What to know about this year’s edition of NECLive
The Nigerian Entertainment Conference, NECLive will be returning for its 8th edition on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at Landmark Centre, Lagos. The event which was first organized in 2013 to share insights on how to create a more sustainable entertainment industry in Nigeria, has been running consecutively for 7 years.
Now in its 8th year, the organizers announced some major changes for NECLive 2.0. New plans were laid out for the conference in an official announcement on January 28 at the Radisson Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
“We set up NECLive eight years ago as an intervention to rally everyone towards building the industry of our dreams. Eight years on, we are glad to witness and facilitate the transformation of our home entertainment, our music, and our media,” the convener, Ayeni Adekunle said.
NECLive, which is organized annually by ID Africa in conjunction with its media platform, TheNETng will be moving away from its free, one-day event model to a new format that will accommodate more programmes and experiential events.
As the Nigerian entertainment industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds, this edition themed, ‘Building the Future’, will focus on the importance of government action, opportunities for corporate organizations and the role of technology in better harnessing the power of the entertainment value chain.
Having featured over 12,000 attendees with more than 60 million viewers and about 450 speakers and panelists, the conference will be expanding its format to accommodate new activities, events, and programmes in order to reach more people and make greater impacts on Nigeria’s entertainment and creative industry.
This year, #NECLive8 is expected to attract about 3,000 participants at the venue with more than 10 million viewers watching on cable television and over 20 million digital audiences from different parts of the world.
Here are some changes in the NECLive format.
The conference will now be spread across 3 days in multiple locations
Before now, the conference has always been delivered as a one-day, nine hours event where the keynote speakers and panelists engage the audience in impactful discussions around a given theme. This year, the conference will hold for 3 days.
The first day will be for the main conference which will involve keynote speeches, panel discussions, training workshops and masterclasses, product exhibition, performances, and NET Honours awards. The activities of the day would climax with a concert in the evening.
The second day and the next will be for multiple satellite events across different venues in Lagos.
Participants will now pay to attend NECLive
For the first time, the conference which has always been free will now require participants to buy tickets before they can attend. The convener, Ayeni Adekunke said this decision became necessary in order to sustain the conference amid growing financial demands.
Only students with valid means of identification and registered event partners and volunteers would be allowed free entry. Registration and tickets will be up for sale beginning from February.
There will be a full-scale exhibition
Individuals and organizations within the industry would have an avenue to showcase their products and services at NECLive. Exhibitors will need to purchase a slot to participate in the exhibition.
Building the Future
The theme for this year’s conference, ‘Building the Future’ will focus on discussions on maximizing the potential and impact of recent strides in distribution, cinemas, events, promotions, exhibitions, productions and festivals, and how stakeholders can erect the infrastructure necessary to build the desired future for Nigeria’s creative and entertainment industry.
Previous editions of NECLive have seen many industry leaders and key stakeholders share deep insights and proffer solutions to some critical questions about the Nigerian entertainment industry.
Since inception in 2013, the conference has hosted respected guests, speakers and panelists from various sectors of the economy including Amaka Igwe, Steve Ayorinde, Keke Ogungbe, M.I, TY Bello, Kunle Afolayan, Don Jazzy, Adesua Etomi, Cobhams Asuquo, Steve Babaeko, Seyi Taylor, Darey Art Alade, Daddy Showkey, Frank Edoho, DJ Jimmy JATT, 2face Idibia, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Basketmouth, IK Osakioduwa, Audu Maikori, Olamide, Lagbaja, Mo’Abudu, Davido, Alli Baba, Lanre Dabiri (eLDee), Mai Atafo, Ojoma Ochai, Lala Akindoju, Jason Njoku, Kaffy, Julius Agwu, Timi Dakolo among many others.
This year will see a more holistic discussion around building the future of the industry. The speakers, panelists and guest artistes will be announced subsequently.
