Experts Brainstorm on Innovation, Creative Solutions for Real Estate

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

For the first three days of May 2023, over a thousand realtors and practitioners in the real estate industry converged at the Balmoral Events Centre Lagos for this year’s edition of the Unleashed 4 Takeover Conference, Africa’s biggest real estate event.

Now in its second year, the Unleashed 4 Takeover Conference was conceived to spotlight the real estate industry and connect and inspire career professionals and entrepreneurs across other sectors to thrive in their chosen fields.

Themed Reshaping Real Estate in Africa, the conference brought together industry leaders and reputable international speakers to chart a course for the industry in post-elections Nigeria and drive individual stakeholders and practitioners towards delivering their best efforts for the growth of the industry.

Through keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops on a wide range of topics, including disruption, branding, sales and marketing, real estate financing, prop-tech and lots more, attendees were exposed to profound life-changing insights for making impactful exploits in their lives and businesses and the society at large.

In her opening address, the CEO of Victoria Crest Homes and Co-Convener of the conference Ichechi Okonkwo underscored the growing impact of innovation and technology on the global real estate industry. While highlighting several challenges bedeviling the sector, she also expressed her firm belief that “Africa’s real estate industry is on the verge of a transformational period”.

The founder and Group Managing Director of NedcomOaks Group and Co-Convener of the conference, Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, lit up the venue when he discussed ‘Disruption: A City Powered by the Sun’. Drawing from lessons from his life, he urged attendees to embrace innovation to meet the needs of a changing world and to continuously disrupt their creations to stay ahead in the industry.

Okonkwo highlighted his company’s latest real estate offering, Citadel Views Estate. Describing it as their response to the current environmental challenges facing the world today, he urged real estate developers to always consider environmental protection as they embark on new projects. “It’s time for all of us to look into how we solve the global energy crisis,” he said.

Global Lead Pastor of The Elevation Church, Pastor Godman Akinlabi, delivered a keynote titled Building Excellence. He highlighted the importance of pursuing excellence and how it can be done. “You can’t build excellence without benchmarking it. You need to watch out for trends in your industry,” he said.

Delivering his keynote on ‘Trends and Insight: The Nigeria Market Outlook 2023’, accomplished investment banker Abimbola Olashore emphasised the importance of innovation to take advantage of the numerous opportunities available in the industry. “Those who have done well in real estate are those who have broken new grounds,” he said.

During the session titled “Building your Brand: Brand as an Indispensable Asset”, Board Member of Troyka Group, Dr. Ken Onyeali Ikpe took a deep dive into the intricacies of building a brand that helps accomplish personal and business goals.”

While speaking on ‘Sell to Wealth: Increase your Capacity to Sell out Properties, The founder of Oyster Hill Limited, Dr Odabor Ejumudo, shared 12 principles anyone can use to shine in the real estate business. These principles included determining your why, knowing your market, networking, and mastering communication, among others.

Bemoaning the quality of building materials on the market, the real estate mogul called on the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and other industry regulators to conduct routine checks to ensure that building materials meet the proper specifications and standards.

The CEO of The Gemstone Group and Nigeria’s foremost motivational speaker, Fela Durotoye, delivered a rousing session on “Manifesting Greatness in Today’s World.” In his speech, he emphasised the need for every practitioner to take responsibility for proffering workable solutions to the many problems facing the industry and the nation. “The future of the real estate industry is sitting in this room. It is not a person. It is an idea,” he said.

Speaking further, Durotoye encouraged attendees to pursue greatness as a means to attain success. “The success of this conference will not be measured by how many people were in attendance. It will be measured by what we agreed upon and how we execute that agreement after we leave here,” he added, stressing the need to take thoughtful and calculated actions for impact.

Speaking on “Thriving in the New Era,” renowned South African speaker and CEO of MyGrowthFund Venture Partners, Vusi Thembekwayo, underscored taking charge of and building one’s reputation. According to him, an effective reputation is built on identifying and clarifying the value one represents and it can set one apart from their competitors.

Awards were presented to deserving real estate professionals for their excellent contributions to the industry. Some of the awardees include Ebiere Masodjem and Dare Arigbede, who won the Next Rated Developer for the female and male categories, respectively. Other winners include: Bridget Adeyemi of Lekki Ajah Ikoyi properties, YouTube creators Steve Ndukwu and Tayo Aina, who won in the New Media Trailblazers category, while Fidelity Bank received the bank award.

The event was such that witnessed refreshing moments from the robust debates to delicious meals, comedy and music interludes from A-list Nigerian acts, including Spyro and Iyanya. Attendees had a wonderful experience that will linger in their memories as the event climaxed with a grand gala night befitting the grand stature of the conference.