It was 3 days of massive fun, enterprise, innovation, relaxation, and networking, all elegantly served with numerous plates of food and a multitude of bottles and cups of drinks at the GTCO Food and Drinks Festival 2024 which held over the weekend of Friday 26th – Sunday 28th April 2024. It was also a massive gathering of local and international food lovers, wine tasters, dietitians, culture enthusiasts, media professionals, among others who thronged the GTCentre, Lagos venue during the weekend.
The guests had important times of learning new ways of engaging the agelong food and drink practice over the weekend. There were 12 masterclasses expertly taught and accompanied by practical demonstration from the remarkable facilitators. They touched on various aspects of the food value chain and the global industry. The experts include Uche Annie Ugoka, Gale Gand, Bunny Young, Bo & Dylan, Aldo Zilli, Robin McBride, Lisa Brooks, Maunika Gowardhan, Angel Vasquez, Jean Novelli, Ryan Mitchell, and Tom Parker Bowles. Thus, there is something for someone to learn about the art of cooking, baking, wine mixing among other forms in the industry.
There were also scores of exhibition stands granted for free for the entire 3 days to fast-rising food and drinks brands to come expose their uniqueness to an audience which may never hear about them at all. It’s a delight to see the amazing, creative ways by which the exhibitors produce, store, package fruits, drinks, and foods which are either perishable and seasonal in nature or are very time-consuming to make, yet they make it in such a way that they are as fresh as possible.
Apart from showcasing their quality expertise, the exhibitors were able to make huge sales which further increased their bottomline. For many of them, the sales over this weekend alone is perhaps greater than a quarter. This is because of the experiential marketing which the GTCO Food and Drinks Festival 2024 afforded them.
For GTCO itself, it was able to accentuate its pioneering status and forward-looking nature as a financial institution which thrives in matching cultures as old as human, such as food and drink, with multigenerational appeal. It also expanded its acceptance with the younger Nigerian generation as a Bank brand for them. There was also a huge traffic of funds across GTB platforms including web, POS, mobile transfers, etc.
The success story of 2024 edition of GTCO Food and Drinks Festival is a testament of the comment of the GTCO’s Group CEO, Mr. Segun Agbaje leading to the 3-day event. He had stated: ‘We are delighted to bring to our customers, exhibitors, and food lovers from across Africa and beyond, another edition of an event that is a celebration of not just food, but of the rich tapestry of cultures and traditions that make African cuisine so unique.’
‘Our vision for curating this consumer-focused event is unchanging, particularly in light of the pressures that individuals and businesses are facing at this time. We hope to consistently create memorable moments for everyone, whilst providing a free, vibrant, and commercially viable platform for small food businesses in Nigeria to grow and thrive’, Agbaje said.
GTCO is a leading financial services group with banking operations in Nigeria, West Africa, East Africa, and the United Kingdom alongside new businesses in Payment, Funds Management, and Pension Fund Administration. The Group operates a diversified, Proudly African franchise and is renowned for its innovative approach to customer service and stakeholder engagement, which has endeared the brand to millions of people across Africa and beyond.
In 2023, GTCO’s Guaranty Trust Bank was recognized as Nigeria’s Best Bank and Best Bank in CSR at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence, Best Banking Group in Nigeria by World Finance, and Best Bank in Nigeria by Global Finance. Guaranty Trust Bank also featured in the Top 1000 Banks in the World and Top 100 Banks in Africa rankings by The Banker.