EXMAN elects new executives, seeks growth of marketing communications industry

The Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) has assured of taking the sector to next level,

At the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held recently in Lagos, veteran marketing professional and Managing Director of Connect Marketing Services, Tunji Adeyinka, was elected unopposed as president.

Four other marketing professionals were equally elected. They are: Tolulope Medebem, Vice President (MD, Aster Integrated Marketing); Owolabi Mustapha, General Secretary (MD, Maxx Connection); Shola Antwi, Financial Secretary (Chief Operating Officer, DivergentMS) and Orunkoyi Adeniyi, Publicity Secretary (Project General, panache Communications).

Speaking at the event, which attracted high net worth guests such as Biodun Shobanjo, Chairman, Troyka Group; Femi Adelusi, President, Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and Emmanuel Ajufo, President, Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), among others, APCON Registrar, Dr. Olalekan Olumuyiwa Fadolapo, congratulated the association for the height it has attained within a short period of its existence and officially welcomed EXMAN as a sectoral body within the industry.

The APCON registrar promised to work and support the association in all ramifications.

The newly elected President takes over from Tade Adekunle, Chief Executive Officer of Keskese Limited, who has completed his two-year term.

The two-day brand experience summit featured two plenaries and 40 sessions across five different parallel streams each day covering Brands/Campaigns/Ideas, Marketing Technology/Data, Agency/Insights/Measurement, Shopper/Trade Marketing, and Academy.

According to the organisers, the topics under each stream were carefully curated to cover the wide gamut of business practice, consumer engagement, evidence-based marketing, creativity and business growth.

The hybrid event had seasoned speakers across industries such as Cosmas Maduka, Chairman Coscharis Group; Stella Fubara, Director International Operations – Dubai Department of Tourism Commerce & Marketing; Tosin Runsewe, CEO at Afya Care/Non-Executive Chairman Evercare Hospital Lekki and Biola Alabi, founder, Biola Alabi Media, as plenary speakers among other panellists.

Speaking on how to grow businesses from small to big scale, Maduka leveraged strongly on his background and how he grew a N200 business to a multi-billion Naira enterprise in the last 50 years.

While emphasising that every problem is actually an opportunity for business. He enjoined participants at the conference to become solution providers, as therein, lay opportunity to grow.

The association also honoured deserving and distinguishing agencies and individuals for their outstanding performances and contributions to the experiential marketing landscape in Nigeria.

The award night was a night of fun, glamour, glitz, colour, and beautiful costumes showcased by its members.

Brand Regimen clinched the most prestigious award of the night, Grand Prix, for its activation on Nivea during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Other agencies that won big at the night were Keskese, GDM Group, Brand Life, Abelinis, Ideas House, Town Crier, Maxx Connection, and EXP Marketing including Brand Regimen winning gold in various categories of the award. The award categories they won range from Best Event (B2C) to Best Shopper Activation (Open Market), Best Trade Activation, Best Merchandising Solution (Modern Trade), Best Activation of Sporting Property Award, Best Activation of Entertainment Property Award, Best Use of Digital in an Event Award and Best Shopper Activation (Modern Trade) respectively.

They also clinched silver and bronze in other categories alongside other notable agencies in the country.

For the individual category award, Funmi Onabolu, GMD, Cosse Ltd was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Awards for his contribution to the growth of experimental marketing in the country.