So far, so good. But still a long way to go.
On the first Friday of September 2016, we* had the 3rd (but first major) event for makers in London generally building things for Nigeria or closely related.
Aside from the success of the event, we stumbled on some surprising discoveries and revelations about the meetup. Some of which I will detail below.
But before I carry on, here is what Building Things for NG 2.0 is about.
The first thing Building Things for NG 2.0 aims to achieve is:
To bring like minded people together.
That is, makers, entrepreneurs, people involved in building products and individuals who want to build products, coming together for a meetup in a social setting.
(Due to our initial start, most products are tech related but people from all spheres are welcome).
Secondly, the event aims to encourage people building things to keep on building and iterating by getting feedback, help, and insights on how to improve their products even if it is in small doses.
Thirdly, it aims to connect people who are building the next wave of products for Nigeria — which we have called NG 2.0. Knowing what is out there and what is being built is also important as it helps guide makers on their intended path.
Personally, I thought the turnout was impressive. The engagement between all attendees was authentic and the atmosphere was generally invigorating. Here are my three takeaways from the last event:
Number One: People Actually Want This (Revelation)
The number one question people ask me at the end of all our events is:
“When is the next one?”
But it was a bit more special this time since we deliberately planned to make sure attendees gain substantial value from the event. So a litmus test for judging this is — do people want another one?
The most important thing we are focusing on right now is the value. We want to make sure that each person that deliberately signs up and shows up for the event is pleased by that decision as they have received substantial take-home value.
Number Two: Community (Revelation)
One of the key things we want to focus on is building an incredible community for makers.
It is not just enough for people to attend, it is also important they connect after the event. It’s not just a social event to meet new people, it is also an avenue for people to reach out and maybe receive a helping hand whenever needed.
Which is why we have created a Slack channel as we believe this is one of the best and easiest ways for people to connect after the event. We are still exploring tools and ways to connect makers — more updates to come on this front.
Number Three: Engagement with your Product (Discovery)
In the last event, three speakers gave presentations to the audience about products they are currently building. This was the most exciting part of the event as people had the opportunity to see what other people were building, why they were building it and issues they were running into.
It allowed the audience to provide really insightful feedback to the makers and give suggestions on ways they can improve the product. It also allowed users to use their products there and then, interact with it and see what problems or delights users experienced.
The high engagement between the audience and the maker for each product was something we did not expect and I believe this is an aspect we can focus on and iterate to make it right in the future.
So to conclude:
We aim to push to make this event bigger and better and through this hope that NG 2.0 will be full of incredible products and services by makers like you.
If you would like to attend the next event, please sign up here.
Also, check out the pictures from our last event here. :)
We*= Abiola, Kanke, Uche, Ozo, Papa and Me.
