A recap of Nigeria's biggest social media event [REVIEW]

For a week-long event, it was very organized. Various kinds of panels and sessions held across the five various dedicated areas with impressive precision. The innovation stage was largely dedicated to, well, panels that had to do with innovation and the future of various aspects of the Nigerian tech space, with the experience stage taking on panels that dealt with existing aspects of said tech space.

The hangout and masterclass suites were focused on more precise topics while the interactive pavilion largely served as a reception of sorts.

On the first day, registration of participants was smooth - the organizing team must be commended on this - and the layout of the venue was pretty easy to figure out. Nescafe was on hand to fulfill all my coffee needs (they have magnificent cocktails too!) from day on till the very end of the event, Casper & Gambini did well on the days they served lunch (Note to organizers: lunch should be every day, and the better food should not be limited to the executive boardroom), refreshments were made available regularly, and the Ciroc lounge was adequate. All in all, the event was executed very well.

Over the five day period, the event saw representatives from across most sectors of the Nigerian tech space and beyond. From telco's, to government agencies, to incubators, to software companies, and non-profits. Even the Nigerian Police Force was represented. Surprisingly, there were no OEMs present - not that I noticed anyway. Considering that the event is called Social Media Week Lagos, and the fact the world is steadily moving toward a mobile-only setup, you'd think at least one OEM would host one of the many sessions over the five-day period. Samsung, Infinix, Tecno, Injoo and the rest of them were nowhere to be found, and I find that very disappointing.

OEMs aside, hardware manufacturers (laptops, gadgets and stuff like that) were also absent. I can't seem to wrap my head around why such brands will be absent at such a tech-centric event but hey, they probably have their reasons and who am I to judge, right?

Away from absentees at the event, I particularly liked how, over the five days, each day had a general theme. For example, day 3 was focused on the marriage between governance and technology (activism and all that), day 4 was all about the music, and day 5 was for the fashion industry. See my point? There were also a lot of high profile attendees over the course of the event.

Music artistes like M.I - who was on a panel, Mr. 2Kay, Sound Sultan - also on a panel, Bez, NaetoC amongst others were present. Celebrities like Ebuka Obi-Uchendu (he moderated a panel), Noble Igwe, eLDee (he demoed his new PlayData offering), and so on were also present. Government officials like Mr. JoeAbah of the Bureau of Public Reforms, Mr. TonyOjobo of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Abayomi Shogunle or the police Complaint Response Unit (CRU), Senator Dino Melaye and even Senate President Bukola Saraki all made an appearance or were part of a panel.

Activists like Stephen Achonu of BudgIT, Japhet Omojuwa, Gbenga Sesan of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), and Irene Patrick Ogbuogu of the Disability Rights Advocacy Centre were also in attendance.

Other brands that particpated in the event included, Airtel, StanbicIBTCBank, Nescafe, AfroCab, Facebook, RedBull, Ciroc, Lufthansa, EiENigeria, The Guardian, SpiceTV, PIN, PulseNigeria, and lots more.

All in all, the 2016 edition of the Social Media Week Lagos was an awesome event. It was well organized, the venue was proper, the sessions and panels were very informative and enlightening, refreshments were not lacking, and it was as diverse as can be.

Some negatives from the event - by day 3 the precision in timing for the sessions and panels were starting to dwindle (sessions were starting late and stuff), only the executive boardroom got lunch every day, there was no designated interview area as promised (I literally had to ambush all the people I interviewed), and some of the panels and sessions held outside the venue (not very convenient from a logistic angle).

The event rounded up with a RedBull party that saw performances from Omawunmi (she's awesome by the way), Reminisce and veteran DJ Jimmy Jatt. I learned a lot, met some great people and had a good time (even though it was also kinda stressful because I had to work). So if you didn't attend this year, be sure to attend next year!

Watch the video of the Pulse.ng Masterclass session at Social Media Week Lagos below: