ARCON to Hold National Advertising Conference November 29

As part of an effort to boost the advertising and marketing communications industry, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is set to hold the 2022 National Advertising Conference in Abuja.

The conference will hold at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja from November 29 to December 1st, 2022 with the theme, “The Marketing Communications Industry, New Trends, Challenges, and Prospects”. 

The event comprises a conference and awards. For the awards part, ARCON would be recognizing companies and brands that have distinguished themselves in the area of compliance, with the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) Award.

Recall, speaking at the Media Briefing held in Lagos, the Chairman, Planning Committee and President, EXMAN, Tunji Adeyinka said the advertising industry over the years had evolved and grown and due to this, the industry has continued to face several challenges which need to be fixed for the economy to improve.

He explained that ARCON 2019 put together a conference that brought together all stakeholders, practitioners, and businesses in the advertising ecosystem and that was what heralded the birth of the National Conference on Advertising in Nigeria.

Adeyinka added that when the conference was launched in 2019 in Abuja, the participation was good but due to COVID-19, the conference didn’t take place until now that ARCON brought together sectoral groups for another edition. According to him, the conference became necessary in the face of challenges facing the industry.

He explained further that globally and in Nigeria the advertising industry is facing several challenges and one of them is the global economy that is not growing as well as the collapse of purchasing power from consumers leading to advertisers reducing the amount of money they spend.

“That is the reason the conference is designed in a way that it will bring together the pillars of the industry.”

He said further that the conference with the three advertising pillars, the advertisers, the marketing agencies, and the media pillars of the industry with support from the regulator that is facilitating in ensuring that the industry can grow, the industry will definitely improve from where it was after the conference.

“The 2022 National Advertising Conference is far one of the menus that you will find in the advertising Industry talking of thought leadership, network opportunities, and research and I will urge everyone to be part of it.

Giving the highlights of the conference, the chairman said the event will start on the 29th of November I with a night with an ICON which will be from the advertiser’s side of the industry.

He also added that there would be discussions on topics such as the State of the Economy; Stronger brands, Stronger Nation, and the State of Regulation in the Advertising Industry: The ARCON Law Explain.

“We are also going to have panel discussions, and breakout sessions, and on the last day of the conference which is the gala night; we are going to give awards to companies who are ASP compliant.

He revealed that Speakers will include the Director and Chief Revenue Officer, Television Continental, TVC, Ronan Redmond, and Marketing Director Nigerian Breweries Plc. Emmanuel Oriakhi, among others.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Director General, ARCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo said it is important that advertising practitioners converge to deliberate on solutions for the evolving industry.

He urged all stakeholders in the advertising industry to be part of the conference which according to him will be a meeting between the town and gown as academias will also be part of the conversation at the event.

The members of the Heads of Advertising Sectorial Group (HASG) which comprises EXMAN, Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Media Independent Practitioners of Nigeria (MIPAN), and Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) applauded ARCON for the initiative which they said will go a long way to improve the industry for the better as decisions reached the conference will help the industry as the profession continue to evolve.