
Businesses should organize conferences to foster business
relations, to spur innovation and to disseminate information about the
industry. In Nigeria, a country with an effective and growing economy, such
professional conferences and events organizations are fast becoming important.
The Nigerian events industry has a 10% annual growth rate and is also expected
to continue to greatly contribute to the country’s economy. When companies and
organizations realize the importance of coming up with effective events, so too
does the importance of professional corporate event management.
However, like every other thing, organizing a corporate
conference in Nigeria has its quirk, including; conference venue in Nigeria,
corporate event venue in Nigeria, event management in Nigeria, event services
in Nigeria, and other service providers in Nigeria. Each section in this guide
also offers tips to guide you through the planning and holding of a successful
conference.
1. Define Clear Objectives
To start with, describe the purpose of your conference. Are
you introducing a new product, educating the target market about your industry,
or building goodwill with stakeholders? The primary goals are at the centre of
the planning process of the corporate event and are reflected in the agenda and
who you will be inviting.
Actionable Steps:
- Let’s begin with one of the most important steps – defining
your target customers.
- To bridge the gap have specific objectives that are
measurable such as the level of satisfaction of the attendees, and the number
of opportunities that include networking.
- Develop a persuasive theme correlated to your company’s
needs.
2. Budget Wisely
The need for event budget planning aims at facilitating
constant containment of the resource expenditures. When organizing conferences,
costs can quickly run out of hand if a budget is not prepared in advance,
especially when considering expenses such as the rental of a hall, food and
equipment.
Actionable Steps:
- Develop a distribution of major and minor expenses.
- It is recommended to spend most of the money on wiping
essentials or essentials such as speakers and audiovisual equipment.
- Do not allocate less than 10-15% of your budget for contingencies, but ensure that it is in discretionary account.
3. Choose the Right Venue
Venue is an important factor that determines the success of
an event and the experiences of attendees. Nigeria has several facilities; the
hotels in Lagos and Abuja, and the business-oriented centres in Port Harcourt.
Choosing the right corporate venue in Nigeria depends on the following aspects;
– The capacity of the venue, – The accessibility of the venue, and the
amenities available at the venue.
Actionable Steps:
- As such, availability and accessibility should be taken into
consideration starting with good locations by transport sectors.
- Seek to look out features like good internet connection,
sufficient parking space and meeting or other smaller rooms.
- You can only get your preferred date and location by booking
in advance.
4. Plan Conference Logistics Meticulously
The aspects of logistics can be regarded as the key factors
of conference success. From registration to post-event feedback, the planning
process guarantees the attendees’ have the best experience.
Actionable Steps:
- When it comes to the management of events, such as
registration and communication, then one should consider using management
software.
- Need help to provide transport and lodging for the guests
who are from other regions in the country.
- Keep contingency solutions for things like power
interruptions or traffic jams.
5. Collaborate with Reliable Nigerian Event Vendors
Choosing experienced Nigerian event vendors can help improve
your conference. When it comes to catering, decor and the like- quality
suppliers are a great asset to make the event a success.
Actionable Steps:
- Evaluate your vendors by using reviews and previous work, so
you ensure you are working with the best.
- Discuss the terms of a contract to demystify what is
expected to be accomplished.
- Assess the outcome in terms of how closely it aligns
with their short and long-term needs of building relations with vendors for
future business.
6. Leverage Technology
Modern conference organization tips cannot be imagined
without technology masterpieces. From the virtual participation of meetings and
classes to providing engagement-promoting and time-optimizing applications.
Actionable Steps:
- Virtual meeting platforms should be used for hybrid meetings
for conferences.
- Ironically, the simplest way for convention organizers to
add value to their offerings is by creating a simple, intuitive, and free
mobile app to make schedules, bios, and networking easier to access.
- Expedite interaction through upcoming live feature polls and
questions.
7. Curate Engaging Content
Everyone knows that the essence of any conference is the
information being presented. Audiences of presentations, panels, and workshops
retain the informative and interesting level of presentations.
Actionable Steps:
- Encourage the use of key personalities in business as
speakers.
- Relate the sessions with the interest of the attendees and
current market trends.
- Maximise the use of formats that will include; case studies,
debates and practicals.
8. Focus on Attendee Experience
An outstanding attendee experience here cannot be explained
in terms of organizing processes. These extras such as welcome kits, meaningful
activities and good networking opportunities set your conference apart.
Actionable Steps:
- Create a beautiful registration place.
- Provide charging points, Café areas and comfort Zones.
- Organise floored meetings before regular intervals so that
the attendees can interact with each other.
9. Marketing Your Event
It should also be noted that all the advertisements should
also aim at achieving high participation. Either online or offline make sure
you target the right people who will benefit from your products.
Actionable Steps:
- The sponsors to the occasion feel comfortable since event
announcements have a site or page that contains all the pertinent details.
- Use social media pages for advertising and
giving updates on events in progress.
- Collaborate with influencers and other industry player umbrella bodies to increase its coverage.
10. Measure Success
It is helpful to evaluate such an occasion since it points
out the strengths and weaknesses of the event so that in the following
occasions the organizer gains a better understanding of what must be done and
what should not be done.
Actionable Steps:
- Use questionnaires when feedback from members is required
from the attendees.
- Other benchmark areas that ought to be evaluated include
attendance ratio, engagement levels as well as the RoI.
- Organize a debriefing session with your team to record some
of the things that were learnt.
Real-World Example: A Successful Nigerian Business Event
A Global financial services firm was recently involved in
the organization of a corporate conference held in Lagos with more than 500
participants. They were able to guarantee professional conference planning and
choose reliable vendors, thus, they received 95% satisfaction. Key success
factors included:
- Scheduling of venue and venue-specific several operational
contingencies.
- Esteemed speakers and sessions that provide engagement.
- A major social media promotion strategy that has created an
impression of over one million.
Conclusion
Organization of corporate conferences takes good planning,
thorough planning, and work with the right partners in Nigeria. By staying
specific in event goals, thinking about the budget in the most effective way,
and considering attendees’ experiences, companies can organise memorable
events.
The main takeaways for planning successful Nigerian business
events are:
1. Have clearly stated goals which should be followed
strictly in every aspect when organizing the conference.
2. Select a location and suppliers that can suit the purpose
and cost constraints available.
3. Use technology and proactive creative methods to increase
people’s participation and improve productivity.
In the current world where there is an increasing market for
corporate conferences, the ability to deliver on corporate meeting management
will be a competitive edge. Learning how to properly plan your next event is a
crucial foundation for building your firm in Nigeria’s increasingly complex
business environment.
Felicities
Bringing Coroprate events to life with expert planning, management, and seamless execution for events that leave a lasting impression.