Andrew Iro Okungbowa
Aeroport Group didn’t only make history but an enduring statement with its debut Travelpreneur Conference and Expo (Travelconexpo) 2025, which held in Lagos between September 19 and 20, 205.
It was an occasion that attracted quite a mixed blend of operators and stakeholders, both in the private and public sectors; ranging from the big and established names to the emerging young professionals, across the travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation and allied sectors.
As stated by the Chief Executive Officer of Aeroport Group and Convener of the conference and expo platform, Dr Oludayo Taiwo Gideon, fondly called Gidiboss, the two-day event was more than exploring the colours of travels but rather it created room for education, learning and expository teaching on the developments, trends, present happenings and ingredients for building future travel businesses and destinations.
This fact was aptly captured by Gideon in his opening remark, when he stated; ‘‘Travelconexpo is about people, it is about the conversations you will have, the connections you will make and the visions that will be birthed in the atmosphere.’’
For him, the occasion was more than just an event, as he pointed out; ‘‘today, we gather in the grand ballroom of the Federal Palace Hotel to celebrate not just an event, but the birth of a new era for travel and tourism in Nigeria and across Africa.
‘‘Our theme for this maiden edition; Innovating the Future of Travel: Empowering Entrepreneur in a New Era, captures the heartbeat of our mission. The future of travel will be shaped by those who embrace innovation, creativity and resilience.
‘‘Travelconexpo was created as that platform where entrepreneurs rise, ideas connect and opportunities thrive. Over the next two days, you will experience a rich programme designed to inspire and equip you.’’
Indeed, there were a lot to explore during the gathering as people navigated through the conference session, exhibition ground to the gala night and award ceremony that climaxed the enterprising and colourful event that was professionally curated.
Day One
Besides the convener setting the tone for the first day, with his inspiring welcome remark, a number of goodwill messages were delivered by some of the special guests of honour from both the private and public sectors.
Some of the speakers included the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Director General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo; President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), Dr Aliyu Badaki; President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Yinka Folami; and the Group Managing Director of Finchglow Holdings, Mr Bankole Bernard.
Done with the speeches, it was time to attend to the business of the day, with the conference session that focused on the theme of the event. On this Day One, a number of subject experts took to the podium to deliver quite an impressive and insightful discourses for the benefits of the audience, who were captivated by the in-depth, revealing and spellbinding presentations.
The roll call included the Group Chief Executive Officer of Wakanow, Bayo Adedeji, who spoke on; Transforming Travel: The Next Frontier for Travelpreneurs; Ambassador Nneka Isaac Moses, Co-Founder, and Managing Director, Goge Africa, who delivered a talk on; The Future of Travel: Innovating for a Borderless World; and Professor Wasiu Babalola, Professor of Hotel Management and Tourism, who took the audience through; Harnessing Data – Making Informed Travel Decisions.
These presentations were later followed by two panel sessions, with the first session on; Travel Resilience: Lessons from History and Recent Challenges; while the second session was; Maximising Revenue Growth: Leveraging Synergies for Business Excellence.
The brainstorming session climaxed with a workshop session on; Breaking Down Finance and Taxation for Travel Entrepreneurs: Strategies to Save, Scale and Stay Compliant.
Day Two
The second day of the conference was also quite exciting as it recorded appreciable number of attendees even though not compared to the first day that witnessed a hall that was filled to capacity and bursting with exciting energies and colours.
The presentations by the various speakers were quite incisive, and informative as they delighted the audience with their deep and practical knowledge of the subject matters.
The ball was set rolling by the Director of Sales and Marketing of Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Dr (Mrs) Iyadunni Gbadebo, who shared her knowledge and experience on; Strategic Partnerships: Leveraging Collaboration for Business Growth.
She underlined the need for strategic collaborations to unlock the different opportunities within the sector, noting that such partnerships and operators should also follow the trend within the space especially in the area of technology, which is taking the sector into any realm.
Next to excite the audience with his deft and insightful delivering, with a lot of food for thought for the audience, was Mr Otoide Ayemere, an entrepreneur, digital strategist and travel advocate, who took the audience on the need to innovate using trendy technology or become obsolete, as he emphasised the importance of leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI).
‘‘If you don’t implement AI in your operations in the next five years, you are going to be obsolete because AI will exponentially increase your potential for revenue generation,’’ he concluded.
Dayo Adedayo, renowned Nigerian professional photographer and socio-cultural documentarist, took the audience on a delightful and racy journey through Nigeria as a destination. His moving delivery, which transported the audience across Nigeria, was through the interchange of well-crafted and poetic words and photographs, cutting across the six geo-political zones of the country.
Titled; The Power of Storytelling in Travel Marketing, Adedayo impressed the audience in his short presentation, with his 22 years sojourn across Nigeria, which started in 2003 from Abuja.
He made it quite clear that; ‘‘Nigeria is breathtaking. But here’s the truth: beauty by itself does not sell. Stories do. People are hungry. Hungry for the Nigerian story, raw, radiant, and real.
‘‘Travel marketing is not about what we have. It is about why it matters. It is about weaving facts into feelings, places into poetry, geography into journeys of the heart.
‘‘So let me take you on a journey. A journey across Nigeria, state by state, not in order, but story by story.’’
An exciting journey of discovery it was indeed as Adedayo through his mastery of his professional camera lens unearthed the beauty of rustic and pristine Nigeria on the screen for the audience to behold in a very fascinating manner.
He concluded by noting; ‘‘But our story is not just in rivers, rocks, and hills. It is in people. The fisherman in Bayelsa, casting his net at dawn. The Fulani herder in Adamawa, singing to his cattle.
‘‘Nigeria is more than headlines. More than maps. We are a land of a thousand landscapes, a people of a thousand tongues, but one heartbeat, one rhythm, one story.
‘‘A story so powerful it sold out my first book. A story so beautiful it sold out Nigeria 2.0. A story so endless, that 22 years later, I am still on the road, still telling it.
‘‘So, I stand before you not just as a photographer. Not just as a traveller. But as a storyteller. And I invite you, marketers, writers, dreamers, to join me.
‘‘Nigeria is not just a place you visit. Nigeria is a story you live.
‘‘Let us tell it. Let us share it. Let us cherish it.
‘‘And when the world comes to Nigeria, let them leave not with souvenirs, but with stories that will live forever.’’
Adedayo’s powerful presentation, which earned him a standing ovation that reverberated across the grand ballroom, was followed by a panel discussion on; Navigating Airport Protocols for Seamless Travel. There was also a presentation by the conference Convener, Gideon, on; Navigating Regulatory Changes: What Every Entrepreneur Should Know.
Endnote
The two-day conference and expo session, which many of the attendees noted delivered on its promises, with well-curated presentations at the expo ground; impressive, educative and informative discourses by the various speakers and panelists, with musical and cultural interlude coming from Topest Art Group, Travelconexpo 2025 lived to its billings. The audience was no doubt happy and impressed by what the platform embodied and delivered.
The future holds quite a lot for the platform, which according to Gideon, is going to be a yearly affair. Elated about the successful outing, he declared; ‘‘the platform is not just an event, it is a movement, it is different from any travel event that you have ever attended and will attend.
‘‘It is not just a regular event, we promise that every year we will bring greater dimension to the event. There is something new in town. Ensure that you get your ticket early enough because next year we have something better and greater in stock for you.’’
Asked how fulfilled he is about the conference, Gidiboss, obviously happy and satisfied with his team and himself, said; ‘‘I don’t only feel fulfilled but I feel proud that God should use someone like me to make this happen. This platform is meant for serious minded people and only serious minded people can take something away from here home.
‘‘I will encourage you to take it seriously because going forward it will be very massive.’’
