The more I wrote about the growth of the #CNBizfair, the more I wanted to attend the program. Yeah, it was in Lagos, and I am based in Benin city. So it meant I had to travel. It was a hard choice because, at that time, one of my sons was ill. But with the green light from my husband, I finally boarded a bus last minute and headed to Lagos. Although I went late, I was fortunate to be right on time because registration for attendees was still ongoing. With over 20,000 registered participants, 1 hour 30mins was not enough to make sure everyone present was accounted for.
The thing I loved most about the #CNBizfair from my research on it was the discussion segments. Over the years, they had invited a certain calibre of CEOs thriving in the business space in Nigeria and the knowledge shared during the forums were outstanding. This year, although some of the guest speakers were recurrent invitees, it was a pleasure for the majority of first-timers to hear what they had to say. I learned so much from the discussions and went gaga for days after telling all who cared to listen to the things I learned.
We took a break, and I went around to get something to eat and visit the exhibition area. Oh, did I mention the event was held at Eko Hotels and Suite at Victoria Island, Lagos? I was amazed at how spacious the place was. Now I understood why they had been hosting the event there for years as the crowd kept on increasing. There was so much on display. If I had gone with the intention of spending money, I would have bought a lot. A particular stand caught my eye, and the CEO was very friendly and fun to engage with. Her Adire collection was most impressive. I just had to get a picture of her and her stand for posterity sake.
As I was heading back to the raffle draw segment to see what was going on there and get my Thank U card to join the Connect Nigeria Business club, I found out the discussion segment had begun again and former minister of Aviation and former FRSC boss, Osita Chidoka was speaking. I hurried back and never left that hall until the end of the event at 7:15 pm. I often wondered if the two parts of the fair were concurrently running because it was hard to navigate the exhibition hall and still be in the room for the discussion forum.
People were allowed to ask questions, and the panellists were terrific. I can’t write all I learned but here are some things I garnered from this annual fair:
The program began with Eyo Bassey, the CEO of Payporte. He said 5the ebusiness scene in Nigeria changes very fast so we should be ready to innovate, iterate with the trends, get the right associations and advice. He reminded us of the insatiable need of the Nigerian market and how we should not be discouraged if it felt like everyone was doing the business we wanted to start up. Although he took a jab at the banking sector, claiming it will be redundant in 20years time, his train of thought for startups was continued by Mrs Akpan Ikhoabasi, Sales Manager, Air France - KLM. She spoke on the need to carve a niche for your business by meeting a particular demand or meeting a need uniquely. She said, “People don’t buy products, they by the benefits of the products whether it is real or perceived.”
Speaking of meeting needs, Mrs Ngozi Princewill Utchay, the CEO Artelier Lifestyle Consultants in Abuja, continued that train of thought by explaining how proper customer service is the lifeblood of any business. The more you treat customers right, the more loyal they become. On the issue of loyal customers, Simeon Ononobi, the Co-Founder Thank U and CEO of SimplePay Payment Gateway, explained how important it was to collect customers’ data to track their purchasing cycle for targeted marketing purposes. The analytics will help business owners know when to expect clients and better plan.
It is impossible to cover the wealth of knowledge shared in an 8 hour period with over 12 speakers in one article. That’s why I referred you to the connect Nigeria site to read up more. You can also visit their YouTube channel to watch the panellist discussions live for yourself. But the things I will never forget was Mabel George (VP Business Development at Sigma Pensions)’s charge that we don’t have to wait till we are old to start a pension fund. As soon as you start earning, get one. Mr Adeyinka Fisher (State Coordinator at SMEDAN) helped me understand that I run a Microenterprise. Not all businesses are SME by specific indices, and this affects the ease at which companies can apply for funding from organisations. Eric Edokpa (Principal Consultant Fintech at Ventures and Allied Solutions (FVAS), NEXTZON) echoed a concept that I started the year with, the need for collaboration with others when building your platform.
Tale Alimi (CEO Tale Alimi Global) pointed out that we need to change our mindset to succeed in business and my younger sister’s friend Tolu Onyeacholam (Product Manager eTranzact) gave a classic example using the rural area as a money spinner. I didn’t go there with the aim of making money yet I was able to sell The Quilt at the event. If you love knowledge, don’t plan to miss the next #CNBizFair.
