Olanrewaju Alaka says strategic brand direction drove success of TWN Circle’s Beyond Talent event

Brand strategist and Founder of Laerryblue Media, Olanrewaju Alaka, has said deliberate brand positioning, rather than conventional event planning, shaped the inaugural TWN Circle gathering, Beyond Talent, held at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event, organised by Talented Women Network (TWN) Africa, founded by Dr. Amarachi Chinweoke Okuwobi, brought together accomplished women for discussions on leadership, personal growth and community impact under the theme “Beyond Talent.”

Alaka, who serves as Brand Director of TWN Circle, said his role was to translate the organisation’s vision into a cohesive brand experience, ensuring that every aspect of the event reflected the identity and values of the platform.

According to him, decisions ranging from the venue and guest list to speaker selection, programme flow, media strategy and post-event engagement were made with long-term brand positioning in mind.

“The assignment was never simply to organise an event,” Alaka said. “The goal was to create an experience that people would remember because every element reflected the identity and credibility of the TWN Circle brand.”

He explained that the Federal Palace Hotel was selected because of both its reputation and its audiovisual infrastructure, which matched the standard the organisers wanted to achieve.

Alaka also said attendance was intentionally restricted to 30 invited guests to preserve the quality of interaction and exclusivity of the gathering.

“Capping the room at thirty was not about the venue. It was a decision about credibility. A room that lets everyone in has no signal value. A room people cannot easily get into is the one people talk about,” he said.

According to him, invitations were sent through a carefully curated WhatsApp broadcast list instead of public registration to ensure the event attracted the intended audience.

Alaka said the programme revolved around three thematic pillars—At Home, At Work, and In Your Community—and that each speaker was selected based on personal experience and expertise relevant to those themes.

“I did not select speakers for their titles. I selected women whose lived experience already answered the themes we built the day around—at home, at work and in community. Credibility on stage has to be earned, not appointed,” he said.

The event featured Dr. Amarachi Chinweoke Okuwobi as convener and keynote speaker, alongside Biola Flow (Abiola Adediran), Dr. Bolaji Mogaji, Princess Oghene and Toyin Bakare as speakers. Mojisola Oladapo, Chief Marketing Officer of Filmhouse Group, and Minister Anny participated in a panel discussion.

Alaka said he supervised the production from beginning to end, coordinating speaker management, programme flow, media activities and audience experience.

According to him, Peace Eze hosted the event, Olivia co-hosted and managed the red carpet, while Obinna coordinated production, audiovisual operations and photography.

The gathering also received coverage from Arise Television, AIT and Guardian Woman, extending its visibility beyond attendees.

Alaka noted that the planning approach mirrored the model he has developed for Apex Network, a leadership community that convenes founders and executives through invitation-only gatherings.

“This was not my first time producing a room like this. I convene Apex Network on the same principle—carefully curated gatherings for founders and executives rather than open-registration events. Beyond Talent applied that same discipline to a different audience,” he said.

Following the event, Alaka said his team implemented a post-event communications strategy that included media distribution, publication of photographs and highlight videos across TWN Circle’s digital platforms, and engagement with participants to encourage membership in the network.

He disclosed that interest in the event exceeded the planned capacity.

“We built for thirty and the room outgrew the plan. That is not an accident. That is what happens when positioning is done properly before the first invite goes out,” he said.

Reflecting on the event, Alaka said it reinforced his belief that strong brands are built intentionally through consistent strategy rather than chance.

“Reputation is infrastructure. Built with intention, it holds. Left to chance, it does not,” he said.