Events & Event Reviews

Event Showcase: Fiesta of Flavour Food Fair, Sponsored By #FirstBank

Published

9 years ago

December 7, 2015

Helen Ozor

Fiesta of Flavour is a world-class food and beverage fair which took place from December 4^th to December 6^th 2015. The event brought together hundreds of food and beverage enterprises, and also countless attendees looking for an opportunity to wine, dine, network and have an excellent culinary experience mixed with entertainment, art and see the business side of food from Africa and the world. Nigeria’s most valuable bank brand, First Bank, has partnered with a leading event management company to host the Fiesta of Flavour Fair.

Surprised right? Here’s why First Bank supports the event. Agriculture has a high potential for growth and economic boom. However, this potential is yet to be fully harnessed as the sector is yet to be given the necessary prominence in building our nation’s economy. FirstBank realises that support for the agricultural value chain which includes food, will enable individual and communal self-reliance, self-contentment and self-sufficiency, which will translate to national growth.

This is why the Bank is taking ownership of the food space to fully promote businesses that will build the sector and in the long run preserve our teeming population, build revenue for development purposes and create employment opportunities. The effort will also serve to stem corruption and other forms of indiscipline, which threaten economic stability.

FirstBank is set to support the business, art and entertainment of food across all segments of the economy. FirstBank is also supporting the passion, lifestyle and career options of its more upwardly mobile customers, who have a flair for and are making a living from cooking, fine dining and the art and finesse of food.

The Bank is also furthering the entertainment value of food, widely enjoyed by youth and families, by sponsoring events that provide opportunities to enjoy food as a united community. With a rich heritage of over 120 years and footprints across Africa and the globe, FirstBank has been at the forefront of preserving culture in all its locations.

Food is an essential part of cultural heritage and the venture into supporting and sustaining the food industry is one of the many ways the Bank is preserving the cultural heritage of its business communities all over the world.

My Experience/ What Was Unique About The Event

I had the opportunity to attend the 2^nd day session of the event ..mind you, this isn’t my food fair. When I arrived at the venue, I was surprised about the fact that I was told to park my car outside of the venue. I wasn’t too confortable with parking my car outside considering my robbery ordeal a few months ago. Since the robbery, I haven’t parked my car outside of any event venue. But then, I was assured by the security official that nothing was going to happen to my car. Aside the presense of the security officials, there were LASTMA officials at the venue. Security was water tight. if you didn’t have a tag or a ticket you are definitely not going into the venue. That for me was a strong point. Security is as importatnt as any other aspect of planning any kind of event no matter how small. I quickly found a suitable place to park and made my way into the venue.

Like I said earlier, this isn’t my first time of attending a food fair in Nigeria. Most of the food events I’ve attended were just regular with nothing special to hold on to or any unique experience you would be looking forward to another time.

This particular event was different. I went round the fair and spotted a very unique section. I love kids, I love to see kids do interesting things that adults do. I love to see kids learn how to make and create, it could be jewelry, arts and crafts etc. At this section, I saw some kids learning how to make cupcakes. Yes o! I don’t even know how to make cupcakes. I wasn’t taught how to make cupcakes while growing up but I guess my world was different.

I also spotted kids painting at the fair

Another thing that caught my attention were the road signs that could help attendees find vendors. More like a fair map to help you find your way round the fair.

Food Demo Session With Chef Emeka

During food demo session, Chef Emeka made cookies and grilled lamb.. the demo session was an interactive session, Chef Emeka was also willing to share the menu with the attendees and also, attendees had a taste of the food. I also enjoyed this session and the grilled lamp was oh so delicious. I love great tasting food.