Selecting speakers for an event is one of the most tedious tasks in event hosting, especially when you start sourcing speakers for a specific theme.
SMFEST, a tech event that attracts leading minds in the tech industry, held its third edition in Owerri on October 21, 2023. During this tech expo, Ajah Excel hosted Peter Obi, Paul Onwunaibe of Landmark Africa, Gideon Osi, and 10 other renowned speakers.
The speakers at the “The Game Changer” event brought the theme to life, which was originally chosen to teach young people how to stay relevant in their careers in the age of AI and rapidly changing technology.
However, these speakers went a step further to share their life-changing experiences and business secrets that helped them build successful businesses.
Ajah Excel, the event convener, spoke about the challenges of selecting the right speakers. He said that it was a challenging task, but he was determined to select speakers who would provide value to the audience.
He shared an anecdote about how he tried to connect with Mr. Paul Onwunaibe of Landmark Africa. He stayed on the 8th floor of his hotel in Lagos, hoping to run into him. While that didn’t work, he was thrilled to receive an email from Mr. Onwunaibe confirming his availability for the event.
Ajah Excel’s hard work in selecting speakers paid off, as they all gave exceptional presentations at the event.
Read Also: Ajah Excel, CEO of Silicon African Technologies Champions Tech Innovation in South East
The Speakers’ Corner
The event began at 9:00 AM with hosts Sunrise Chukwukaike and John Okoye announcing the start of the program. The momentum of the event reached a high point when Mr. Peter Obi took the stage for a fireside chat.
In his fireside chat, Mr. Peter Obi shared how he combined his studies and business ventures and the challenges he overcame to become who he is today.
One of the highlights of his talk was when he clarified that he had never worked in a bank, despite popular belief. However, a chance encounter with a bank manager as a young man spurred him to become the highest shareholder of that bank today. Repeatedly calling himself a trader, Mr. Obi told participants that anyone can achieve anything if they dare.
In his keynote speech at the event, Mr. Paul Onwanibe of Landmark Africa gave a powerful talk on “Investing in the Future”. He stressed the importance of numbers in convincing investors to fund your idea, and left participants with the following quote: “If you can’t count it, it doesn’t count.”
Onwunaibe also explained three reasons why investors would want to invest in you: your mindset about the world, an idea that would solve the problem of many, and a scalable idea.
Dr. Gideon Osi, a medical doctor and philanthropist, encouraged young people to embrace entrepreneurship as a game changer. He highlighted the fact that entrepreneurship now employs more people than the civil service.
Josh 2 Funny, a comedian and comic singer, shared his life experience of how creating characters that depicted how he was turned down during many auditions became the game changer in his career. He took participants on a journey of how his YouTube channel, which had only five subscribers in 2018, is now a global trend because of his consistency.
During a panel session with Mr. John Obidi, Tricia Biz, and Darlington Ibekwe, participants learned how spotting and harnessing opportunities can be a game changer in their careers.
In a fireside chat titled “Let’s Talk Marketing,” Tricia Biz shared insights on how she built her loyal customer base. She answered questions about her marketing strategies and explained how her philosophy of “making all [her] customers owe [her].” became the game changer in her marketing career.
The event also featured a coffee chat session sponsored by Cafe One, hosted by Jayce: three business moguls, Mr. Daniel Chinagozi, Engr. Chidomere Ndubuisi, and Mrs. Caroline Wagbara, shared their experiences as tech entrepreneurs and how their innovations became the game changers they sought.
Two of the most game-changing teachings at the event were John Obidi’s “Borderless Business Model” and Ugochukwu Omeogu’s “Wealth Creation.”
Ajah Excel is an iconic leader with a passion for excellence. His choice of speakers for the third edition of SMFEST is a testament to his commitment to helping participants achieve their goals and become game changers in their own right.
He opines that hosting these super speakers in Owerri and the conversations generated by SMFEST will catalyze the change he envisions for the city and region as a whole.
