ARCON organizes Colloquium to deepen knowledge
By Oghale Mafuru
As part of efforts aimed at repositioning the advertising ecosystem and expand the frontiers of knowledge in the marketing communications industry, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON, is set to hold the first Industry colloquium.
The event which is billed to hold at the prestigious Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, on 30th March, 2023 will be attended by the Honorable Minister of Information & Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed, and the ‘Who is Who’ in the industry.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos today, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director General, ARCON, stated that the event is aimed at bringing the town and gown together for critical discourse and interaction which will provide an opportunity for cross-pollination of ideas with deep knowledge and insights about the business and practice of the profession in recent times.
He said: “The event is to bridge the gap between the academic and professionals, ‘town and gown’. As we all are aware, advertising education and knowledge keep evolving. About three decades ago, advertising as a profession was totally unbundled. Media independent left the traditional agency and today, we have the media independent as a skill. Experiential and below the line, also left the traditional agency, now we are still trying to grapple with the traditional agency structure. We have situations where graduates leave the universities or higher institutions and are not able to fit into the industry.
“So, the knowledge gap between the theory and practical is very wide. As the regulator of the industry in terms of process and practice, there is an urgent need for us to bridge the gap” he added.
Prof. Rotimi Olatunji, Chairman of the Planning Committee, Advertising Industry Colloquium, revealed that theme of the Colloquium is “Changing Trends in Advertising Education and Practice in the Era of Globalization: The Nigerian Perspective”, said that following the immersive disruption caused by technological advancement as well as the unbundling of Mass Communication by the National Universities Commission, NUC, the colloquium is organised to bridge the widening knowledge and professionalism gaps amongst and between advertising practitioners, academia and undergraduate students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“The primary objective is to provide the forum for academics and students of Mass Communication, Advertising and other components of integrated marketing communication (IMC) to interact with professionals in Advertising/other components of IMC; media practitioners, policy makers and regulatory agencies” he said.
According to him, the keynote speech will be delivered by Mr. Idorenyen Enanq, President of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, NIMN while Professor Umaru A. Pate, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Emmanuel Agu, Marketing Director, Jotna Group, Barrister Charles Odenigbo, Mr. Muyiwa Aleshinloye and Mr. Dozie Okafor, Vice- President of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria, MIPAN) will be discussants at the epoch event.
The hybrid event is expected to be attended physically by students and lecturers from 10 selected tertiary institutions drawn from the six geopolitical zones of the country.
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