The sixth edition of the New Media Conference (NMC) held on November 29, 2019, at The Glitz Event Center, Lekki, Lagos. It was convened by popular blogger and author, Tosin Ajibade (aka Olorisupergal). This year’s event was aimed at understanding how storytelling has helped to shape new media and communications in Nigeria. From interactive panel sessions to intense discussions about the social media bill, here are five things that happened at the New Media Conference:
Insightful Sessions: There were four highly insightful panel sessions. During the first panel session, they talked about the interesting stories they’ve been able to tell with their brands through new media. The second-panel members talked extensively about the way brands can tell better stories. On the third-panel, they spoke about what they look out for in the talents they choose to work with. The panellists on the last panel session talked about how new media has helped to showcase Nigerian talents to the rest of the world.
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Expert Panelists: Senior Broadcast Journalist, BBC, Princess Abumere; Co-founder, Farmcrowdy, Temitope Omotolani; and Media Manager, Paystack, Mohini Ufeli made up the first panel. Chidi Okereke, Head of business, Devon Troy Copper, moderated the first panel. The second panel was moderated by Marketing Communication Manager, Alpha Mead Group, Muyiwa Babarinde. Members of the panel included, Founder, Live With Lynda, Lynda Aguocha; Creative Director, SO&U, Chris Ogunlowo; and Chief Executive Officer, Dotts Media. The third-panel session was moderated by Founder, Startup HR Africa, Goodness Okoronkwo. It featured Mariam Bakare, aka Mory Coco and Talent Manager, Tom Godwin as panellists. The fourth and final panel session included Head Talent Liaison, Up Close and Personal, Andrea Giaccaglia; Media Personality, Wana Udobang and Chief Content Officer, Boom Buzz, Jide Taiwo. TV Presenter, Foladele Falana-Ngadi moderated the last session.
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The Consistent Gbedu Poet: At the end of every panel session, members of the audience were allowed to ask questions. A few people asked questions more than one time. But one man, in particular, stood out. He asked several questions after every panel session and reintroduced himself at every point as ‘The Gbedu Poet’. He was rewarded for his consistency at the end of the day as Olorisupergal gave him a signed copy of her autobiography.
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Soulful Performance: The conference started with a soulful rendition of the national anthem from singer-songwriter, ‘OluwaShalom’. At the end of the second panel, she was back to perform her song, ‘Dear Me’. The performance was very beautiful and was perhaps the artsiest thing that happened at the conference.
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Social Media Bill Discussions: In the first-panel session moderated by Twitter influencer, Chidi Okereke, the social media bill was discussed. While the panellists, Princess Abumere, Temitope Omotolani, and Mohini Ufeli danced around the issue, Chidi took a firm stand. At the end of the day, they came to a unified conclusion. They agreed that before the bill is passed into law, the motive for wanting to pass the bill must be properly explained.
The New Media Conference was filled with the perfect balance of knowledge sharing, jokes, trend discussions and useful tips on getting ahead in the creative industry through the use of social media. It ended with the convener of the event, Tosin Ajibade (Olorisupergal) promising that the event will be back for its seventh edition next year.