TBWA\Coastal marks 14 years behind the Absa SuperSport Shootout Experience

When players, business leaders and sporting legends arrived at Zimbali Estate for this year’s Absa SuperSport Shootout, they stepped into an event with more than two decades of history and a production partnership that has endured for 14 years.

The 2026 edition marked another milestone for TBWA\Coastal, through DMY, it’s specialist events division, which has worked alongside the Shootout since 2012 to deliver the event’s experiential programme, overseeing sponsor activations, hospitality environments and guest experiences that have become part of the tournament’s identity.

Now in its 22nd year, the Absa SuperSport Shootout continues to occupy a unique space on South Africa’s sporting calendar. The event brought together business leaders, corporate partners and some of South Africa’s most recognisable sporting figures, including Brian Habana, John Smit, Shaun Pollock, Joel Stransky, Victor Matfield, Neil Tovey, Pat Lambie, Butch James, and brothers Odwa and Akona Ndungane.

The partnership between the Absa SuperSport Shootout and TBWA\Coastal reflects a long-term approach to experiential marketing, with the agency responsible for creating key touchpoints across the Welcome Dinner, Gala Dinner and Gifting Experience, while developing opportunities for sponsors to engage audiences in meaningful ways.

National broadcast coverage, digital storytelling and premium brand integration have helped the Shootout maintain its relevance as both a sporting event and a commercial platform. For participating organisations, it offers a setting where relationships can be strengthened away from traditional boardrooms and meeting spaces.

Participation in the tournament is by invitation, a format that has helped maintain its focus on relationship-building, philanthropy and meaningful engagement between business and sporting communities.

Purpose remains central to the event’s legacy. Since 2004, the Absa SuperSport Shootout has generated more than R34m for charitable causes. This year’s edition continued that commitment through support for Absa’s Possibilities Unearthed initiative, which establishes sustainable vegetable gardens at schools across South Africa.

Lindsay Thompson, event specialist at TBWA\Coastal, said the agency’s continued involvement has been shaped by collaboration and a shared ambition to evolve the experience year after year.

“For fourteen years, our team has had the privilege of contributing to an event that means a great deal to so many people across sport, business and the communities it supports. Every edition presents an opportunity to refine the experience, create value for sponsors and deliver moments that resonate with guests. The trust built between our client, partners and team over many years is what continues to drive the success of the Shootout.”

For TBWA\Coastal, the Shootout reflects the work of DMY. For the past 14 years, DMY has worked alongside the event organisers and a network of partners to deliver the experiential programme that underpins the tournament. The team’s work spans strategy, production and experience design, contributing to an event that continues to connect sport, business and philanthropy on one of South Africa’s most established sporting platforms.