Last week, we brought Connect Live to Abuja, hosting 100 Local Guides for our third regional pop-up event. Local Guides in Abuja are dedicated to mapping their communities, by adding roads, places, and businesses to ensure accurate information for tourists and locals alike. Guests gathered at the Barcelona Hotel for an evening of learning, connection, and fun!
*
*Connect Live Abuja kicked off with a presentation jam-packed with excitement. Google Product Marketing Manager Emmanuel “Biggy” Abiodun discussed the different ways to contribute content on Google Maps and the impact Local Guide contributions have on making the community a better, safer place. Community Program Manager Traci Cappiello ( @TraciC )hosted an interview with Emeka Ulor ( @EmekaUlor ) who shared his experiences as a Level 9 Local Guide in Lagos. Emeka discussed his passion for accessibility and his efforts hosting over 38 meet-ups across three different continents—North America, Asia, and Africa. Local food blogger and influencer Atim Ukoh took the stage to provide tips and tricks for capturing amazing food photos. Lastly, Babatunde Olaifa, who leads Business Development for the region, demonstrated how to take 360 degree photos and make quality contributions using the Street View app.
After the presentations, the party continued with an array of activities, photo ops, and traditional Nigerian food and drink. Local Guides participated in a mobile photography workshop hosted by Atim Ukoh for an opportunity to practice the pointers she shared on stage. Additionally, Local Guides were able to showcase their high quality contributions by adding new photos, reviews, and edits of their favorite destinations in Abuja to earn their very own set of official Local Guides collector’s pins.
Guests enjoyed posing and smiling for the camera with our Mirror & GIF photo booths. (We love seeing these photos and videos pop up on social media!) They also went home with a bag of delicious, sweet treats from our Candy Buffet! Connect Live Abuja helped Local Guides learn a few new Google Maps skills and celebrated the contributions of a wonderful and engaged community! To see photos from the event, check out our Google Photos album here.
