The Ultimate Beach Experience
The just concluded M2 Bafana Bafana is creating ripples in both the integrated marketing communications industry and Nigeria’s entertainment circuit. In just it fourth season, the annual event has become the reference point in Nigeria’s entertainment calendar, notably because it is a party in a class of its own. Truly the biggest networking party for managers on the cutting edge of business, the Bafana Bafana IV, which took place penultimate weekend, has proved again that the event has come to stay. Joseph Ekeng writes.
M2 has a penchant for always being a step ahead in innovation and creativity. So the party was very unlike any other party. The build up to the D-day was unusually tensed as there was a sudden surge of activities in M2 and participating agencies. Every corner of the office had a signpost of the coming event. There were regular meetings, budgeting, designs, contract negotiations with artistes, comedians and top TV personalities and logistic arrangements were concluded ahead of time. Some other groups were charged with getting out the message through TV and radio commercials. Everyone had something to do and they carried it out with gusto, leaving no room for failures. Every time the phones rang, the callers wanted to know how they can be part of the big show. Indeed, the atmosphere was so overwhelming; for a moment it felt like a Grammies or Oscar was around the corner, but no, it was Bafana Bafana IV and the fever was palpable. Of course, the excitement about Bafana Bafana is not a mere empty feeling. Over the years, it has become more like a carnival, attracting the biggest gathering of marketing and media practitioners in Nigeria under one roof of fun, intent on relaxing and networking. No other event in Nigeria has that reputation.
Bafana Bafana has become synonymous with innovation, and this year, the surprise package was the beach experiment. So, unlike the first three editions which held on the mainland, this year’s Bafana Bafana travelled all the way to Eleko Beach, reputed to be Nigeria’s finest beaches. The beautiful sand of Eleko Beach, the pleasant breeze and the inviting splendour of the sea all provided a welcoming ambience for guests. “We wanted to take people away from traffic and other problems usually associated with the city, to a place where you won’t be in a hurry to go home,” Akin Adeoya, Publisher of M2 and Convener of the party said. Indeed, that expectation was achieved because, from the early afternoon guests began trooping into the venue, all dressed in beach friendly attires in anticipation of fun fabulous fun.
Bafana Bafana IV was a different kind of party, there was no regimented routine, where guests were told what to do and how to do it; everyone had the freedom to groove along according to his or her persuasion. Everywhere you looked, there was something that caught your attention. Guests gradually warmed up into the fun by sizing up each other with different games, ranging from snookers, table tennis, ludo, Ayo, chess, scrabble, football and many others games that added to spice up the day. But by far the most attractive game on the day was the bull ride, which was making its debut in Nigeria at the M2 Bafana Bafana. The rodeo bull is a fun ride imported from Texas, USA, and designed to offer the same adventure and fun as riding on a live bull. Controlled by a machine to fling off it riders just like the natural bull does, riders are timed so winners can be determined.
This year’s party was indeed a pool of like-minded professionals. It attracted top players in different sectors, including media, entertainment, manufacturing, branding, marketing, PR, and beyond. It is a fact that the business world has evolved into a complex and dynamic chain of events where changes happen with the speed of light. So, in order to catch up with pace of events, top professional are constantly kept on their toes and have little consideration for rest. That is why M2, a publication that represent the propagation of marketing knowledge by keeping in touch with latest trends, issues and developments in marketing and business world, has seized the opportunity to provide the platform where professions can have fun and as well discuss deals with colleagues. “The thing is that you meet friends you haven’t seen in a long time, while you open up and catch fun and go back to your normal work,” Steve Nwosu, Daily Editor of The Sun newspaper, said. Some other top media personalities that showed up at the show was Philip Trimel, who noted that the beach experiment is unique because it liberates the spirit, and Mayor Akinpelu, who sat quietly savouring a combination of roasted chicken and wine. Some of the other personalities that graced the occasion include popular TV personality, ID Ogungbe; Eddie Aderinokun, MD of Buildcraft; and Bayo Oke, Brand Manager of Intercontinental Distillers.
As the afternoon sun gradually gave in to the coolness of the evening, the stage suddenly came alive as a select crop of Nigerian music artistes began to file out to entertain guests who have, all day, had a fill of loads of assorted drinks and sumptuous meal from Hotel 1960, Ikeja, which had set up its shop on the beach, along with other sellers of drinks and food vendors. The line up of artistes ranged from Freewindz, Azeezat, Artquake, Lineo, Benny Willis, Alagbada and other up coming acts like Shayo Brothers, Ozed paparazzi, Catchie, FDI, GOP and others. The comedian of the night was De Don, while Deji of the Malta Guinness Street dance fame was the Compere. The party was also spiced up with energetic dance from Step Riders, Honey Comb and a group of Makosa dancers. One by one the artistes rattled the stage and gave a good account of themselves, further electrifying the night as guests took time out to dance while sipping different kinds of wines and samba coconut liqueur which was supplied by Intercontinental Distillers Limited. DJ Chascolee, the official DJ of the night, did not disappoint either. Churning out music vibes from his wheels of steel, Chascolee ensured there was no dull moment at the party.
But how did the name come about; and why the name Bafana Bafana, which is a well known foreign name, popularly associated with the South African senior national football team? Many have continued to ask. Deji, the MC, recalls vividly how the concept was born. “I remember when Mr. Akin Adeoya sat there in his office, like five years ago, brainstorming what the name of the event was going to be. Keeping quiet for about five minutes, he just got up and said, ‘you know what Bafana Bafana means? It means ‘the boys, the boys’ in Swahili’, and everybody went ‘yeah!’ That settled everything,” Deji recalled.
With the concept clearly defined, Bafana Bafana took off and has become a reference point. That is why busy executives like Nwosu have made it a duty to keep a date with it. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t there at the first edition of the party, but I heard so much about it. All kinds of people went. When I saw the photo splash in the newspapers, I knew that if I had gone I would have met some of my old friends that I have not seen for years. That was what made me decide that once I’m in town and it is happening, I will be there. It is a place to reconnect,” Nwosu said.
Of course, most of the guests that spoke with M2 confirmed that they were able to connect with their old acquaintances and are looking at possibilities of doing business together in the future. And while Bafana Bafana connects friends with friends and businesses with businesses, it has also become a great platform for brands to leverage on. Over the years brands like Intercontinental Distillers, Sosaco Nig. Ltd, Powers Horse and Kiss Mix have been in regular partnership with the event and this year, newly launched Dangote Noodles joined the fray. “There are lots of brands here partnering with Bafana Bafana. That shows how credible the party is and how people appreciate it,” Oke said
And just as the forth edition was wounding down, participants were already looking forward to the fifth edition. The tradition of fun, networking and relaxation obviously makes Bafana Bafana a simply irresistible party.
