Experiential Marketers holds AGM, to launch brand ambassadors programme

The Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), the sectorial grouping of all experiential and activation agencies in Nigeria, is set to hold its third annual general meeting in Abuja. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Building Nigeria through Meaningful Experiences; the Role of the Experiential Marketing Industry in Building Brand Nigeria”.

Announcing this year’s set of activities, Dr Rotimi Olaniyan President of EXMAN explained that this year’s AGM was moved to Abuja to enable the association establish a presence within government circles as well as showcase the significant contributions that the industry sector was able to make in the area of community and citizens engagement on behalf of policy makers and implementors in the public sector.

The event which is scheduled to hold between Friday 15th July and Saturday 16th July will have the associations exco pay a courtesy visit to the House committee on Commerce, Trade and Investment while also hosting an eminent speaker who will communicate the present administrations vision in the area of citizens engagement and communications and how the private sector may be expected to contribute.

The findings of the experiential industry’s first baseline study will be presented and is expected to form the basis for deliberations by members at the conference towards establishing a way forward for experiential marketing industry practitioners.

The high point of the conference is expected to be the formal launch and kick off of EXMAN’s Certified Brand Ambassadors Program (ECBAP), which is an initiative designed to re-organize the operating structure of the activation industry by establishing a central register of field activation personnel across the country, while also offering on-line and distance learning as well as all-year round group life and personal accident cover to brand ambassadors recruited by any of EXMAN’s 35 member agencies.

The experiential marketing industry employs over 25,000 contract and part-time field activation personnel on behalf of brands; Olaniyan explains that the young people who are usually between the ages of 18 and 27 use the short-term employment opportunity provided them as a stepping stone towards either funding their education or establishing an early foot hold within various vocations and careers.

The Certified Brand Ambassadors programme is intended to be the foundation of a more responsible and structured vocational development program as a way of combating youth unemployment, while also instilling better behaviour, discipline and professionalism within the experiential marketing industry which contributes over N30 billion annually.