Plans are in top gear for the hosting of the MARKETING EDGE Annual  Marketing Stakeholders’ Summit and Brands & Advertising Awards of Excellence scheduled for August 26-27, 2021.

The 2-in-1 programme is a yearly offering of MARKETING EDGE magazine, Nigeria’s leading brands and marketing publication, to the Integrated Marketing Communications industry as a demonstration of its commitment to its vision of ‘Promoting the brand Idea.’.

Recall that the initiative debuted with the yearly hosting of National Marketing Stakeholders Summit in 2013. As it has become the tradition since the break out of Covid-19 pandemic, the summit is holding virtually, on the 26th August, 2021, a day before the Award night, scheduled for 27th August, 2021.

The virtual summit themed: “Rethinking the Blue Ocean Strategy in Uncertain Times”, will feature speakers consisting local and global thought leaders, academics, captains of industries and outstanding professionals from the marketing communications industry and beyond. In its 8th edition, the summit has become a forum where stakeholders and thought leaders gather to expand the frontiers of marketing and advertising knowledge while setting agenda for the Nigerian marketing and advertising eco-system.

The Guest speaker for this year’s summit is Ogilvy Africa CEO, Vikas Mehta. Vikas will be joined by no fewer than 21 other speakers on the panel discussion including other renowned global thought leaders, academics, captains of industries and outstanding professionals in the marketing communications industry and beyond.

The Brands & Advertising Awards of Excellence, another noble initiative from the stable of MARKETING EDGE, Nigeria’s leading industry magazine, was conceived to reward excellence across the nation’s integrated marketing communications spectrum. This year’s award will hold on August 27th, 2021 at D’Podium Event Centre, Aromire, Ikeja, Lagos.

The awards ceremony has become the acme of events in the calendar of industry stakeholders in Nigeria and a talking point globally. As expected, the industry is gearing up for this yearly marketing ritual and industry practitioners, brands and international partners are full of high expectations on this year’s event.

Mr. John Ajayi, Publisher/ Chief Executive Officer of MARKETING EDGE Magazine, has assured industry stakeholders that this year’s edition promises to be better in terms of content, packaging and delivery as it is poised to be top-notch.

“We are set to once again wow the industry this year. As you all know, we have repeatedly kept our promise that we will continue to better ourselves in delivering on our commitment to promoting the brand idea. We were convinced to initiate this unique initiative of a national marketing summit and brands and advertising awards of excellence because of our unflinching belief in creating positive disruption in our sector so that others will not do it for us albeit negatively. This belief, I must say has paid off significantly” Ajayi said.

“The event has been widely accepted and applauded by not just the marketing communications industry but many Nigerians, both private and public.  It has since become an iconic brand on its own and is gaining more and more traction, both within Nigeria and in the international marketing and advertising community. Each edition has always been an improvement on the previous one, and has always turned out better, bigger and more glamorous. The MARKETING EDGE Excellence Awards 2021 will not depart from this tradition,” he said.

The awards ceremony, which celebrates excellence in Nigeria’s Integrated Marketing Communications industry, has always been the greatest convergence of industry practitioners and watchers.