THE #BBCL2014EVENT RECAP

Hello people..New Week New post!So I was part of organizing a meet up/networking event last December. Here is the recap. 

Post BBCL Meet Up PRESS RELEASE

The most talked about Blogging/Social Media/Networking Meet Up Event recently held in Cameroon was organized by the Bold & Beautiful Camer Ladies (BBCL) group which was established with the intention of bringing together young, dynamic, ambitious and professional Cameroonian ladies who have been very active worldwide in promoting their business activities, mainly on social media. The BBCL group consists of various professionals, entrepreneurs and bloggers from all works of life. The BBCL came together for what was considered the most anticipated Social Media/Networking Meet Up Event on December 30^th, 2014 at Le Méridien in Douala, Cameroon.  

Le Meridien Douala

Exhibition Sightings

 The BBCL event noticeably had a big turnout of over 120 attendees including major Sponsors namely; Gold Sponsor – Baileys and Bronze Sponsor – Madiba Consultants. This group of Bold and Beautiful Camer Ladies proved their networking power is higher than the norm by obtaining a good number of Other Sponsors and Media Partners, all of whom provided services and/or technical support during the event in one way or another.

Event Brochure

The 1st BBCL Event was not only aimed to foster networking between young professionals, entrepreneurs, bloggers, media and entertainment personalities and corporate sponsors, but it also initiated a unique strategy not typically seen in networking events in Cameroon, by providing not only networking opportunities but an educational and informative overview on the following:

·         The importance of the utilization of Social Media to Bloggers and Entrepreneurs

·         The successful impact of social media to Entrepreneurs on enhancing businesses

·         The importance of collaboration between Bloggers and Entrepreneurs and businesses

In addition to providing information on social media and ways to better enhance one’s business, this well planned event also provided opportunities for entrepreneurs, business owners, companies and sponsors to showcase their products as vendors, meet with the BBCL team, exchange (business and blogging) ideas, educate and to create awareness about the different activities, perspectives and importance of blogging and Cameroonian women on social media.

Event Brochure

Highlights of the event jumped off with a formal introduction of the BBCL Organizers by Adeline Sede –one of the BBCL Organizer’s (Founder/CEO of FabAfriq Magazine, a Fashion & Lifestyle Magazine), a presentation on “Blogging & Effective Collaboration with Businesses and Entrepreneurs” by Mbole Ekaney, a US based Blogger and the Creator of ‘THE HOTJEM’, a Fashion and Lifestyle Blog and a very successfully interactive panel discussion, led by several panelists namely; Anrette Ngafor - BBCL event Organizer (Founder/Designer for Liiber London), Mbole Ekaney - BBCL event Organizer (Founder/Editor, THE HOTJEM, a Fashion & Lifestyle Blog), Yefon Mainsah - BBCL event Organizer (Founder/Editor, IRepCamer, a Lifestyle & Entertainment Blog), Tchepowe Siewe (Contributor/Editor Ndengeh, a Music Blog), Ifaanar Qualar (Contributor/Editor for Tiptopstars) and William Takor (Contributor to several entertainment blogs).  The Panel Discussions was moderated by Hilda Awambeng - BBCL event Organizer (Founder/Editor, MammyPi, a Fashion & Lifestyle Blog). The Panel discussions which went on for almost 90 minutes surprisingly sparked huge debates and constructive criticism about blogging and social media in Cameroon and highlighted the difficulties Cameroonians faced with it. Although the panel discussions were informative, it further confirmed the need to have had such an educational networking event.

Panelists: Anrette Ngafor & Ifaana Qualar

Yours Truly & Steven's Rastafari chic, Daphne Njie

According to Nadine Tonguem of Urban TV and the Creator/Editor for Empower Success in Africa (ESIA), “This event helped enlighten its audience from wider spectrum of life, some of the development of blogs and lessons about blogging and how to blog, not to forget advantages to entrepreneurs and Business”.

Event Brochure

Other comments were made during the panel discussions, one by Joan Ngomba, a Nigeria-based Cameroonian who is the Head of Celebrity Category at pulse.ng and is the Founder of D'CODED TV Show. She suggested that creating content worth reading will slowly build up readership as people will search for keywords frequently used in your blog or website’s content and titles and come visiting to see if you have the information they need.

L-R: Hilda Awambeng, Joan Ngomba, Wax Dey, Sarah  Simo

Other highlights to the BBCL event were performances by popular Cameroonian Artists Daphne Njie who sang her famous song –Rastaferi, Wax Dey and Daddy Black. As if that were not enough, the event was graced by a visually appealing Fashion Show displaying the latest and hottest collection for Liiber London and Mareta West. At the end of the event many of Cameroon’s top bloggers and guests who attended the event mingled with the BBCL Organizers and posed for pictures taken by a stream of photographers waiting to catch a glimpse of these Beautiful Camer ladies who were Bold enough to create such an event.

Liiber London Neckpiece

It's Mareta West on the Runway

The BBCL team would like to thank all the Sponsors (Bailey’s and Madiba Consultants), all Other Sponsors, Media Partners and all the Vendors who participated in the running of the 1^st BBCL event. A  big thank you goes to all the bloggers who buzzed about the it before and after the event. The official hashtag for this event was #BBCL2014Event.

Organizer & panelist, Mbole Ekaney of  The HotJem

Ladies posting

Writerphillic blogger, Nkiacha Atemnkeng

Organizers:(L) Chantal Edie (Chantal Edie Photography) & Adeline Sede Kamga (FabAfrique)  

Paying Attention..lol

Trendy By Tia at the mini exhibition

Event Backdrop: Organizers, Sponsors, Vendors

For more pictures of the BBCL Event please go to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chantal-EDIE-Photography/152957401549231

For more information on the BBCL event please send all emails to bbclgroup@yahoo.com. 

It was a great opportunity to work with and meet other bloggers, young professionals & entrepreneurs in fashion designer, IT, Art, telecommunications, publishing, banking and finance etc. 

Already looking forward to organizing a bigger, better & re-branded event this December.

Y.M.
IRepCamer