A curated mid-week series for entrepreneurs, operators and the creatively stubborn. Practical insight, real conversations, and the occasional glass of wine — hosted across our Workshop17 locations.
Workshop Wednesdays runs on quality over cadence. Rather than fill the calendar for the sake of it, we're actively scouting the right voice for our next session — someone with a story to tell, a perspective that shifts the room, or a craft worth sitting with for an hour.
If that sounds like you, or like someone you know, we'd love to hear from you. Members, corporates, founders, makers — all welcome. Also happy to chat about partnerships, sponsorships, or hosting at another Workshop17 location.
Drop a line about who should be on stage next, or if you'd like to put yourself forward. Short notes welcome.
Email Craig →A growing roster of economists, founders, filmmakers, winemakers and workshoppers who've taken the Wednesday stage. In rough reverse order — because the most recent room is often the easiest to remember.
Doolhof's visionary winemaker on soil, craft, and the long game of making wine in the Western Cape. The session closed with a tasting — because some stories read better in the glass.
A practical working session on using NotebookLM, Google AI Studio and Gemini for Workspace as one integrated engine. Not theory — deployable workflow thinking for consultants, sales and advisory teams.
The broadcaster opened with an "impossible quiz" designed to crack our assumptions about the global economy. The argument: in an age of more information than ever, we may be less informed. Perception → Decision → Action.
A hands-on session on how we work together, not just what we do. The four stages of psychological safety, the Situation–Behaviour–Impact feedback model, and a room willing to say out loud what it usually holds back.
Science-backed tools for regulating the nervous system and moving from problem-solving to possibility-thinking. A room that arrived wired and stretched left grounded, laughing, and open.
The founders in conversation: from Maboneng experiments to the V&A Waterfront, through COVID and the asset-light pivot, to 13 sites across SA and Mauritius. Workspaces as community platforms, not square meters.
The co-director of Chasing the Sun on how you tell a story everyone already knows the ending to — and still make it unforgettable. Authenticity over polish, relationships over rugby.
The renowned copywriter on how entrepreneurs, communicators and sales pros can get AI to work with them — delivering sharper, smarter, more human-sounding output without losing their voice.
The Sealand founder on building one of SA's most authentic purpose-driven brands — from the "upcycled human" story to the Leave No Trace ethos threaded through every decision.
The economist, GIBS professor and Genera Capital investment specialist on how South African businesses can overcome growth barriers — navigating energy, policy and investment climate with resilience.
Workshop Wednesdays sit somewhere between a talk, a working session, and an after-work drink. 90–150 minutes, informal but intentional — designed to send you home with a new idea and at least one new conversation.
A soft landing. Name tags optional, good conversation guaranteed.
Story-driven, practical, never academic. The speaker does the real work.
Sometimes a structured workshop, sometimes open questions — always real.
The part most events rush. We don't. This is why people come back.