Friday, December 29, 2017

Nigeria Event Industry Trends in 2018



Nigeria Event Industry Trends in 2018
Every year I read global event industry future trends and forecasts but I have not come across a trend or forecast for the event industry in Nigeria particularly and Africa in general.





Running through these trends which are supposedly worldwide trends, I have come to the conclusion that the Event Industry in Nigeria is still growing and very far behind what we have in developed economies.  It also mean that the industry does not have enough statistics to enable prediction and forecasting. This is not an indictment on the event management professionals and planners because I am very sure that they can rise up to the occasion when the environment is right. The three major factors I have identified that is dragging the industry behind are the Event Owners, Sponsors and Attendees.
I make this statement because most of the key drivers of the Event Industry trend such as Technology, Marketing, Analytics, Comfort, etc. seems not to make much meaning to us here in Nigeria. Probably our lack of interest derives from the size of the economy, Low Budget, Attendees mediocrity, lack of knowledge. In my opinion these factors should not deter us from providing the kind of statistics needed to measure the financial size of the event industry in Nigeria, the extent of technology application, the creativity in event design and attendee experience.

Let me take you through some reviews from a few websites.

1. Direct meeting space booking goes online with lots of options.

  The trend here highlights the growing availability of Online event management Solutions for venue booking. It reduces stress for the event planner by providing you with a platform to shop for venues, make bookings and make payments from the comfort of your laptop or mobile phone. This is going to rise in 2018.

2. Event wayfinding will advance with the help of augmented reality (AR)
Again technology is playing a leading role in event trends of the future. It is a challenge to find your way in large event centres. The evolving trend now is the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and  Indoor Positioning System (IPS) to guide event attendees through large event venues.
3. Chatbots, with the help of artificial intelligence, will provide on-demand attendee info in a ubiquitous and simple text-based format
It is all about technology. Chatbots an Artificial intelligence (AI) based computer program are beginning to play a key role in events spaces worldwide. 2018 will see more adaptation of chatbots to the event industry as predicted by Corbin  Ball & Co.
4. Newer, cloud-based companies will make an “event tech deck” and integration easier.
Marketing Intelligence and Sales Communication is expected to get better for event planners with the improvement in interoperability of Data management systems leading to collaboration and integrations of attendee data.

5. Hacking attacks on events, venues and individuals will increase and privacy protection standard will increase.
Corbin Ball & Co predicts that cyber-attacks will target events. Proactive measures such as compliance to Industry standards and adoption very strong authentication systems should be the focus for event planners.
6. New methods for friction-free event check-in are developing.
Event registration and check-in is usually a bottle neck in many events. 2018 promises to provide improved methods for check-in and registration including face recognition technology. Tongue prints are unique but nobody is talking about it.

7. Events become central to an overall marketing effort.
It will now become more comfortable to collate and explore attendee data during events as more sophisticated methods that integrate with sales automation tools and CRM makes it possible to track customer behavior in details.

8. Virtual meetings will not replace face-to-face meetings (a repeat from previous years’ predictions):
Meetings and Events will still remain largely physical for a long time to come.



2018 CWT Meeting and Events Future Trend
CWT compiled a very comprehensive report that spotlights
Ø  Focus on “Why”
Ø  Budget
Ø  Attendee Experience
Ø  Technology
Ø  Safety and Security
Kindly download the report and read


10 Event Trends for 2018 [Free Report]


I have always followed Julius Solaris and looked forward to this report. The 2018 report is as details as expected and focuses on the following.

  • 10 Trends in Event Technology
  • 10 Trends in Venues
  • 10 Trends in Event Marketing and Social Media
  • 10 Trends in Destinations
  • 10 Trends in Event Experience
  • 10 Trends in Event Decor and Styling
  • 10 Trends for Destination Management Companies (DMCs)
 A total of 70 trends, to give you a roadmap to follow in 2018.
The report is free and can be downloaded from ( http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/10-event-trends-for-2018-report )


Event Marketing 2018: Benchmarks and Trends by The Bizzabo Blog

The Bizzabo Blog presents some very interesting insights into the events industry in 2018. Their findings is compiled in the report Event Marketing 2018: Benchmarks and Trends which can be downloaded from

Two major deduction from their report are that there will be an increase in the number of events in 2018



And that Technology will positively impact the successful organization of events in 2018.



7 Event Technology Trends to Explore in 2018

Eventbrite analysed events technologies that will be impactful in 2018. According to Katie Sawyer (https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/event-technology-trends-in-2018-ds00/ ), here are the major technologies that will differentiate your event from others.

1. Facial recognition for events

2. RFID for event sponsors

3. Artificial intelligence for events

4. The right event apps

5. Livestreaming

6. Social media walls

7. Event technology for productivity


2018 Event Trends That Will Shape the Events Industry
Will Curran of Endless Events gave a very exciting insight into events trends for 2018. Here is a summary of his views. The details are available on (https://helloendless.com/2018-event-trends/ )

Event Safety and Security: Going Back to Basics

Event security breaches in previous years has given a strong indication that event planners will need to step up both physical and cyber security in 2018.

Going All Out with Engagement

2018 is time to engage all the five senses in an event using a well-crafted multi-sensory strategy that will deepen the attendee experience while holistically captivating them throughout the event duration.

Virtual Attendees Get More Love

Virtual Reality (VR) Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality will see more application to events in 2018.

Infusing Local Flavor to Events

Event planners will spend more time in 2018 localizing their events not just through local cuisines but other local spices such as gift, cultural performance, tours, etc.

Unique Venues Make Bold and Memorable Statements

The venue makes the event. Stepping out of the conventional 4-wall event setting will drive events in 2018.

Customization Creates Personalized Event Experiences

Event planners will strive to customize events as much as possible to create varied personalized experiences and deeper immersion.

Artificial Intelligence Provides Much Needed Event Assistance

Artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to play bigger roles during events in 2018 through the use of event apps and Chabots.

Big Data and Crowdshaping: The Man Behind the Curtain

The event planners will focus more on shaping and refining the attendee experience through data gathering and analysis. Which event management software are you using?

Foster Sustainable Events

Sustainability is the way to go in 2018. Integrating local vendors, corporate social responsibility and charitable community service will play a stronger role.

Let them Unplug: Allowing for Mindfulness

Moments for rewinding, play games, interact on social media and mood setting will not be left out.

Make Your Event’s “Why” Crystal Clear

Attendees need to understand the reason for the event. Tis will be more enforced in the coming years through give away gift items, reinforcement on name tags and other heavily visible areas.



Let us come back home. Here is what I see happening in 2018 in the Nigerian event industry

A. Event Design and Styling
Creativity in event styling and design will rise to a new crescendo due to competition and arrival of very discerning products from China, Europe and US. Event centres will renovate with upscale furniture while event decorators will scale up to match creativity of well established companies.

B. Social Media Interaction
Social media interaction will increase with adoption of live screening, Facebook integration, Instagram presence and SnapChat connectivity
C. Technology Integration
Technology will play a major role in Audio Video systems, Event ticketing and venue booking, vendor sourcing, event marketing and publicity
D. Safety and Security
More emphasis will be placed on Security and safety in the areas of medicals, insurance, anti-violence and anti-terrorism. APPOEMN a major event association in Nigeria is already leading the anti-violence campaign. On the other hand Lagos state has begun to engage venue owners and event planners alike on improving security, safety and insurance. This will continue in 2018.
E.  Attendee Experience
Event planners will improve on data gathering to measure attendee experience and device ways of improving on future events.

Whichever ways it comes out, I don’t not see any notable deviation from major globally trends and already reviewed opinions . Send your opinions to emekaao@mexxanda.com



Emeka Achebe-Okosieme, is multi-disciplinary professional. Graduated with Second Class Upper in Electronic Engineering from University of Nigeria. He went into topflight ICT profession becoming one of the first Nigerians to certify as MCSE. Spending 12 years running IT in Banks and topping it up with an MBA from University of Lagos equipped him for management challenges. With stints in the Courier and Logistics Industry, Core ICT industry and now Event Management, he has been able to garner deep Project management experience for very small to the extremely large projects. He has received many training both locally and internationally and is a distinguished Alumnus of Lagos Business School Senior Management Programme




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