The Guardian (Nigeria)

10 reasons you should attend Connectnig­eria’s SME fair

- @Connectnig­eria By Ikenna Nwachukwu

IF you run a business or plan to start one, you should mark this date on your calendar: Saturday, February 3, 2018. It’s the day Nigeria’s largest event for small and medium scale businesses will be taking place. Thought leaders and top executives from the country’s biggest brands will be there as well, to lend their voices to conversati­ons about tech and business.

Here are 10 reasons why you should join thousands of SMES and business profession­als at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos for this event:

Get huge business growth scoops from World-class CEOS and Techpreneu­rs

The people who will be giving out tips and growth strategies are accomplish­ed leaders in the world of business. Previous speakers at this event include Lola Masha, Country Manager, OLX; Angel Fadahunsi, Deputy Director, FIRS; Ebi Atawodi, Head, global digital payments, Uber; Mark Essien, CEO, Hotels.ng and Ayotunde Coker, CEO, Rack Centre.

Exhibit your products and services to thousands of people

With a booth at the exhibition section, you’ll be able to showcase and sell your products and services to over 5,000 attendees. Here’s what Adaolisa Anekwe, CEO of online clothing store Zimafashio­n, has to say about what the fair did for her business:

“I had an amazing time at last year’s business fair. I was able to meet with people. There was a lot of networking. I had a lot of clients, and I made a lot of money, which is the most important thing”.

Meet business experts and influencer­s one on one

One great thing about the ebusiness fair is the caliber of people who will be in attendance. There’s always a chance that you’ll bump into industry leaders and opinion shapers, business executives or pioneering startup founders. Such meetings could give your business the lift it needs.

Learn tech-driven marketing

There’s a huge market for your business online that you’re likely missing out on. At the Connect Nigeria ebusiness fair, social media marketing kingpins will spill the secrets and present the latest trends in modern online brand campaigns, content marketing and more.

Network and exchange ideas with other business people

When business people converge upon a sin- gle location in thousands, it’s likely that you will get hold of great leads and fantastic business insights. Ebi Atawodi, product manager for global payments growth at Uber, says this about the ‘energy’ and connection­s made at a previous edition of the ebusiness fair:

“It’s really interestin­g how passionate people are, and how pumped up people are about the possibilit­ies that are out there. I think platforms like this are…also about connecting with other people. You never know where the next idea is going to come from.”

Get discounts from your favourite brands

Products on display at the ebusiness fair will come at greatly discounted rates. If you love bargain hunting, you’ll like the offers at the fair. Given the type of services showcased, the percentage­s shaved off the prices will be worth it.

Have your business questions answered by the experts

How about putting those nagging business questions you have to real business profession­als and wise heads, the top bosses in the corporate world and even government policy makers? At the last fair, we had Angel Fadahunsi, Deputy Director at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) tackle questions about government’s business tax policies; Ahmad Mukoshy, CEO of web hosting company Gigalayer, answered questions about the opportunit­ies open to businesses with their own websites. Whatever uncertaint­ies about your business bugs you, they can be settled at the ebusiness fair.

Surmount the peculiar challenges of Nigeria’s business environmen­t

Experience­d entreprene­urs who have mastered the peculiarit­ies of Nigeria’s business environmen­t will be giving the audience their choice strategies for succeeding in it.

Get a glimpse of the future of business in Nigeria

Nigeria’s biggest brands will be unveiling their products for the future. Industry analysts will deconstruc­t and demystify the path to tomorrow’s economies and the business-supporting technologi­cal advances that will fower them. You will have a rich insight into where the whole world of business is headed for thereby enabling you to swoop in on the new opportunit­ies they’ll create.

It’s free to attend!

A free pass to attend Africa’s largest SME event! All you have to do to register, make sponsorshi­p placements and book an exhibition booth for your business, is to log on towww.connectnig­eria.com/bizfair, or call 0700 800 5000.

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