In Nigeria today, weekends in Nigeria have metamorphosed from being for rest to a heartbeat of culture and private celebrations, business and networking, spiritual connection and creativity. As we draw closer to the festive seasons, every Friday to Sunday offers a worthy opportunity for attendees, event planners, and creators to seize.
From spectacular weddings in Lagos to religious crusades that happen in Abuja, from the energetic musical concert in Port Harcourt to the beach parties along the coast of the Atlantic, weekends in Nigeria are never dull moments.
In spite of the economic hardships experienced in the country, weekends in Nigeria are more predictable because one or more of the celebrations will occur. Especially now, with barely 70 days to the end of the year, many organisers are planning activities that will either round off their activities for the year or be used in the new year. This forms a stable economy for creatives and for event planners in the country. An opportunity for event planners and creators to sell their trade and increase their ROI.
Why are weekends the best days for creatives and event planners?
Exposure to more audiences:
Weekends seem to be the harvest days for creatives and planners because they are exposed to more audiences. Many people who do not work on weekends have the opportunity or cannot wait to attend parties, weddings and spiritual gatherings. Instinctively, weekends start from Friday, making Friday a half day at work in some establishments, especially for some civil servants.
Attendees spend more on fashion and other entertainment:
Event planners and creatives experience a spike in their profit during weekends because attendees spend more on fashion and clothing, photography, music and the media during weekends. Many attendees do not have the freedom to dress as they would for weekend celebrations in their offices and workplaces on weekdays. Consequently, they reserve this fashion for that special celebration during weekends.
Photographers especially have a filled day taking shots for people who want to show off their newly acquired fashions.
Nigerians instinctively celebrate by weekends:
Furthermore, attending social, religious, or entertainment events has become embedded in Nigerian culture, since weekends are inherently associated with celebration. Nigerians instinctively plan their weekends for weddings, parties and spiritual connections.
Every other calendar event is planned with keen consideration of weekends and their activities. Ultimately, most weekend events take more pre-eminence over other calendar events.
Opportunities for Event professionals and creatives
We have established that weekends are essentially a potent platform for event professionals and creatives in Nigeria. Now, let’s take a close look at the opportunities that exist for them during weekends.
Content Services
Here is a huge goldmine for media teams for weekends in Nigeria, photographers, entertainers and designers. They can take advantage of the weekends to offer tailor-made content services for various clients. This will involve creating personalised social media content, or highlights, reels, and videos that showcase clients’ emotional engagement in relation to the kind of event that was covered.
In addition, the creatives must ensure that this content is unique enough to attract likes, shares and comments as required by the clients. However, since the internet doesn’t forget, privacy issues must be considered, so, actions that may be regrettable are not exposed out of excitement.
Partner with Host for branding and storytelling
Storytelling has never been more popular worldwide than it is right now. This exposes the creative to an interesting opportunity to make his client heard and seen. Create a simple story from engagement at the event. Tailor it to a theme and an objective so the audience can understand the reason for the story and can take away vital learnings.
This strengthens the need for strategic partnerships with the various brands or services. These partnerships increase networks, promote trust, and open us the creatives to more opportunities and long-term success.
Steady demand cycle
One of the greatest advantages for creatives and event planners in Nigeria is the steady demand for their services on weekends in Nigeria. For instance, photographers in Lagos can steadily make money and increase their profit by taking pictures of a Friday night concert, a Saturday wedding in Lekki, and a Sunday beach party at Elegushi.
What this helps the creative to achieve is that they build a loyal client base; they can sustain their business without waiting for peak periods such as Easter, Ileya, Sallah and Christmas. They also create systems that they are used to without spending any extra cost to renew.
Specialised weekend packages
Specialised weekend packages involve tailoring services with special considerations of providing tailor-made services for event planners and others so they can choose experiences that suit their weekend needs. For instance, event managers can create entertainment, decor, and photograph bundles making planning easier, more creative, and ultimately more profitable for both clients and organisers.
In addition, since these patterns recur each week, professionals can organise and offer their services, pricing, and marketing based on the reliability of weekend events. They can design a pricing package that allows for flexibility and easy payment.
3 major challenges with weekends in Nigeria you need to know
1. Huge competition
Cities like Lagos can be saturated with multiple events happening simultaneously. Consequently, this may cause stiff competition for attendance and attention among event planners and attendees as well. This competition can hamper opportunities for some other creatives and service providers.
2. Logistics and congestion
For weekend events in Nigeria, one of the key challenges is still logistical congestion. Heavy traffic, parking restrictions, and a lack of venues can hamper even the most well-planned events in places like Lagos and other cities that are overpopulated. Blockages and overlapping events can cause delays for events like a concert at Victoria Island or in Lekki. To deal with this, smart event planners make reservations months in advance, using shuttle services, obtaining alternate routes, and arranging early to guarantee an on-time event.
3. Security and crowd Control
Security and crowd control are also major challenges event planners face on some weekends. Although this does not happen all the time, it does happen on major events that attract massive crowds. Events such as religious crusade, music concerts, etc., To put these challenges under controllable limits, event planners have to engage security and safety professionals who are able to bring their expertise to bear.
In conclusion, weekends in Nigeria are not just for celebrations; they are also a platform for the exchange of culture, creativity and commerce. Spirituality, entertainment and culture are finding expression, creating opportunities for event planners and creatives to increase their values and ultimately their ROI.
