10 Reasons Why Social Media Week In Lagos Will Rock
The biggest social gathering in Africa is going to take place between Feb. 17 – 21 during the Social Media Week (SMW) in Lagos, Nigeria. This will be the second SMW gathering in Lagos after a successful first ever event was held exactly a year ago. The event will bring together some of the top African thinkers, brands, learners and creators. Here are some of the reason why SMW Lagos is likely to be biggest Africa’s rockfest of 2014:
- It’s Africa’s Largest Social Media Gathering
This will be the second SMW gathering organized in Africa, but it has already claimed its place as the largest, tech, new media and business conference on the continent. It will attract some of the continent’s most forward thinkers, brands, learners and creators. SMW Lagos will connect the continent and encourage collaborations hence its theme ‘A Connected Africa Is The Future’. It promises to be a world class conference with Africa’s brightest minds. It is also free and open to the public.
- Al Jazeera Host Femi Oke Will Anchor Social Media Week Lagos
Femi Oke, host of Al Jazeera English ‘The Stream’ will be one of the keynote speaker and panel host at SMW Lagos. The former Nigerian Media Personality of the year is expected to use her show, ‘The Stream,’ a daily television program that uses social media as an avenue to disseminate news and tap into the amazing abilities of individuals attending SMW Lagos. She will also host a panel that will address the connection between global health, technology and social media, using Al Jazeera’s upcoming series, ‘Lifelines,’ as an example.
- Lagos, Africa’s Largest City In Population, Will Host SMW In Africa
With a population of over 21 million Lagos is the largest black city in the world and is arguably the epicenter of the continent and home to the powerhouses of Africa’s creative, business and tech communities. It is the fastest growing city in Africa and overtook Cairo has the largest on the continent in 2012. Nigeria’s population is estimated will be bigger than that of the US by 2050!
- Eight Cities Will Hosting SMW In February Across The World
Eight cities around the world will be hosting Social Media Week events this month – everywhere from Bangalore to Lagos to Milan to Tokyo. By attending the SMW Lagos you become part of the world wide phenomena that is changing how the world communicate and interact. In simple word ‘you get connected to the pulse’. 
- Different Venues, Different Cultural Experience
SMW Lagos will be hosted across different venues giving visitors a good feel of the city and its culture. SMW sessions will be held in at least five different venues across the city including the Volkswagen Centre (VI), Terra Kulture Centre, Club Pravada on Victoria Island (one of the richest location in Africa!), Four Points Sheraton and EC Hothouse in Ikeja.
- A Startup Competition Battlefield Will Be Launched During SMW Lagos
Nigerian technology blog TechCabal in partnership with Stanbic Bank, Jobberman and SMW will launch a startup competition Battlefield during the event, allowing Nigerian startups to compete for US$10,000 plus other prizes. The Battlefield, which will take place on February 19 at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, as part of the 2014 edition of SMW Lagos, is open to startups with less than US$200,000 in funding and with an essential tech component to their businesses, HumanIPO reported. The event will include a training session with professionals before startups pitch to a panel of judges and an audience of press, investors and the general public.
- African Techie Will Show Case Travel Apps The Continent
Beyond using apps to showcase a brand, the creation of travel apps offers a new point of entry for entrepreneurs in the tech space. With the exception of a few stellar apps like HopStop from Nigerian entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo there have been no successful travel apps from African developers and they will have a chance to fill this vacuum during the SMW travel session. With nearly 100 million smartphones in use on the continent, there is a lot of potential business for a travel app in Africa.
- Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo To Host An Event
Former Nigeria President and Chairman of the Africa 2.0 Advisory Board, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo will head a delegation of leaders whose aim is to foster inter-generational dialogue during an evening event to be held at the prestigious Porsche Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Tuesday 19th February 2013 The event will be exploring the possibility of leveraging social media and digital tools to move Africa forward. This will be one of the first ever gathering of African leaders and top business men such as Tonye Cole, CEO of Sahara Energy, to discuss the impact of social media on the continent. 
- They Will Be Several Session On How To Blog For Money In Africa
Blogging in Africa is a thankless job and one of the riskiest thing to do apart from investigative journalism. As a blogger in Africa you always run the risk of being arrested for peddling rumors, treason or any other cooked up allegations. To make it worse you never make any money from blogging because PayPal doesn’t work in this part of the world. At the SMW Lagos there will be a number of session discussing blogging in Africa and how to monetize it without rubbing the powers-that-be the wrong way.
- Meeting Africa’s Thought Leaders And Change Makers
In February 2013 Lagos, Nigeria joined the Social Media Week Community as the first African city to host the event. Alongside ten other cities including Hamburg, Milan, New York, Singapore, and Tokyo, Social Media Week Lagos Made History! Attending SMW Lagos this February will be a chance to be part of this rich history and meeting some of Africa’s most influential thought leaders, brands, agencies, start-ups and digital change makers.