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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 on which Connect Nigeria’s eBusiness fair, the largest event for small and medium scale businesses in Africa, 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. Growth hacks and cutting edge enterprise solutions will be revealed; businesses will showcase and sell your favourite products at great discounts; you’ll make new, forward-driving connections; and those business questions you’ve always asked will be answered by the experts. Here are ten other reasons why you should join thousands of SMEs and business professionals at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos for this event.

  1. Get huge business growth scoops from World-Class CEOs and Techpreneurs

If you’ve never been to the eBusiness fair, you’re missing out on a lot of enterprise transforming information. And here’s why this matters: the people who will be giving these 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; Nikki Summers, Director of SageOne, East and West Africa; Ayotunde Coker, CEO, Rack Centre; Paul Ayim, Executive, Phillips Consulting; and several others. Over the past eight years, they have let participants in on their preferred strategies for business growth, and uncovered new areas of opportunity for entrepreneurs in Nigeria. You can benefit from their wealth of knowledge too, for free.

  1. 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. It’s an opportunity to make great sales and win more loyal customers. Here’s what Adaolisa Anekwe, CEO of the 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”.

  1. Meet business experts and influencers one on one

One great thing about the eBusiness fair is the calibre 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- anything from exceptional advice to big-fish leads, and maybe even investment for your venture. And if you’re looking for a mentor or senior partner who knows his (or her) onions, this could be the place to find one.

  1. Learn tech-driven marketing

There’s a huge market for your business online that you’re likely missing out on. The world displayed on screens of mobile devices and computers is the new frontier for businesses seeking to reach a wider range of people than they can in the offline world. 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.
  1. Network and exchange ideas with other business people
There’s always new information concerning your line of business, or an opportunity you can take advantage of. The best sources for this are usually business people. When they converge upon a single location in their thousands, it’s likely that you will get hold of great leads and fantastic business insights. The stories entrepreneurs tell of their travails and strategies could contain brilliant nuggets of wisdom and creativity that you can try out on your business. Ebi Atawodi, the 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.”
  1. 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. It could mean that you don’t have to pay as much as you usually would for, say, software that could help improve your business processes, gadgets that make everyday routines easier, or high-quality fashion accessories.
  1. Have your business questions answered by the experts
How about putting those nagging business questions you have, to real business professionals and wiseheads, the top bosses in the corporate world and even government policymakers? 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 opportunities that businesses can take advantage of by setting up their own websites; and Nikki Summers, Manager of Accounting software solutions company SageOne (East and West Africa), dealt with matters related to accounting for small businesses. Whatever uncertainties about your business bug you, they can be settled at the eBusiness fair.
  1. 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.
  1. 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 tomorrows economies and the business-supporting technological advances that will power them. You will have a rich insight into where the whole world of business is headed for, enabling you to swoop on the new opportunities they’ll create.
  1. It’s free to attend!
A free pass to attend Africa’s largest SME event! Register, make sponsorship placements and book an exhibition booth for your business at www.connectnigeria.com/bizfair, or call 0700 800 5000.
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This article was first published on 1st December 2017

ikenna-nwachukwu

Ikenna Nwachukwu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He loves to look at the world through multiple lenses- economic, political, religious and philosophical- and to write about what he observes in a witty, yet reflective style.

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