To the communications department, the just concluded Social Media Week, SMW Lagos – Reimagining Human Connectivity was a very exciting experience. For some of us – Kehinde, Robert and Folake, it was a continuation of last year’s learning, while for the newbies – Azeez and Sarah, it was an eye opener.
Thank God for SMW – Who knew that so much experience, expertise and knowledge about Social Media could come together under one roof for a WHOLE WEEK? Just as the previous ones, this year’s edition had experts from all fields including digital marketing, politics and governance, health, travel, technology and finance. These experts who came from all over the world were at the SMW to share their wealth of experience while learning from other experts too.
Do you know that to an extent, social media has an effect on virtually everything we do? This includes the food we eat – No Jokes! As the theme infers, this year’s meeting focused on the unlimited use of social media in almost every area of human existence. The sessions opened our eyes to new ways of communication and brand engagement which we never thought about before and how to go about them.
Sarah had an amazing time at the Social Media week and it is an experience she would love to have over and over again. With her ever growing desire to learn from the best, what better platform is there than the Social Media Week?
“Who would have thought that I could be in the same room with the likes of Tolu Ogunlesi, Jadesola Osiberu, Sisi Yemmie, Adetomiwa Aladekomo and Stephanie Busari? I was awed by the level of intellectual property wielded by these Social Media Gurus.
This 5-day conference was a platform that exposed me to a much bigger world of how the media can be better maximized to my own advantage. Every day was different and I was able to learn a piece from each and merge them into a bunch of knowledge of the digital realm of many discoveries. With this knowledge, I can boldly say that SMW 2018 would see a better me,” she said.
Sarah’s Sessions:
- The Future of Digital Publishing: Breakthrough Storytelling- Content Marketing Today
- Public Relations & the Business of Blogging
- Programmatic Marketing: The Future of Digital Media in Africa
- Facebook and Instagram for Content Creators and Publishers
- How to Create a Combined Social Media & PR Calendar for Your Business
- Leveraging Instagram Stories & Snapchat for Business
- Reimagining the Future of Advertising by Design
For Robert, Social Media Week was an opportunity to network and interact with people from different industries. He enjoyed the fact that the facilitators were very knowledgeable and the sessions highly interactive.
He took classes on:
- Facebook and Instagram for Content Creators and Publishers;
- Building Your Brand on Facebook in a Mobile Era;
- Masterclass: Tools of Engagement on Facebook, Google and Twitter;
- Leveraging Instagram Stories & Snapchat for Business;
- Semantic SEO and Knowledge Graph for Digital Marketing etc.
“Just like last year, I really had a wonderful experience at the SMW. I would recommend it for everyone who is looking to broaden their knowledge especially in this digital age,” he said.
Azeez was opened to a plethora of knowledge, especially on strategies behind creating designs that would wow and sustain the interest of a viewer. “The social media week was an exciting experience as I got to attend sessions that enlighten me more on my creative skills.
I was also lucky enough to have met with people who shared their experience over time and ideas on how to improve my skill in designing. In one word it was a great experience and I would love to attend it next year,” he said.
Folake was at the SMW basically to learn how to sharpen her content writing skills to make it badass and suit different readers who get to take required actions in the end. While doing this, she also got to know different ways through which content could be curated and distributed.
She attended the following classes:
- The Future of Media
- The Future of Digital Publishing: Breakthrough Storytelling- Content Marketing Today
- Facebook and Instagram for Content Creators and Publishers
- Storytelling Dissected: He Who Tells Best, Wins Best!
- How to Create a Combined Social Media & PR Calendar for Your Business
- Use Technology to Make Your Writing Pay
- The Rise of Social Media Journalism: Competition or Complementary?
“Just like last year, the SMW was another session of eye opening events. I got to learn about the limitless things one could do with the Social Media for business and personal use. The facilitators were awesome and you just had to take something important away from every class. Asides that, I also enjoyed the food and unlimited supply of Nescafe (Hot and Cold) and Pepsi (Wide Grin),” she said.
Kehinde had an exciting yet enlightening time at this year’s SMWLAGOS event as she was able to engage with bright minds in all sectors of the economy to discuss best practices, provide probable solutions to issues and situations facing the media and communications space in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.
“The communications department has been opportune to attend SMWLAGOS for 3 years and we can tell you that this is not an annual event just for media and communications industry professionals, but for everyone who lives in this digital influenced world,” she said.
All work and no play makes communications a dull department – as a result, we got to take part in some of the numerous fun and games activities that happened at the arena.
Azeez made us proud by taking part in the Samsung art challenge. He showed himself a little by having not one or two, but three drawings which left others amazed and some intimidated. Our model Sarah too showed herself as she got featured as a model at Trace Nigeria’s booth. Folake got a pen and sticker from the Instagram stand where she took some pictures.
In all, we can confidently say that we have come back from the SMW more knowledgeable and insightful about the role of each of us as it concerns the Communications Department. We would recommend it for everyone who is looking to broaden their knowledge especially in this digital age.
