Tosin Oyewole, Project Manager, 11th Unique Interiors Exhibition, Chats with Connect Nigeria

The 11th Unique Interior Exhibition that took place last week saw an influx of exhibitors and people involved in the industry. Its highlights were products and services showcase by entrepreneurs in the industry and discussions on topics, trends and improvements. Tosin Oyewole, project manager, spoke to Connect Nigeria about the recorded success of the event and how Nigerians will start viewing in a new light, the Interior Decorations Industry in Nigeria. CN: How did the 11th Unique Interiors Exhibition go? TO: It was a good event. This year, the organizer “Flair Finishes” pioneered a change in the way consumers perceive unique interior products through a couple of unique activities that took place at the exhibition. From the unique showcase of interior products to the interactive talk sessions by facilitators from Architecture, Interior Decor and Facility Management, all activities were aimed at providing detailed information about unique interior products to consumers and professionals in all participating industries. Focus areas such as identifying uniqueness in interior products, services, exhibitors and the industry through products showcase, seminars and other activities were the major highlights of the event. This has always been the main focus of the exhibition and we were able to deliver that on so many levels this time. CN: What were the recorded successes of this event? TO: We delivered all project deliverables.  After a decade of organizing this exhibition, this year’s edition presented a total shift from the norm as we brought on board several initiatives targeted at benefiting all exhibitors and participants present at the event. These initiatives we executed created a unique environment for engagement and exposure for the participating audience. This was success for us. CN: What targeted goals were achieved as a result of this event? TO: We were able to get on board variety of exhibitors for this event. We will build relationships with them and work with them for a year to give them better brand awareness to better position their organizations to consumers by using several mediums. We were able to inspire a variety of audience from the young to the professionals using unique event activities. We were also able to get commitment to the next event by all stakeholders due to our continuity, innovation and growth. CN: Unlike the year before, how was the turnout this year like (Exhibitors and prospective customers)? TO: The turnout was good. All our targeted audience came in for the event. We had home owners, architects, facility managers, interior designers and many others who play significant roles in defining interior spaces present at the event. Information gathered from our attendance analytics shows us a lot about the audience that attended and we intend to feedback this information into our campaign plans for the next event. CN: What changed? TO: This year, we had a lot of professionals from the 3 participating industries (Architecture, Facility Management and Interior Decor). We also had a lot of enthusiasts who came sourcing for interior ideas especially on how to decorate their spaces or on how to start a career in the interior decor industry. CN: As a result of this event, how do you think Nigerians would start to view, in a new light, the Interior decor industry? TO: We started a journey that is meant to continuously reveal new light in the way unique interiors decorations products are perceived in Nigeria. This year’s edition drew a lot of attention to the unique attributes of interior products with more emphasis on local content and the functional roles these products can play in interior spaces. We made Nigerians understand the unique roles of the Architect that creates interior spaces and specifies interior products, also the role of the Interior Designer that designs and decorates the space with interior products and the Facility Manager who improves the life-cycle of interior products. CN: What were the challenges event organizers faced in organizing this event? TO: Change is never easy because it comes with a pack of challenges to deal with. One particular challenge that is at the top of the list was conquering the misconception about the purpose of exhibition. It was misconstrued as solely a sales event by some but it was a platform for exhibitors to engage consumers closely on several levels. Their engagements can lead to business prospects, sales, useful feedback and interesting inputs into their research and development. Every other challenges we had were carefully managed.