactive.

AND WHAT’S NEXT?

I’m mulling various options, possibly collaborations with artists, jewellers and fashion designers in my network. Ambitious stuff.

In the meantime, some top tips from Dion Chang, a consummate pro who’s always made it look so deceptively easy:

+ Always start off with something that’s going to grab your audience’s attention. That is, dispense with the “hello, welcome, my name is…etc”.

+ When you’re speaking, let your eye line scan the room or audience. It makes the audience feel you are speaking specifically to each individual. In other words, make eye contact. Engage visually with the audience while you speak. If you find it difficult to look at a sea of faces, choose a few scattered throughout the room and keep returning your eye line to each one.

+ If you’re presenting visually, never do “death by PowerPoint”. Use arresting visuals and video if possible. Never present graphs, pie charts or bullet points. And NEVER EVER read whatever text you have on screen to your audience.

Thanks to those who remembered to take pics, especially Andre and Dion, some of which are used here.