Image: Supplied/Hammer & Gavel
Creative Rides has earned yet another honour in South Africa’s auction history books by becoming the only podium professionals to be recognised with awards for executing the best auction campaigns in SA and globally.
Some might say a touch of divine intervention inspired the Creative Rides team to go above and beyond for these car sales.
“It broke national records and reached millions of buyers around the world through blood, sweat, tears, fires, sleep deprivation and near-impossible Covid lockdown laws to pull them off,” says Creative Rides director and lead auctioneer Joff van Reenen.
But Creative Rides CEO Kevin Derrick says there have been whispers that the late, lamented Oom Louis Coetzer and his beloved wife Tannie Hermien might have been the silent partners cheering to victory the talented team of collector car aficionados at Creative Rides from their spot in the front row.
“Whatever the magic mix, both honours have come as a result of Coetzer Estate classic car auction campaigns – specifically those run in 2020 and 2024.
“The National Auction Association (NAA)/USA Today Global Auction Campaign of the Year was awarded in early 2021 for Creative Rides’ first Coetzer Estate sale, which until the last minute, we didn’t believe would happen,” says Derrick.
“The world had been living the horror of a global pandemic for nearly a year at that stage and there was no relief in sight. We had no idea if classic cars were even on the radar, never mind if anyone would buy them,” he says.
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Van Reenen says the lesson was that in times of worldwide hardship, describing the sleek design lines of classic cars wasn’t the marketing ticket.
“Oom Louis and Tannie Hermien’s three children came together and reminisced about growing up with prolific collector parents. We then told the world the stories of their warm memories, laughter and family love.
“These were uplifting tales that a bleak, isolated 2020 global society needed and the Coetzer articles went viral. Not surprisingly, as a result of that, the live-streamed auction in December 2020 did too.”
Ironically, the SA Institute of Auctioneers (SAIA) 2024 inaugural SA Auction of the Year Award that Creative Rides won recently was mooted months ago at an SA Institute of Auctioneers Board meeting by none other than Van Reenen who sits on the board.
Since 2022, he has also been a director of the globally representative NAA in the United States.
“The NAA’s annual awards have been hotly contested for decades. Auction companies throw everything at their entry presentations because the awards are internationally prestigious,” says Van Reenen.
“The SAIA is a member of the NAA and given the development strides the industry is making in South Africa, it makes sense that we should recognise the best of and most talented in our industry locally.
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“Not being part of the judging process, I was probably more surprised than anyone when Creative Rides won.
“We’re so proud of our team and delighted that the winning campaign was telling another Oom Louis’ story – this time about his forgotten barn in Barkly East.”
Van Reenen, who is also CEO of fintech firm The Chant Laboratory, was additionally honoured with SAIA’s 2024 Brand Ambassador Award for “the individual who represents the SA Institute of Auctioneers with exceptional dedication and influence in their business endeavours.”
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