The organizers of the Location Marketing Awards (LOMA) have unveiled the new award plaques ahead of its the highly-anticipated inaugural awards ceremony coming up this Friday at the prestigious Marriott Hotel in Lagos, to recognize and celebrate exceptional achievements within the out-of-home industry.

During a virtual unveiling press conference held yesterday, the organizers introduced four distinct categories of plaques. These prestigious categories include the Personalities award, 2nd runner-up’s award, 1st runner-up’s award, and the coveted winner’s award.

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Kingsley Onwukaeme, Convener of LOMA, passionately expressed the commitment to ensuring that these plaques not only capture the essence of the industry but also stand out with their unique and relatable design. He emphasized the team’s dedication to creating an award event that truly distinguishes itself within the industry.

Mr. Onwukaeme conveyed his enthusiasm about the overwhelming support and excitement received from both the media and stakeholders, emphasizing the extraordinary journey that LOMA has embarked upon. “It has been an amazing journey so far from the call to nomination till now. This unveiling is part of efforts we have made to connect more with our ecosystem in making sure they are carried along in the journey of LOMA. We are super excited about the excitement for the awards and the publicity so far both in the media and on different boards across Nigeria and the international support we have received so far.

He acknowledged the logistical challenge of meeting the high demand for event tickets, referring to it as a “positive challenge” reflecting the awards’ growing popularity.

Reacting to the unveiling, Richard Saturley, representing the World Out-Of-Home Organisation (WOO), commended LOMA for setting high standards through independent auditing and the exceptional design of the awards plaques. He emphasized the importance of competition and improvement in the industry, remarking, “This is a real statement on how Out-Of-Home is professionalized and about improving standards. You compete, you get better. You thrive and improve what you are doing and get better for next year to be considered. I think that is fantastic.”

The global impact of LOMA Awards was further underscored by Remi Du Preez, Founder and Managing Director of Polygon in South Africa, who praised the distinctive plaques and the awards’ impartiality. Mr. Preez stressed the importance of external auditors in preserving the awards’ credibility and noted that the awards would inspire industry players to enhance their performance.

Tim Rowe of the OOH Insider in New York praised LOMA for celebrating excellence within the out-of-home industry and its unique approach to inclusion. Mr. Rowe stated, “The magic of this awards is inviting ‘small’ people to participate… this is important to recognize what this awards sets out to do but much more importantly, the long-term growth of the space.”

In his closing remarks, Onwukaeme revealed plans to present a posthumous award to the late Tolu Ogunkoya from MediaReach OMD for his significant contributions to the Nigerian Out-Of-Home industry. He added that expected to be in attendance are leaders and stakeholders in the integrated marketing industry in Nigeria, delegates from countries around the world as well as other relevant stakeholders.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.