Advertising: Industry players, policy makers, others converge today for AIC 2.0
By Amechi Obiakpu
The Sheba Event Centre, Maryland, Lagos, will be a centre of attraction as stakeholders in the advertising ecosystem gather today for the Advertising Industry Colloquium 2.0.
Described as ‘town meet gown,’ the event is aimed at bridging the gap between the academia, policy makers and industry practitioners.
The Director-General of Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, said the Advertising Industry Colloquium is important for a synergistic relationship between academia and practising professionals to foster the essential knowledge base for the advertising industry’s growth.
“Any industry that does not bridge the gap between the town and gown will face crises. This collaboration is essential to ensure that academics and professionals operate on the same level, a necessity for an industry facing numerous challenges,” he stated.
Speaking in a press conference held recently, the ARCON DG said, the changing nature of advertising also warrant that stakeholders in the advertising industry must be on the same pedestal.
“Advertising is always changing. What we defined as advertising several years ago is not the same today. The boundaries between advertising and related fields like PR are increasingly becoming blurred, with new tools and technologies becoming crucial to our profession”.
“It is extremely important to us as an industry that is challenged with many factors to ensure we bring everybody to the table and this is to interrogate the body of knowledge of advertising as the definition of advertising several years ago is not same today”.
According to him, “technology is causing a major disruption in ways we practice in the industry and tools are being introduced in advertising that have become critical aspect of the profession”.
He believes that strong town-gown relationship can provide students with real world learning experiences which will ensure sustainable future of the industry.
The theme of the event is: “Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Advertising Education and professional Excellence in Nigeria”.
Professor Rotimi Olatunji, Chairman of the AIC and Academic Journal Committee noted that, a list of top industry players are expected to grace the event which promises to be landmark.
According to him, the keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Bayo Adekanmbi, Founder, Data Science Nigeria, who will speak on the event’s theme.
Members of the panel of discussion expected to drive home the conversation include, John Ugbe, MD/CEO, Multichoice Nigeria, Engr. Dozie Mbanefo, MD, New Crystal Communications, Yinka Adebayo, Head, Procurement, OMD, West Africa and Kelechi Nwosu, MD, TBWA/Concept among others.
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