Barely 72 hours or less to rewarding media excellence in the Eastern Region of Ghana, only few people in the region have a clue as to what ERMEA is except for the media majority who by virtue of the scheme are beneficiaries
Launched on July 03, 2017, ERMEA, which is Eastern Region Media Excellence Awards is a flagship corporate awards event from eventPlusGh, envisaged to reward quality radio broadcasting in the Eastern Region.
The launched saw the release of Categories and shortlisted individuals and corporate nominations by the ERMEA Board for the maiden edition of the awards which comprises 17 Media Houses, 15 Categories and 90 Nominees. This was not done at the expense of intensive consultations with industry interest individual influencers and groups coupled with previous knowledge and experience.
Similar to such other awards schemes, the Eastern Region Media Excellence Awards is not an exception to the rule of controversies which is expected anyway. If speech is silver, then their (ERMEA) silence indeed was golden in the brouhaha between Emak Fm and Kingdom Fm
Like i suggested in a previous write up, i would want to again reiterate that the organisers expand their categories to include;
1. Stakeholders (Owners of the media – either Print, Audio or Audiovisual) – ERMEA Board exclusive. Not subject to votes
2. Most Valuable Corporate Organisation Category. Companies who has interest in the media through their working relationships and sponsorship drives – ERMEA Board exclusive. Not subject to votes
3. Event and Organisers of the Year Category ( both outdoor and in-studio events). This category should be with the aim of encouraging events organization and patronage in the region
4. Media Influencers – persons who have no specific media affiliation but has keen interest in media excellence (on radio, print and social media) whose views and actions are shaping and bringing reforms to the media landscape in the region
My worry however includes the following 2;
1. Very low publicity budget. The awards scheme which is to recognise media excellence should have enjoyed intensive publicity mileage. But it turned out to be one that greatly suffered a disconnect between the various media houses nominated and the organisers except for the few individual nominees who used their space to solicit for votes only. Moving forward, I would advice that the organizers find a way of involving the various nominees and their respective media houses as media partners. At least sign an MOU and work in practise not just on paper. Media publicity is huge investments which adds up to the brand intrinsically and this takes me to my next point – sponsorship
2. There has been several discussions and debates on the issues of events and corporate sponsorship. One school of thought believes that events organisers are the reason corporate organisation don’t invest in events due to nature of the events concept proposal and content. Whether it looks good and convincing to attract the needed sponsorship and benefits expected by the corporate bodies. I agree largely with this thought. Suffice to say, I’m not privy to what happened to ERMEA but one thing is certain from where I sit, there hasn’t been enough sponsorship. Ernest Ointment must be applauded for their bold step worth emulating. Let the event organisers also put their best brains to work and subcontract the writing of their proposals and employ the services of professional marketers to do their bidding for them. There are people who are just good at it. They have the connections. Eastern Region doesn’t lack such companies who can sponsor events. We have Joy Industries, Angel Group, Boafo Herbal, Y & K and almost all the telecommunication companies are fully in operation in the region
Hopefully on Saturday, August 05, 2017, all roads lead to Linda Dor for the maiden edition of ERMEA. I’m expecting the media to be fully represented – it’s your day! The event MC or host must be captivating and carry some weight to sail through the night with success. A wrong choice will also dent the image of the event. A good sound (PA) and thrilling performance from some artistes (from the region or not) will add an icing to the cake.
However, my eyes would be firmly fixed on the following categories without blinking. The Late Afternoon (Drive Time) Show of the Year, Female Presenter of the Year, Uncovered Personality of the Year, Entertainment Show of the Year, Station of the Year and the Most Valuable Presenter of the Year. Winners in these aforementioned categories would confirm their unspoken superiority challenge of who the best is.
Good luck and may excellence be the ultimate winner. ERMEA – The Best Comes From The East.
Asiwome Tei-Mati
