As a Nigerian PR professional, I was ahead of my time in 2012 when I started demanding that my event videographers edit event coverage footage to 5-minute clips. What most Nigerian videographers did back then was record an entire two-hour event without any editing, burn it onto a DVD and dump it with the client. The videos lacked soul!
At the time, we had just set up corporate Facebook accounts, and I wanted to be able to share videos from our events, but these videographers didn’t understand what I meant. What was the issue? I worked in the PR department of the company, but we had an event management agency that didn’t answer to us, so they did not understand storytelling. I argued that PR companies are great event management companies because every event has a goal to create connections, but no one listened. Then came Instagram and YouTube shorts, and everyone now understands what I was trying to achieve a decade earlier. There was another issue. At some point, the event management team called our press conferences ‘boring’ and began to insist on artist performances at press conferences; it was laughable!
In Nigeria, most companies continue to make the mistake of separating event management from the PR function. In some organisations, they have an in-house event management team, but the team reports to the head of marketing, and the focus is on ‘activations’ or so-called experiential marketing. It goes back to the fundamental issue of a poor understanding of the meaning, duties and tools of public relations. Think about it, what corporate events does an organisation have? Press conferences, award ceremonies, board meetings, seminars, town hall meetings and product launches; how many of these have to do with consumers? One. All the other listed events target stakeholders which fall under the purview of public relations, so why is event management handled by marketing?
It’s time for Nigerian organisations to rethink their approach to event management and its relationship with public relations. Events are not just logistical exercises, they are storytelling platforms that shape perception, build relationships, and strengthen brand identity. The disconnect between PR and event management weakens the strategic potential of corporate events, making them mere gatherings rather than powerful communication tools.
Public relations professionals understand the art of connection, narrative, and stakeholder engagement, and event management must be integrated into this function to serve its true purpose. The era of viewing corporate events solely through a marketing lens should end. Organisations must recognise that stakeholder engagement through press conferences, award ceremonies, board meetings, and product launches is a PR responsibility.
The industry must evolve, and businesses must take action. It’s time to unify event management and PR strategy for meaningful and lasting impact. If we continue to sideline PR professionals from event planning, we miss the opportunity to truly shape corporate narratives. Let’s bridge the gap and ensure events serve their intended purpose – not as standalone spectacles but as powerful instruments for connection and influence.
