Organisers of the inaugural edition of Lagos Shopping Festival have credited Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu with the success of the 72-hour, non-stop, three-day event held recently at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
In a statement, the Managing Director and Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa Ltd, Israel Opayemi, one of Africa’s Public Relations Consulting firms, the main organisers, described the event as the Governor’s baby and owes its success to his leadership, even though it was conceptualised by Chain Reactions Africa.
He said, “Firstly, the Lagos Shopping Festival could not have come to fruition if the Governor did not buy into our audacious plan when we first presented the idea to him during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Secondly, it was the Governor’s exemplary leadership of the project as its Chief Marketing Officer which attracted the buy-in of key sponsors like Zenith Bank, Tolaram Group, First Bank Plc, and Guinness Nigeria Plc.”
While unveiling the identity of the festival recently, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu thanked the management of Zenith Bank Plc, Tolaram Africa Group, Guinness Nigeria Plc, and First Bank of Nigeria for supporting the idea of a Lagos Shopping Festival, describing it as a value addition on the state’s tourism calendar and the overall efforts to grow the state’s GDP.
The Governor said, “I must specially acknowledge your pioneering sponsorship role. It is easy for a corporate sponsor to jump on the sponsorship bandwagon of an already-established festival and fund it. But you are supporting the maiden edition of this Lagos Shopping Festival with us. The competition is watching you now. Do not build this brand with us and yield the space for the competition to take over. I do hope you would all commit long-term to this brilliant initiative.”
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Girish Sharma, said, “Lagos is the commercial heartbeat of Nigeria and Africa’s entertainment capital, and the Lagos Shopping Festival captures its essence. We see opportunities in this initiative because it is a creative fusion of commerce and entertainment. This partnership reflects our dedication to fostering economic opportunities and supporting the nation’s vibrant entertainment industry.”
A first-of-its-kind, the festival was a convergence of commerce and entertainment, bringing together buyers and sellers in the MSME ecosystem and hordes of fun-seekers who were entertained.
