Having the courage to strive forward.
Experience from BCP Origins Mini Experience Akure
The second edition of BCP Origins Mini Experience in Akure looked promising. The speakers had confirmed their availability months ahead, and I assumed it would be a walk in the park since we’d had a first one.
This was after we visited Ondo City, where only half the registered people showed up physically on the event day. I woke on the morning of November 25, 2023, fearing that no one would attend the event.
I sent out emails and followed up with a chat on the group. However, I was just being optimistic. The backend of the registration form should have been all the evidence I needed to know that people would not appear.
The initial challenge started that Saturday morning when I learned that the monthly environmental sanitation was scheduled for that Saturday morning. Several other events with a more established brand occurred that same day. And the mother of all the challenges I faced was my speakers being confirmed for another event on the same day, in the same building, in a hall just beside ours.
There was someone at the door outside asking people, “Which event did you come for?” Sometimes, he briefly explained and gestured to them based on their response. At 10 am, I made it in time to set up the venue — arrange the chairs and set up the stage. Then, unfazed, I sat down, opened my laptop and continued my course on becoming a high-value talent.
Maybe I had mentally prepared myself not to be moved by the number of people who showed up, or it was just a protective setting my mind assumed to ensure I didn’t feel the hurt of being the only one who showed up for my event.
My speakers were running late; at some point, I wondered if they had concluded within themselves that they would be at the other event and not mine. One of our speakers had called ahead to cancel her session due to an emergency, and I was left with 2 out of 3 speakers to an audience of zero at a few minutes to 11 am, one hour after the proposed start time.
Then one person — Khaled— walked in. Out of the nine people who registered, he showed up. I was happy, and I could start the event properly because he was here. Alongside two people from my team, I started the event while I systematically waited for the arrival of my first speaker.
The first speaker arrived; we wrapped up the intro session and moved into his session to ensure he spoke in time as he had to leave to honour the second event he was also called to speak at on the same day, in the hall just beside us.
He spoke on systems and the psychology behind building global brands, using the Forex market as a case study as he was familiar with the market and had set up systems to ensure he could stay profitable.
I was happy because the session was meant for Khaled. He was a budding trader hearing another trader with more experience shed light on his chosen profession.
However, I was put back in a state of dilemma when the first speaker finished his session, and the second speaker was not yet present — an emergency had contributed to his late arrival. Still, I would not know this until about 30 minutes later when he walked in on a roundtable session we had.
We now had two guests, two team members, one speaker, and me, making six people. I quickly modified the nature of the event into a roundtable session, focused on answering intricate questions peculiar to those of us seated. Questions were asked, and answers were provided as the last speaker walked into the auditorium.
The second speaker spoke to an audience of six, captivating the audience and his voice filling the auditorium. He spoke on the four Ps of marketing — people, place, positioning, and price. It was the second time I’d be hearing about it, but the second time would be the most practical talk I ever had on the topic.
Moments later, the second edition of BCP Origins Mini Experience Akure ended. I took notes on things I could do better and will apply them as I continue to create shared memories with the audience of BCP across Nigeria and the world.
