This year’s edition of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference, #NECLive7 took the conversation further on how mobile, data and consumer behaviour will influence the growth of Nigerian entertainment.
Many speakers and panelists were drawn from various sectors of the industry and beyond to share ideas on how to live up to the demands of the future.
Amid deep discussions and performances, here’s a highlight on how the conference went down.
After several discussions, performances and heart-to-heart fireside chats at the recently concluded Nigerian Entertainment Conference, #NECLive7, here are some of the takeaways from the event.
1. Nigerian Entertainment industry will be worth more than $9.9billion by 2022.
To put this in a proper perspective, the industry will be churning out N3.55 trillion in the next three years.
2. Data will determine the future of entertainment in Nigeria.
For a long time now the Nigerian entertainment industry has been growing on autopilot, but technology is changing the way we create and distribute content.
3. Nigerian Entertainment Conference, NECLive will become a three-day event from next year.
The founder of BHM Group and convener of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference, Ayeni Adekunle announced in his keynote speech at #NECLive7 that the conference will now become a three-day event from next year and may even be hosted across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
4. Nigerian content is becoming popular on the global scene.
Nollywood and Nigerian music industry are making waves around the world and global players are paying attention to our content.
5. A combination of smartphone and social media can turn anyone into a media powerhouse.
Maybe not really, but the barrier to producing and distributing content has been shattered by the duo of smartphone and social media.
6. NET Honours Award made a comeback and some notable people won.
Individuals were recognized for their roles in the events that shaped the year in review, using data from @theNETng website and social media platforms.
7. Live performances from upcoming music artistes, dance and stage play.
The event came alive with performances from Kabusa Oriental Choir, Dance Na The Main Thing, Theatre Hub Africa among others.
Did you attend the event? What was your best moment?
The Nigerian Entertainment Conference, #NECLive7 held on Wednesday, April 24 at Landmark Event Centre, Lagos and the event was filled with insightful discussions and amazing moments.
With the event over now, we begin our countdown to the next one in 2020, but before then, here are photos from the unforgettable moments at #NECLive7.
Welcome to #NECLive7
Registration booth.
Guests undergoing registration.
A guest at the Red Carpet.
L-R: Fade Ogunro, Dayo Adeyelure, and Oreka Godis before their panel session
Founder of BHM Group and convener of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference, Ayeni Adekunle giving a keynote speech during the opening segment of the event.
A cross-section of guests with some key panelists at the conference.
Attentive audience observing an ongoing panel discussion at #NECLive7
Some panelists and speakers waiting at the green room before coming on stage.
DJ Cuppy posing for the camera before participating in a panel discussion where she shared how data has influenced her work.
A panel discussion on the success of BBNaija with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Tobi Bakre and the management team of MultiChoice.
The conference gathers momentum with deep discussions about data and intellectual property.
Ini Edo (in pink – for those that don’t know) looks on as the event progress
A fireside chat between Tope Oshin and Bolanle Olukanni about Nollywood.
Sammy Walsh and Dada Boy Ehiz present the NET Honours Award at #NECLive7
Olamide Akintobi receives a NET Honours Award on behalf of late OAP, Tosyn Bucknor.
More NET Honours Awards
A guest receives President Buhari’s NET Honours Award for Most Popular Person on behalf of the president.
A thrilling performance by ‘Dance Na The Main Thing’- DNTMT
A panel session with Joey Akan, Bayo Adekanmbi, DJ Cuppy, Femi Falodun and Olumide Osundolire.
Kabusa Oriental Choir performing at #NECLive7
Guests grooving on the dancefloor at #NECLive7 – happiness is free.
Alibaba on stage to receive his NET Honours Award for Most Popular Comedian.
Music performance
A fireside chat between Tee A and Olamide Akintobi about the comedy industry.
Refreshments at the conference.
Theatre Hub Africa, THA dramatizing police brutality.
DSTV stand at #NECLive7
We look to the future now.
The Founder of BHM Group and Chairman of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference, Mr Ayeni Adekunle has announced that the conference will become a three-day event from 2020.
He made the statement while speaking at the opening ceremony of this year’s edition of the conference, #NECLive7 held at the Landmark Centre, Lagos.
He also hinted at the possibility of hosting the conference across multiple cities in Nigeria — spread across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. He said that the expansion was necessary given the number of people outside Lagos who have expressed the difficulty they face in trying to attend the conference in the city.
The new schedule will make it possible for a growing number of potential attendees to be able to participate in the event.
One of Nigeria’s foremost comedians and MC, Tee A while participating in a panel discussion with Olamide Akintobi at the Nigerian Entertainment Conference, #NECLive7 said that comedy is not limited to stand-up alone.
Tee A was responding to enquiries about who qualifies as a comedian in respect to the upcoming Eko Comedy Festival which he is the convener.
He said that comedy covers a variety of genres that cut across stand-up, social media skits and movies. Making instances with the likes of Nkem Owoh (Osuofia), Victor Osuagwu and others who have made a name for themselves by being movie comedians
“There are many actors who are comedian by their own right and whether you’re an Instagram comedian, Facebook comedian, standup comedian or even a joker, all these art forms on different platforms are all part of the industry,” he reiterated.
A fireside chat between Tope Oshin and Bolanle Olukanni at the Nigerian Entertainment Conference delved into discussions about Nigeria’s entertainment industry as regards to Nollywood.
Tope Oshin shared her experience as one of the first female film directors in Nollywood and how she was encouraged to try her hands on directing by the late ace director Amaka Igwe .
She also shared the challenges she encountered while starting out and how rigid the industry was at that time towards female directors.
Bolanle Olukanni drew the conversation towards the difference between home videos that are shot within three days and films that are made for the cinemas over a long period of time.
Oshin said that both forms are important and that it was necessary for Africans to tell their own stories, citing her experience at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood where her movie, New Money was screened.
At NECLive 7, Odun Eweniyi, the Co-Founder and COO of fintech start-up Piggyvest, gave a presentation titled “Democratizing Payments”.
Her presentation identified the importance of creative and entertainment practitioners using technology in order to be accessed by their audiences.
Click Democratizing Payments to read.
Fade Ogunro, founder of BookingsAfrica.com, spoke at the lead panel at NECLive 7.
Her presentation showed clearly that the 21st entertainment business is clearly based on data, especially for the African market. Her business brings creatives together with audiences and clients to seamlessly connect and engage.
Here is her full presentation: The Business Of of Numbers
The Chief Transformation Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr Bayo Adekambi was part of the lead panel at Nigerian Entertainment Conference yesterday. He spoke on data and entertainment.
His presentation touched on global best practices and what is imperative for Nigeria. He also emphasised that “Music has gone beyond art, there is a strong blend of science.”
Click this link to read his full presentation. Data and Entertainment NECLive7
Entertainment in Nigeria has been estimated to become a $9.9 billion industry by 2022 and what this means is that this huge amount of revenue is going to be plucked by those who position themselves to benefit the most from it.
Based on this information, the CEO of ID Africa, Mr Femi Falodun said that data will play a key role in determining the success of businesses in the entertainment industry.
He also said that entertainers and service providers should go beyond just doing the job and also provide feedback and report on the services they render. This will help to create data on the value of their services and also give them a tested process that they can replicate in future projects.