ID Africa, owners of Netng and organizers of Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NECLive), on Wednesday confirmed that the eighth edition of the annual conference will hold on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
NECLive – the premier and largest gathering of entertainment industry professionals in Nigeria – will return as a hybrid media event combining a studio set-up of select speakers with live global broadcast across cable TV, radio and online platforms.
The event will explore the theme: “Building The Future”, through the exploration of actionable steps and solutions proffered by some of Nigeria’s most brilliant professionals and accomplished entertainment industry stakeholders.
The conference will focus on various ways of using entertainment as a vehicle, creativity as a tool and celebrity power as an agent of change to build a remarkable future for Nigeria’s youth.
NECLive8 will feature three main speakers who are leading the charge in rethinking the approach to consumer entertainment and creative enterprise across the world.
The event will be punctuated with live music by one of Nigeria’s most celebrated artistes, an enthralling live stage drama and comedy from one of the industry’s finest.
The event will also include product unveilings, brand announcements and industry tributes.
The studio audience will be made up of limited invited guests, while millions of viewers across the world will interact with the conference through the official digital channels.
Ayeni Adekunle, Convener of NECLive, said, “We set up NECLive eight years ago as an intervention towards building the industry of our dreams.
“Seven events, 450 speakers and panellists, 40 exhibitions and brands, and 12,000 attendees after, we are glad to be witnessing and facilitating the transformation of our home entertainment; or our music and media. And we are calling on the government, practitioners, fans and investors to come to the party.”
According to the organisers, this year will also mark the launch of a new programme called NECLive Go! – a platform created to support innovators that are solving growth problems for creatives and the wider entertainment industry in Nigeria.
Through NECLive Go!, innovators and entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas to investors and get the support they need to start or scale their products.
During NECLive8, ID Africa will also premier the NECLive TV Special, a scripted 90-minute long production, featuring a 7-year chronicle of the most powerful speakers and memorable moments from the NECLive stage between 2013 and 2020.
The documentary-style production which will contain new, original recordings, archival materials and never-before-seen footage will broadcast live on TV and also stream online.
According to Femi Falodun, CEO, ID Africa, “Nigeria’s entertainment industry is full of energetic, enterprising and creative young people who are often the direct victims of poor governance, lack of opportunities and social injustice.
“They have also recently emerged as the leaders of a new national movement and drivers of an ongoing conversation about the future of our country.
“Our goal with NECLive8 is to provide the tools, resources and connections that will further drive the change and innovation that the industry is yearning for.”
Following a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers expect that this hybrid edition will reach over 20 million people watching on TV, listening on radio and streaming live via Neusroom, Netng, as well as on NECLive’s Youtube, Facebook and other digital channels.
