Hi Ladies,

So I went to the Ariya Expo on Saturday showcasing West African Tourism for those who want to travel or invest in the tourism industry.

The event was supposed to showcase "..the very best of West African Culture and Tourism. From Airlines to Accommodation providers, Car Hire, Entertainment and Hospitality, Business and Financial Services."

Why did I go? Well a multiple of reasons really, I am a firm believer Nigeria should be a number one tourism spot. Already I enjoy going there for the people, food, music and culture alone, investing more in this sector may make it more attractive to non-Nigerians and will impact the economy positively creating jobs with the multiple development schemes. So when I saw this advertised on BEN I thought it was a great way to see some destinations I could visit next time whilst going to view investment opportunities. My husband was eager to see investment opportunities also so we went along with our little soon to be 14 month old son.

The event was held over two days Friday 2nd November 10.00pm - 6.00pm and Saturday 3rd November 10.00am - 3.00pm at the Hilton London Kensington Hotel and besides Nigeria showcased some other places I'd like to visit like Ghana and Cape Verde.

The nature of me and my husband's work and business meant Saturday was the only viable day...

For attendees I will judge the event based on:

- number of participating exhibitors;

- quality of products or service exhibited;

- and conferences,

- seminars and

- events organized at the exhibition

- service quality


...For exhibitors satisfaction review and the full article: http://realnaijwife..co.uk/2012/11/ariya-expo-enjoying-or-investing-in.html
BOOTH MANAGEMENT

There was no real booth management as no high tech technology was visible at booths, products offered were give-aways and contact details for different booths were obtained via written registration forms and surveys. So the management of booths was fair as there was not much to manage for the organisers.



CONTENTS

Exhibition content included trade seminar, cultural performances and fashion show. This would have been very useful for exhibitors where they were relevant to the different exhibitors. The trade seminar, likely relevant to all was strictly by invitation and involved governement officials and diplomats however this was only on the Friday so I cannot comment on the quality of it thought it was likely very interesting. It was also by invitation only, this asks the question who gets an invite. If exhibitors all were allowed to send a representative this would be a key selling point, if not, then it was likely to be irrelevant, limited only to the fact they may see a passing official on exit from the seminar.

The cultural performances and fashion shows would be interesting to exhibitors who were likely to hire the services/buy the products, or whose region the performance/marketable product related to provided the performance/products were good. On the Saturday I saw some drummers with dreadlocks and I am not sure which country they were representing but I doubt it was Nigeria, the performance was basic as they sat down and drummed and the only interesting thing was they invited some children to play. If this had been developed more professionally or they had wonderful costumes for themselves and the children/participants and dances in tow that would have been better. The fashion designs were okay but I have seen a lot of great designs here in the UK and the runway was the whole floor instead of a professional runway, although there was a small runway.

...

EXHIBITION AND BOOTH ATTRACTIVENESS

The event was televised by BEN, this is where I saw the initial advert. I believe they had trouble getting exhibitors and attendees because of this. Any exhibitor that wants investment knows it pays to advertise in as many sources as possible. I am not certain this was advertised anywhere besides BEN and perhaps the Trumpet (a Nigerian newspaper). The event should have been in local newspapers that investors read like FT, Metro, Evening Standard, City AM. It should have been on other TV stations that British non-Nigerians view too. It could also have been on each exhibitors website. It should have been sent to investment bankers/fund managers/UKTI/DFID etc. I feel the lack of attendees that did not register meant the organisers could not spend as much as they wanted.

The booths themselves were quite basic and in many cases consisted of a desk, a chair and a pop up banner. Pop up banners are fine and serve their purpose, but it would have been nice to see a variety of booth investment ranging from basic to premium to indicate the investment of exhibitors themselves. This could have been done by the show organiser investing in the exhibition stands owned by government as these go a long way towards forming a lasting and even a first impression.

NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS

Very few, perhaps 9, plus a drum performance team consisting of two men in casual clothing and a fashion catwalk team. Past exhibitions I have seen have on average 100 exhibitors. As stated above I don't believe it was promoted well.

QUALITY OF PRODUCTS/SERVICE EXHIBITED

Average, quality ranged from very unique or valuable to very poor. Exhibitions are supposed to help exhibitors promote their product/service but this does not mean invite everyone who will pay it means that organisers should work with exhibitors to let them know the profile of the audience and what they expect (through preliminary surveys) and how to market/sell, in cases where you have enough exhibitors, the best exhibitors should be shortlisted (not necessarily the biggest but those with something valuable to offer). Shortlisting would not have been possible here but collaborative working to help exhibitors market would have been valuable.

CONFERENCES (a meeting of people who "confer" about a topic)

None at all, so cannot comment. Sadly this would have been a highlight for me and my partner. However, my partner networked and had his own impromptu "seminars" (well discussions really) with exhibitors regarding Nigeria...

Goldman Sachs has called Nigeria a Frontier economy and made it one of the Next 11 a group of 11 countries set to change the economy by 2020. There money is already in Nigeria. So why don't we invest in tourism? It definitely makes sense. I believe the next event they do will be fantastic if they take on the feedback received. They must however do really two things, invest in more promotion so there are more attendees and exhibitors, invest in booth management/marketing so booths are attractive, invest in the events organised making a valuable variety available on a public holiday or weekend as well as a weekday. They should invest in a bigger event to handle the large crowds they will draw in. I have taken this 2012 event as a dress rehearsal as all companies have this when venturing into something new and for a first time attempt it was not too bad, so bring on Ariya 2013!

For exhibitors satisfaction review and the full article: http://realnaijwife..co.uk/2012/11/ariya-expo-enjoying-or-investing-in.html

I am interested and I have clicked to join the facebook page too. Thanks

Thanks Mrs Siena! Welcome to the group!

It is likely many of you if not all of you have heard of the term "cooperative". But I bet most of you have never really researched into what a cooperative does and yet you have preconceived ideas on what happens in a cooperative. This article is the first article aimed at empowering you with the knowledge to not only understand what a cooperative is, but to participate and benefit from one.

A cooperative is a businesses owned and run by its members for its members. Members often have something in common like heritage, interests, work, geographic location and more.

Member all have equal voting rights and when profits are made this is shared amongst members or reinvested according to the decision of members. Often cooperatives may work together to improve the lives of all members in a given community. Jamaican and Nigerian cooperatives have often been known to put aside each month a given amount to a central fund and each month the group gives this to one of the members (or something to this effect) but in actual fact operating models and income streams and income release can be defined in any way and decided by the group (sometimes this changes as business models are often flexible).

Co-operatives are businesses, not charities, so the aim is to profit financially, socially or otherwise (i.e. obtaining scarce products/services). By working together, members do better in their individual monetary investments. savings and businesses than they would have separately.

Cooperatives can invest locally and internationally promoting growth in areas underlooked by various organisations.

So here is my proposal. I am thinking of starting a cooperative:

- It would have a legal structure.

- It would have a steering group that ensures the interests of all members are followed (lets say the steering group/committee sits for 3 years before re-election, for very first term would sit for 5 years to raise funds and profile).

- It would invest in areas/business members have knowledge of or experience or a need for i.e.

Any idea that comes up through cooperative brainstorming
Entertainment- Books/Movies/TV Shows
Business Start Up Seminars/Training/ Ancillary Services (i.e. Websites, Accounting, Marketing, Legal etc)
Recruitment Firms and Career/Employment Advice
Childcare/Daycare Services and Babycare Products
Food and Drink (Catering, Restaurants, Consumer products, Trade/Distribution)
Education (Schools/Tuition Classes)
Family/Relationships
Fashion, Hair and Beauty
Homes and Gardens (Real estate development and related services i.e. plumbing, electricians etc)
Living Overseas (Relocation to Nigeria company specialising in cargo, accommodation, schools, healthcare, settling in etc)
Politics (in UK and Nigeria)
Social Events (Celebrations, Festivals, Parties, Wedding Planners)
Travel/Holidays (Vehicle Shipment to Nigeria, Investing in Tourism in Nigeria, Travel Agency etc)

- It would create profit financially, it would offer employment opportunities, it would offer experience and exposure and have a community building outlook.

- It would be for Nigerian families in the UK (at first or permanently)

- There would be monthly payments of £50, a member can withdraw money by leaving subject to notice period in the constitution. So if for example there were 20 members, £12k would be generated in the first year from contributions. Members can invest more than a minimum with a view to sharing more of the profit based on their financial investment, members can also share more in profit through trading their time i.e. acting as accountant or building brick walls for a development totaling 10 hours.

If you are interested in setting up this cooperative with me and have suggestions or strong opinions, please contact me at ellaoku@gmail.com

Thanks

Regards

Mrs Ella Inedia

Hello Ladies,

I have been approached by a Channel 4 TV producer about ‘The Real Nigerian Housewives of the United Kingdom’ who is currently developing a parenting series and wants to hear from mum’s who would be happy to talk about parenting. This successful producer is looking for larger than life personalities with strong opinions.

She is looking for inspiring mums who have a clear and definable view on parenting and believe this works well for them. You should be a strong character who is proud of your style of parenting and believe others could learn from you. You should have two or more children.

I think this would be a very interesting watch and I know our Nigerian mothers have a lot to offer society. If you are interested please let me know. I have not discussed payment with her but the exposure is phenomenal and can go some way to improving our image becoming respected for our parenting skills.

Please join the group if one or more of these comments apply to you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

http://realnaijwife..co.uk/

Kind Regards

Ella

Maverick Television is looking for inspiring mums.

Do you have a particular parenting technique or method that you believe works well?

Are you proud of your style of parenting and believe others could learn from you?

We are developing a parenting show and want to hear from strong mums who would be happy to talk about parenting and what works for them. We are looking for mums with two or more children.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please email s.carty@mavericktv.co.uk, don't forget to tell her Ella sent you!

I told you so Lady Ell. I told you that this can be real huge. I am happy for you dear.
I hope this works good for you. Fly girl!

Ivynwa: I told you so Lady Ell. I told you that this can be real huge. I am happy for you dear.
I hope this works good for you. Fly girl!

Lol. Thanks dear. But I am not getting anything out of it as I myself only have one child and am not eligible to feature, but I definitely think it will be interesting and can help show a positive image for one of Nigeria's most precious resources: OUR MOTHERS.

I think it will just be a series of interviews for now but who knows maybe we will see a documentary one day "The Real Nigerian Housewives"!!!

That would have be addicted to the channel that broadcasts it! lol.

Maverick Television is looking for inspiring mums. They are the people who brought you:
-My Super Sweet World Class
-Embarrassing Bodies
-Get The Look
-Gok's Teens: The Naked Truth
-Embarrassing Bodies
-Britain's Next Big Thing (with Dragon's Den star)
-10 Years Younger and More

Ah ha1 so that's where she got to?

Apologies for the absence sisters, I have been working on a few projects, the new article will be in soon.

Regards

Ella

[size=18pt]Are you a Family CEO?[/size]

A UK survey has found women control family finances, something most UK Nigerian women did not need a survey to work out (look up Proverbs 31 for insight).

This newspaper article is dubbing these women as the "family CEO".

They say being called a housewife is not an accurate description of what they do, their roles being more closely linked to a director in a company. I presume this makes the husband the shareholder who wants to see a return on his investment and the children may double up as employee owners.

93% of those who were not the main breadwinners made all or most of the financial decisions.
For the full article read:
http://realnaijwife..co.uk/2013/03/are-you-family-ceo.html

ell77:
[size=18pt]Are you a Family CEO?[/size]

A UK survey has found women control family finances, something most UK Nigerian women did not need a survey to work out (look up Proverbs 31 for insight).

This newspaper article is dubbing these women as the "family CEO".

They say being called a housewife is not an accurate description of what they do, their roles being more closely linked to a director in a company. I presume this makes the husband the shareholder who wants to see a return on his investment and the children may double up as employee owners.

93% of those who were not the main breadwinners made all or most of the financial decisions.
For the full article read:
http://realnaijwife..co.uk/2013/03/are-you-family-ceo.html

How far with this project?