Top Industry Leaders, Academia Set to Converge at ARCON’s 2025 Advertising Industry Colloquium
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is preparing to host the Third Edition of its Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC), a premier gathering designed to bring together advertising industry leaders and academia. The event is scheduled to take place on July 8, 2025, starting at 8:00 AM at the Sheba Center in Ikeja, Lagos.
This year’s 2025 edition of AIC promises to be an exciting platform for sharing knowledge, networking, and exploring the latest trends impacting the advertising landscape. The colloquium will focus on the timely theme: “From Dialogue to Data: Merging Storytelling, Human Engagement & Techs in Marketing Communication”. Industry experts and academics will delve into this theme, offering insights and valuable takeaways to enhance attendees’ understanding of key concepts and skills.
A lineup of distinguished speakers will grace the event, including the keynote speaker, Olufemi Odugbemi, Founder/CEO of Zuri24 Media. Other notable speakers include Idy Enang, immediate past President of NIMN; Nani Milagrosa Utomi Biyang; Founder and Chief Experience Curator, MPXM; Steve Babaeko, Group CEO, X3M Ideas; Stephen Onaivi; MD, Mediareach OMD; and Professor Kolade Ajilore. These experts, representing various organizations such as Zuri24 Media, NIMN, OMD, X3M Ideas, Babcock University, and illsian, will share their diverse experiences and perspectives on the industry’s most pressing issues through engaging panel discussions, networking opportunities, and mentoring sessions.
A distinctive feature of the colloquium is a creative advertising pitch competition involving seven tertiary institutions. These institutions are the University of Ilorin, Covenant University, River State University, Kaduna Polytechnic, Federal University Kashere, Gombe State, Ebonyi State University, and Pan-Atlantic University. This competition evolved from pre-event pitch competitions previously held across various institutions.
Professor Rotimi Olatunji, Chairman of AIC, stated that the 2025 AIC aims to be the most exciting event for bringing together marketing communication students from the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. He emphasized that the event will provide an opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge and skills in creative advertising, with academic institutions receiving awards and prizes.
The Advertising Industry Colloquium and Academic Journal Committee, responsible for organizing this event, was established by ARCON’s Director-General, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo. Its primary objective is to foster a collaborative environment where scholars and practitioners can brainstorm strategies for continuous improvement in advertising education and the profession. The committee is chaired by Professor Rotimi Olatunji, who is a Professor of Advertising and Public Relations. The committee has successfully organized two previous editions of the Colloquium in 2023 and 2024, which also led to the launch of a flagship ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communication during the 2024 edition.