NTDC endorses Carnival Calabar - As Runsewe launches 2009 Theme

By Wale Ojo-Lanre - updated: Wednesday 24-06-2009

Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, DG, NTDC,
Mr. Efiok Cobham, Deputy Governor, Cross
River State and others, during the launching
of the theme for 2009 Carnival Calabar.As the annual Carribean-like carnival in Calabar enters its fifth year, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has given full endorsement to the yearly fiesta, which is the high point of 32 days of Christmas festivities in Cross River State.

Speaking in Calabar during the launch of the theme for 2009 Carnival Calabar: “Land of our Birth; our people, our heritage”, the Director-Genera, NTDC, Otunba Segun Runsewe, remarked that Cross River State had a comparative advantage in tourism and that the Carnival Calabar was a veritable tool for the rebranding campaign of Nigeria initiated by the Federal government to boost the nation’s image to the outside world. Unveiling the theme “Our People, Our Heritage, The land of our Birth”, the tourism boss said this year’s Carnival Calabar was going to be the best since its inception and charged the people of Cross River, saying “oil is good but tourism is better. While oil is exhaustible, tourism is not exhaustible.”

He stressed that the potentialities of the carnival if fully harnessed were capable of changing the image of the country because it truly represented the beautiful and hospitable disposition of the people as against what was being perceived outside.

The NTDC boss assured the Cross River government and people of incorporating the event, which he noted is well organized, as a major tourism event, into the corporation’s calendar, while calling on other relevant agencies to begin to see the event as a driving force to Nigeria’s greatness and key into it.

The Director-General announced the corporation’s support to the 2009 Carnival Calabar with the donation of 120 mobile toilets, 500 dust bins and 10,000,000 tissue papers during the event in December to cater for the needs of participants, while also promising to introduce Tourism Visa Card by July to prospective tourists to Nigeria.

In his address, the Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Efiok Cobham, said machinery had already been put in place to ensure the sustenance of the event and assured that the 2009 edition would be the biggest and most colourful.

He thanked the NTDC for its support in promoting the event and promised to sustain the event to such an extent that it would begin to drive the economy of the state for the betterment of the people and Nigeria at large.

In her welcome address, the Executive Secretary, Cross River State Carnival Commission, Mrs. Elenda Osima – Dokubo, said that since the initiation of Carnival Calabar in 2004, Calabar and, indeed, Cross River, had witnessed tremendous socio-economic transformation, adding that even though government was yet to ascertain the exact indices, there has been a huge earning generated from the event.

Mrs. Osima-Dokubo, who stated that the event created a platform for its participants, mostly youths, to begin to imbibe in them the spirit of unity, love, honesty and hospitality as they are exposed to the culture which forms a greater part of the carnival, stressing that this year’s theme, “Land of our Birth”, Our people our heritage”, would surely be another opportunity of reminding them of where they were coming from and also guide them towards where they are going.

She said that government in 2008 decided to open its doors to private organizations to key into the event by way of sponsorship which she noted had recorded a huge success with the appearance of First Bank, Oceanic Bank, etc., and appealed to other public spirited corporate organizations to sponsor the carnival, which she described as a good business with promising returns on investment given its widest media participation and publicity.

Also speaking, Leader of Passion 4, winner of the 2008 Carnival Calabar, Mr. Chris Agibe, called on the sponsors to look beyond the Carnival Commission and also sponsor the individual bands to enable them improve on costumes and bands, the main ingredients of the carnival.

He restated the bands’ readiness to make this year’s event bigger with better presentations and excellent performance. The Carnival Calabar which holds on 26th and 27th of December is part of the state’s Christmas Festival that last for 32 days: from November 30 to January 1.

-Gill Nsa-Abasi

CompetitionConference Hotel:The hotel that will serve as FIFA HQ for U-17

By Wale Olapade

Front view of Conference Hotel , Ijebu Ode. IN view of its conference-friendly and exotic location vis-a-vis its high reputation for customers’ satisfaction and comfort-driven hospitality trend, Conference Hotel, located at Conference Avenue, GRA, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, has been certified as the official headquarters of U-17 FIFA World Cup.

The Conference Hotel, which was chosen because of its serene location, facilities, lush and fascinating ambience and its proximity to other towns, cities and states is a 45-minute drive from Ibadan and Ikeja. Structured and embelished with the state-of-the-art facitities, the 46-room Conference Hotel is a masterpiece to behold at all times.

Enlisted as one of the numerous hotels managed by DDJ Collection Hotels, in 2007, Conference Hotel has been transformed from a seasonal conference centre to an all-the-year conference venue for corporate, private and government events. Its present status did not come from the business- as-usual routine but from the innovative strength of DDJ Collection Hotels Ltd, which has made it services not only significantly competitive but also strictly customers-friendly and uniquely commensurate with the general demand of its clientile.

Beautified with modern fittings and fixtures, the hotel wears an attractive look from the maingate to the reception which automatically avails customers stepping into the hotel for the first time of the opportunity to predict first hand, the captivating services that awaits them.

Apart from the astonishing outdoor water fountain that welcomes customers to the serene atmosphere of the hotel, there is another one at the reception that keeps the suprise package of the hotel in transition till the customer gets to the inner part of the fun.

At the Conference Hotel reception, you are not only welcomed with nerve-relaxing smiles and hospitality gestures from the workers, but also magnitized by the decent display of marble tiles, POP, chandalier, along with the lightenning effect of the reception.

The statement that ‘customers are kings is a rule that the managment of Conference Hotel, Ijebu Ode, has uniquely adopted to meet the royal demand of customers as it runs two different bars; the general bar and the no-smoking bar. Standing shoulder high as a conference hub in the middle of nowhere, Conference Hotel harbours different capacity halls to meet the different Confrence demands of customers. It has the main conference hall that has the capacity to seat between 2000 and 2500 people, meetings and board rooms specification to seat 50, 100 and 150 people alongside other collapsible halls and an underground hall to complement each other.

For recreation and relaxation, the open garden bar featuring a live-band is one place where coustomers cannot ignore because of the interesting package put together to keep customers rejuvenated and recharged for weeks ahead.

Also, the gym is functional and would keep customers fit and healthy. The 46 rooms at Conference Hotel are lavishly furnished with the luxury of life, from the orthopeadic size beds to the polished furniture. Each room is highly lighted and equipped with a study corner, refrigerator inter-com, customized toilet kits among others.

Speaking with jounalists at the hotel during a facility tour, the managing partner, Conference Hotel, Mr. Doron Umansky,CEO, DDJ Collection Hotels Ltd, said that to make a headway in hotel management sustain able innovations must be a tradition to meet up with the trend of demand.

Umansky added that making an hospitality statement in the mind of customers and keeping it ticking, training and retraining of staff to give lodgers the very best in service had been the sole priority of Conference Hotel.

“We have the best hands whose wealth of experience in hotel business, marketing, salesmanship and value-added service contributed to the smooth operation in Conference Hotel”.

The task to host the U-17 FIFA official would not only show to the world the wondeful hospitality of Conference Hotel but would also put us on our one toes to continue to add more innovations to keep us on top,” he said.

Also speaking, the General Manager of Conference Hotel, Mr. Austino Ordia, who has a thorough knowledge of hotel business, said that Conference Hotel was not only living up to its billing as a conference hub in Ijebu Ode, but also working round the clock to dazzle customers the more.

‘Our hospitality service is not only satisfactory but also infectious because once you are in Conference Hotel, we do everything possible to see that you are given the treat of a king, and that is the unique selling point that has made us indelible in the minds of our customers.”

Ordia disclosed that as part of its innovations, Conference Hotel had commenced the building of an additional 40 rooms extension with an olympic-size swimming pool, together with a mini-resort to divert-tourists’ traffic to Ijebu Ode, not only for conferencing alone but also as holiday destination.

Speaking on the hotel’s efficiency in power supply, the GM was bold to disclose that Conference Hotel had five power generating sets that alternate electricity for the comfort of the customers.