Event Professionals Summit Lagos 2026

Where the Industry Meets the Business of Events

The Event Professionals Summit Lagos brought together professionals and stakeholders from across Nigeria’s events ecosystem for a day of business education, industry conversations, connection and collaboration.

From event planners and stylists to caterers, photographers, videographers, logistics and security professionals, hoteliers, bloggers, content creators and other businesses supporting the events industry, the Summit reflected the breadth of an industry that extends far beyond what happens on the day of an event.

The focus was clear: to move the conversation beyond simply delivering great events and towards building stronger, more structured, profitable and sustainable event businesses.

The People Behind the Industry

The Summit attracted professionals working across virtually every part of the events value chain.

Attendees included event planners, event stylists and designers, caterers, photographers, videographers, content creators, bloggers, logistics providers, security professionals, hospitality and hotel representatives, suppliers and entrepreneurs building businesses around the events industry.

That diversity was intentional.

EPC exists to connect the entire ecosystem because successful events are rarely the work of one profession. They are built through collaboration between many different businesses, skills and specialisms.

Conversations That Mattered

The Summit brought together respected business and industry leaders to address some of the issues shaping the future of Nigeria’s events industry, from business structure, trust and scalability to real estate, technology, funding and long-term growth.

Dr Shogo Oyeniyi – From Hustling to Scaling

Keynote speaker and Guinness World Record holder Dr Shogo Oyeniyi explored the Nigerian wedding and events industry and challenged professionals to think beyond simply moving from one event to the next.

His session focused on what it takes to move from hustling to building a business that can scale.

One of the strongest messages from his session was the importance of trust. In an industry built heavily around relationships, referrals and reputation, trust is not simply a personal quality, it is a form of business currency.

His message challenged attendees to think about the reputation they are building alongside the events they are delivering.

ESV Osilama E. Osilama – The Real Estate of Events

ESV Osilama E. Osilama, Group Chairman of Newell Osilama Global Group Incorporated, introduced attendees to an entirely different way of thinking about opportunity within the events industry.

His session explored the intersection between events and real estate and encouraged professionals not to limit themselves only to the particular service or skill they currently provide.

He challenged attendees to consider collaboration, property ownership, event venues, property management and other opportunities that can emerge when professionals combine expertise, resources and relationships.

For many in the room, it opened up a wider conversation about asset ownership, diversification and wealth creation beyond delivering events.

Tonya Osato Lawani – Building Businesses for the Future

Tonya Osato Lawani, Group CEO of SEAL Group, spoke about building businesses that are prepared not simply for today’s opportunities, but for the future.

Trust was again a central theme.

She reinforced the importance of credibility, proper business structure and formalising a business if professionals want to access bigger opportunities and build organisations that can grow.

During her session, she asked how many practising event professionals in the room were operating businesses that had not yet been formally registered.

She then went beyond the conversation and committed to supporting the registration of 20 businesses.

The details of 20 attendees were collected, turning a discussion about business formalisation into one of the Summit’s tangible outcomes.

Joshua Nwaokolo – Grants, Funding and Business Opportunities

Joshua Nwaokolo brought an important funding perspective to the Summit, helping attendees better understand grants and the opportunities available to growing businesses.

His session explored how entrepreneurs can identify relevant funding opportunities, understand what funders are looking for and position their businesses more effectively when applying.

It was also an important reminder that becoming funding-ready starts before an application is submitted, with the right business structure, information, documentation and preparation.

Christine Imoukhuede – Technology and the Future of Events

Christine Imoukhuede, Founder of AHAVAPLAN, explored the relationship between technology and the future of the events industry.

Her session examined how technology is changing the way events are planned, managed, marketed and experienced, and why event professionals need to understand how to use technology as part of building more efficient and competitive businesses.

The conversation made one thing clear: technology is no longer something sitting on the edge of the events industry. It is becoming part of its infrastructure.

Tessie Mebitaghan – The Business of Events

EPC Founder Tessie Mebitaghan brought the conversations together around one central question: are event professionals simply delivering events, or are they actually building businesses?

Her session, “The Business of Events”, challenged professionals to move beyond the cycle of constantly chasing the next client, the next booking and the next event.

The focus was on building strategy, structure, systems and commercial thinking around creative talent – creating businesses that can become profitable, sustainable and capable of growing beyond their founders.

The message was simple: being exceptional at creating events is only one part of building a successful event company.

Moments From the Day

One of the defining moments of the Summit was the launch of Tessie Mebitaghan’s book, “The Business of Events”.

The response from attendees was immediate. Every available copy sold out within just 20 minutes of the launch.

It was a fitting moment for a Summit centred around the same fundamental conversation as the book: helping creative professionals understand that talent and creativity must be supported by strategy, structure and sound business thinking.

But some of the most valuable moments of the Summit did not necessarily happen on stage.

They happened between sessions, during introductions, through exchanged contact details and in conversations between professionals who discovered businesses, services and expertise that complemented their own.

Those connections are central to what EPC was created to facilitate.

What Attendees Took Away

The Summit was designed to leave attendees with more than inspiration.

Participants left with practical perspectives on building structured businesses, developing trust and credibility, identifying new commercial opportunities, embracing technology, accessing grants and funding, exploring opportunities beyond their existing services and preparing their businesses for sustainable growth.

For some attendees, the impact was immediate.

Twenty practising professionals who had not formally registered their businesses were given the opportunity to receive support towards doing so following Tonya Osato Lawani’s commitment during her session.

For others, relationships formed at the Summit developed into collaborations and working connections beyond the event itself.

That is one of the outcomes EPC values most: conversations that continue after everyone has left the room.

Building Stronger Connections

The Event Professionals Community is built around a simple belief: the industry becomes stronger when professionals stop operating entirely in isolation.

An event planner needs venues, caterers, designers, logistics teams, photographers, videographers, technology, security and many other specialist services. Those businesses, in turn, need relationships, visibility, knowledge and commercial opportunities.

EPC creates an environment where those connections can happen deliberately.

The Lagos Summit demonstrated what becomes possible when professionals from across the ecosystem are brought into the same room, not simply to exchange business cards, but to learn from one another, identify opportunities and build relationships that can lead to real business.

Looking Ahead

The Event Professionals Summit Lagos was never intended to be a one-off gathering.

Our ambition is for the Summit to become a consistent part of the industry calendar, taking place at least annually, alongside additional EPC gatherings, business programmes, training and partnership initiatives throughout the year.

As EPC grows, so does the opportunity to connect more professionals, create stronger commercial relationships, develop businesses and strengthen the wider events ecosystem.

Because EPC is not simply about bringing the industry together for one day.

It is about what we can build together afterwards.

Continue the Journey With EPC

The conversation continues beyond the Summit.

Join the Event Professionals Community to connect with professionals across the industry, access learning and business opportunities, and be part of a community committed to building stronger businesses and a stronger events industry.