#SMWLagos; Africa’s Largest Tech & New Media Event Brings Thousands to Lagos
Social Media Week Lagos 2015 Will Debut A 24,000 sq ft Interactive Campus & Host Key Stakeholders and Digital Influencers From Around The World As They Explore The Impact of Social Media and Mobile Across Africa
Social Media Week Lagos (SMW Lagos) co-produced by Dragon Africa and AFRIKA21 returns to Lagos, Nigeria for a third year February 23 – 27, 2015. SMW Lagos was launched in 2013 with Lagos being the first African city to host the international conference. To date over 15,000 people have participated in the now annual conference and more than 400,000 people have engaged with SMW Lagos content online.
#SMWLagos is part of the larger Social Media Week global conference, now in it’s 7th year and hosted in 21 cities around the world. The global theme for the February 2015 edition of Social Media Week sponsored by Microsoft. is Upwardly Mobile: The Rise Of The Connected Class.
“The Connected Class is represented by those with access and connectivity. Today there are 3 billion of us. By 2022 there will be 6 billion. Through the exploration of the Upwardly Mobile theme we want to ask the fundamental question: how can all humans achieve more in a connected world?” – Toby Daniels, Founder/Executive Director, Social Media Week.
Informed by the global theme, SMW Lagos will explore locally the theme “Upwardly Mobile: The Rise of A Connected Africa.” Africa is the fastest growing mobile technology market and the largest mobile market after Asia. The SMW Lagos 2015 theme sets the stage for thought provoking and insightful discussions on the impact of mobile across Africa and what a connected continent of 1 Billion people means for the global economy and the world at large.
“As the western world begins to explore and move toward being a mobile-first society across Africa mobile has always been our first-screen. From mobile payments to health screenings via mobile devices, there is much the world can learn from Africa.
Our devices not only enable us to stay connected to each other and the world, but they also enable us to solve local problems. As we rapidly move towards putting devices in the hands of every Africa, the outcomes will surely be tremendous” – Ngozi Odita, Co-Founder/Executive Director, SMW Lagos.
SMW Lagos 2015 will be held at Landmark Center, a state of the art event space in Lagos, Nigeria. The Landmark Centre is located on the grounds of Landmark Village, a spectacular beachfront location extending over 9.4 acres in Victoria Island. The capacity and capabilities of Landmark Centre will enable SMW Lagos to carry out its new “campus venue” model and host more than 25,000 people over the course of 5 days as well as enhance the conferences program offerings to include digital installations, co-working spaces, executive meeting rooms, exhibitions and a pop up marketplace. The conference explore a wide range of topics including business, entertainment, education, technology and politics. SMW Lagos is free and open to the public.
SMW Lagos invites Lagosians and the world to join the conversation and contribute to the week’s programming by hosting their own events, talks, panel sessions and workshops. Individuals and organizations can get involved by submitting their idea here. Event submissions open October 8, 2014. Deadline for submissions is December 5, 2014.
For more information on SMW Lagos and how to get involved, please email lagos@socialmediaweek.org. For the latest news and updates visit SocialMediaWeek.org or follow SMW Lagos on Twitter via @SMWLagos or on Facebook.
The SMW Lagos branding image of the Lagos skyline was provided by ‘a whitespace’ and photographed by Folarin Shasanya
About Dragon Africa
Established by Obi Asika and Dragon Associates founder Charlie Methven, Dragon Africa uses its wealth of knowledge and understanding of Africa and Europe, with extensive contacts in the media, government, and financial centres, to address challenges and maximise opportunities for African companies seeking a cutting edge advantage in London and other major financial centres
About Afrika21
AFRIKA21 was conceptualized as a media and production outfit that could take a multidisciplinary approach to promoting a new vision of Africa in the 21st Century. AFRIKA21 produces online content, multimedia events and public programming with the expressed purpose of reframing the conversation around Africa, creating awareness of the opportunities that exist on the continent and encouraging collaboration.
About Social Media Week
Social Media Week, powered globally by Microsoft, is a worldwide event exploring the social, cultural and economic impact of social media. Our mission is to help people and organizations connect through collaboration, learning and the sharing of ideas and information.