The organisers of the African Public Relations Association (APRA) Annual Conference scheduled to hold at the Calabar International Convention Centre, Calabar, Nigeria, have revealed that APRA Calabar 2016 will parade an array of renowned speakers, including the Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Erastus Mwencha, Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and the Governor of Cross Rivers State, Professor Ben Ayade.
Other personalities expected are Bart de Vries, the President of International Public Relations Association (IPRA), Maxim Behar, President International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) and five (5) major PR networks namely; Web er Shandwick, Fleishman Hilliard, Hill & Knowton, Grayling and Burson Marsteller.
Other speakers include Robyn de Villiers, Chairman and CEO of Burson Marsteller Africa who has well over 25 years of strategic communications experience advising clients across multiple sectors including privately-owned companies to multinationals, NGO’s and government bodies.
According to the APRA Secretary-General, in the 40-year existence of the association, 27 editions of the conference have been held across various countries on the continent. Such locations include Lagos, Abuja, Accra, Kumasi, Nairobi, Mombasa, Addis Ababa, Mauritius, Abidjan, Yaoundé, Dakar, Johannesburg, Kampala, Banjul but to mention a few.
The conferences have been sought after as a ‘must host’ for many countries, it is against this backdrop that the Calabar International Convention Centre bided and won the rights to host this conference last year in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
As build to APRA Calabar 2016, the association has recently unveiled popular Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw as the conference brand ambassador and a logo identity to drive the event with the theme: ‘Leapfrogging Africa: The Role of Communication’.
The Conference is expected to draw attendees, speakers and facilitators from all over Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.
It will be recalled that when we went to Cameroon to bid for this conference to be hosted in Nigeria, we promised the delegates that they would have an opportunity to sample what Calabar has to offer.
Hence, While in Calabar, delegates will have an opportunity to experience the tourism attractions the destination offers such as the Calabar Night at Tinapa Lakeside Hotel, Movie premiere at the Filmhouse Cinema, located at the Marina Resort waterfront, visit to the Slave Museum, Double Decker city tour, amongst other post conference activities planned for delegates and accompanying persons.
The conference will be capped by a closing dinner for all delegates and guests.
