The events industry in Nigeria is evolving rapidly. Event planners, conference organizers, and office administrators face unprecedented pressures that demand innovative solutions. As a venue provider, we witness these challenges firsthand and continuously adapt our services to help planners succeed. Here are 10 current challenges facing event professionals, with strategic solutions from a venue provider’s perspective: 1. Post-COVID Capacity and Safety Protocol Management In our post-COVID world, event planners navigate complex attendance protocols amid ongoing health concerns and varying corporate policies on in-person gatherings. Smart planners stay updated with state event attendance guidelines and partner with venues offering flexible capacity options, innovative hybrid setups with seamless livestreaming capabilities, and transparent sanitization protocols. Choose venues that share your professionalism and can quickly reconfigure spaces while providing detailed safety documentation to reassure organizers and attendees. Review and book venues that support events with visible fire exits, medical response access, and documented safety certifications. 2. Budget Constraints and Cost Inflation Corporate budgets have tightened while venue costs, catering, and AV equipment have increased significantly. Inflation and currency fluctuations make budget adherence increasingly difficult. Consider venues offering all-inclusive packages that eliminate hidden fees and provide predictable pricing. Flexible venue packages bundling catering, AV, and […]
1. Economic and Currency Challenges The naira’s volatility makes pricing international travel packages extremely difficult, as rates can shift dramatically between booking and travel dates, affecting profit margins and client budgets. Travel agents need to hedge against FX volatility by listing rates in USD but receiving full payment in NGN equivalent at the time of payment, encouraging discounts for FX payments, and working with bank relationship managers to free up liquidity. Debt recovery is difficult due to slow legal systems, making upfront payments and solid contracts essential—don’t risk your business even with long-term customers. 2. Domestic Tourism Growth & ‘Bleisure’ Opportunities With international travel having higher costs and complexity, many Nigerians are exploring domestic destinations. Travel agents should exploit this trend which offers larger volumes, higher margins, and zero currency exchange risk. The “bleisure” trend—combining business and leisure—is rising among domestic and regional professionals. Consider creating specialized packages for destinations like Calabar, Abuja, or emerging spots like Yankari Game Reserve. 3. Infrastructure and Transportation Issues Lagos traffic congestion can cause clients to miss flights, while unreliable power supply affects office operations. Secure partnerships with hotels near airports to assist with accommodation, logistics support, long-term parking, excess luggage storage, and early/late […]
We live in the “the new normal”. World has been in the siege of a raging pandemic with over a million lives lost but life still has to go on. Events, Birthday, Showers etc are all key events in life that we have to gather round and socialize. We attend to see and catch up with our family and friends – and let’s face it – sometimes zoom doesn’t cut it. Sometimes you want to attend in person. We love to get all dolled up, see one another, exchange greetings and it’s just not the same when one is sat behind a computer screen. That’s begs the question ‘how do we do us’ but still remain safe during this covid 19 pandemic. On behalf of all staff and management, we wish all our patrons and vendors a truly Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year… Posted by Welcome Centre Hotels, Lagos on Thursday, December 24, 2020 If you’re considering attending an event or party during COVID, here are a few suggestions to help you focus on the health and safety of yourself and others. First decide – ‘go or no go’ – If you don’t feel comfortable attending an event or […]
Dojo@WelcomeCentre Class Times Saturday – 10.30AM to 12.00PM Mondays – 4.30PM to 5.30PM Class Venue Welcome Centre Hotels, 70 International Airport Road, Opposite Ajao Estate, Lagos Contact dojo@welcomecentrehotels.com 08161840159; 07083558867 Top 10 reasons to learn karate Training karate has numerous benefits from fitness to stress reduction, self-defense to social interaction. Find below the top 10 reasons for learning karate: Train for a strong, fit body. After a few months of practicing karate, you will notice your body feeling leaner, stronger, more flexible and more agile. Karate classes can burn 700+ calories per hour and engage all muscle groups. Karate is especially great for developing a strong core and proper posture to feel great and be healthy everyday. Develop the skill to remain calm under stress. Training relaxation is a must for effective karate technique. Relaxation isn’t just in the body, but in the mind too. Keeping a calm mind while challenging your body through combinations in a fast-paced class develops a fluid mind mentality which transfers to other areas of life as well. Live more mindfully and be more present in daily life. A form of meditation in motion, in karate, you train yourself to bring all your attention to […]
Welcome Centre Hotels wins Hotels.com ‘Loved by Guests’ Award 2020 The 4-star Welcome Centre Hotels has scooped this year’s ‘Loved by Guests’ Award from Hotels.com. The Loved by Guests Awards are granted to the highest ranked properties on Hotels.com worldwide platform. This means our guests rate the hotel very highly and want no other! The criteria for any property selected as an award-winner in 2020 was based on its high guest rating scores and a minimum of 50 guest reviews in 2019. In addition, the Welcome Centre Hotels was rated top 3 reviewed hotels out of hundreds of hotels in Lagos over the past year. Commenting on the win, Tina Fischer, Director at the Welcome Centre Hotels, said: “I am delighted to see the achievements of the team at the Welcome Centre Hotels commended in this way. It is a testament to the hard work of both the individuals within the team and the team as a whole, which I am very proud to be at the helm of. I am especially proud that this acknowledgement stems directly from our valued guests who travel and stay with us from all corners of the globe”. She also added ‘Our guests have […]
Dear All, We are sure you are receiving regular updates from your places of work, children’s schools and personal sources regarding the Coronavirus (covid-19). In these uncertain times, we want to reach out to you personally about what we are doing here at Welcome Centre Hotels to support you and your travel plans. As the ongoing worldwide pandemic situation continues to evolve, we are doing everything we can to ensure your travel safety and provide maximum flexibility. As a leading hospitality and leisure facility, we continue to monitor the situation closely and are following official guidelines. As it has always been, the safety and security of our guests and staff remains our highest priority. As a hotel, conference, events and sports facility we • Temperature Check every guest or person visiting the hotel • Made available hospital grade hand sanitizers and sanitizer signs at every entry point and key locations throughout the hotel, event venues and sports facilities. • Monitor the departure points or travel origins of all our hotel guests • Waive any hotel reservation cancellation fees for international travellers up to 24 hours before arrival. • Increased the level of deep cleaning around the hotel especially door handles, […]
Lagos international airport, Ajao Estate neighbourhood’s growing hotels attraction July 30, 2019 By Samson Echenim Ajao Estate, Lagos international airport’s neighbouring town, is pleasantly littered with affordable hotels that give value for money. Thanks to proximity to Murtala Mohammed International Airport. hotels of various classes dot the landscape along the road that leads to Oshodi and other parts of the city. Though the airport road is 5.7 kilometres long, there are over 23 hotels with barely 20 metres distance between one hotel from the next. Proximity to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport has helped to define the city’s economy as a hospitality enclave with hundreds of hotels. The airport road, a recently refurbished infrastructure that resulted in a bogus highway alone parades 23 hotels. The road has the city’s best with the likes of Golden Tulip Hotel, West View, Stop Over Motels and the new Grandvenice, among others. You can find on both sides of the highway, Westview Hotel, as you leave the cargo and pilgrimage complexes of the airport; Stop Over Motels, Welcome Centre Hotels, Okeide Suites, Presken Hotel & Suites and Golden Tulip Hotel. Others are Grandvenice Hotel, Joygate Hotel & Suites, Ibis Hotel and Hotel Ibis Royale, […]
Sailors Lounge (12, 1 Admiralty Rd, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos) Located on Admiralty way in Lekki. The layout consists of three sections; Sailor’s Bar, Captain’s Cabin and Captain’s Deck. The Captain’s Deck is purportedly the first floating bar in Nigeria. If you are bored with the rumbling and booming of the clubs then this is a perfect place to head to. Bay lounge (Block 12A, 10 Admiralty Rd, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos) Tucked in the swanky Lekki neighbourhood on Admiralty road, it is next to Sailors Lounge. If you get there between 6 pm and 7 pm then you will get to see the panoramic view of the beautiful Lagoon at a relaxed pace. Rhapsody’s (Ikeja City Mall, 174 / 194 Obafemi Awolowo Way, Alausa, Ikeja) Located in Ikeja City Mall at Alausa, Ikeja, it has the perfect place for a long chillaxing evening with indoor and outdoor sitting sections available. Great Music all night guaranteed. Shaunz Bar (27, Sanusi Fafunwa Street, Victoria Island, Eti Osa, Lagos, Nigeria) You can have an exciting evening in this bar with its electrifying atmosphere. It is a classic spot for all kind of minds and personalities seeking fun in music—did we mention that […]
Welcome Centre Hotel has received an Outstanding Service Award from Gohotels.com The Gohotels.com awards are presented to selected establishments who consistently achieve a high customer review rating in the following categories. Cleanliness. Facilities. Location. Rooms. Service. Jeff Fischer, Sales Director at the Welcome Centre Hotels, commented upon receiving the award for Outstanding Service Award: “We are delighted to receive such a significant award from Gohotels.com, having been runner up in this category last year it spurred us on to improve our standards even further over the last 12 months. Welcome Centre Hotel “The receipt of this award is as a result of the hard work of the management and hotel staff since the Welcome Centre Hotels opened for business in late 2008. This award means so much to everyone at the hotel as it is voted for by our many satisfied guest and industry partners.” Outstanding Service Award 2017 Welcome Centre Hotel Presented by Gohotels.com Gohotels.com congratulates Welcome Centre Hotel on this achievement of excellence. “Your award is a sign of success that you can share with the world and a thank you from your guests.” About Go Hotels Go Hotels – The Search Engine for Hotels! Gohotels.com was established […]