Sep 11

Sep 11 My Very Own 360 Degree 4D Experience At The MultiChoice Content ShowCase Extravaganza.

From the time I received the invitation to be part of the MultiChoice Content ShowCase Extravaganza in Mauritius, I was wishing the months to pass by quickly for September to arrive. To create content during the week-long event was definitely something to look forward to.

One thing is certain; you don’t need a visa to go to Mauritius. This fact I knew about way before Prez. Mahama went there to discuss trade matters. Your passport gets stamped on entry at the customs area.

We left Sunday afternoon and by Monday evening we were there! It was such a welcoming sight at the Outrigger Resort and I could already feel the travel aches ebbing away. What an incredible resort! And I had an ocean view! Well, one which I couldn’t see well as it was already night. Tomorrow beckons! I couldn’t wait. Oh but the wait was worth it! Waking up to seeing the blue waves of the Indian Ocean and brown coral was enough to motivate anyone to greatness!

A sightseeing trip to Chamarel took us to the some pretty eye-opening tourist areas like the Rum Distillery and the highest mountain point in Mauritius where this monkey was acting like the boss of the mountain.

The opening night for the event was littered with celebrities mostly Nigerian and one Ghanaian (Stonebwoy) . I didn’t get that part though. Were they invited? Did they turn down the invite? I don’t know any Ghanaian celebrity crazy enough to turn down such an invite. Performances by Flavour and Stonebwoy got me on my feet more than half of the time.

The press conferences held with the various channels on MultiChoice was very interactive and insightful. Most of the questions asked by the journalists and bloggers present had to do with the lack of content from other African countries on the channels. This became a predictable affair through every session. I couldn’t agree more. I think after the early sessions where this question was fired at the channel heads, it gave the yet-to-come heads to go do their homework and include ‘more African’ content in their presentation. It also begs the question whether enough quality content is coming out of these same countries?

After each press conference, we had time to write and file stories based on rather lengthy press releases which I managed to tweak for my readers. Then came the challenges! So the challenges basically were teamwork activities connected to some channels on MultiChoice. First off we were put into teams of Red, White, Black and Green and each team member was identified by a colored bandana. So for the first challenge we were put on a mini version of the Amazing Race which shows on the Sony Entertainment Channel. We used the Sony Spectacular Search app to find clues which finally led us to the prize. That was enthralling and almost like a fitness exercise. A gentle reminder that I haven't run in awhile.

Amongst all the challenges/activation exercises, my favorite was the Lip Syncing Battle during the Viacombat Night and the Wedding of a Lifetime by the Lifetime channel. The Lip Syncing Battle was very engaging and hilarious and brought out the fun sides of journalists and bloggers you would never see on a normal day. Big ups to 'Miley Cyrus' and to 'Taylor Swift' who happened to be on my team!

I took up the #Viacombat challenge to lip sync to a song on Dubsmash app. And there I was doing the #naenae . Hilarity! But of course I won the challenge which got me a spot at the Navasana Spa for an aromatherapy session! Now that was a divine experience! I dozed off to the strong but soft hands of the masseuse ( I must have snored a few times) and only woke up to her softly shaking me. Off I sleepily went to the sauna where I contemplated about life. Maybe it was the steam getting into my brain or perhaps the essential oils doing their magic in my blood. But I did contemplate about life and how it’s meant to be enjoyed! Bliss.

'Miley Cyrus' Going Breaking Ball on us.

What worked during the entire time? The music, the challenges, the presentations by the various channels and not forgetting the daily souvenirs we got every night! I couldn’t help but wonder who was doing that whilst we were out of the room. It’s like you go out and come back to find cooking utensils on your bed or powerbanks and and headphones. How cool is that?

A perfect location for a perfect event! Simply an incredible job done by the event planners. Seamless work! So… about the food. Ok, that will be in another post about Mauritius.

Great work by MultiChoice for the perfect travel arrangements and logistics. I am looking forward to seeing more African content on the various channels. I do hope the various presenters weren't 'spinning' us on the future plans to show more local content.

I now ask you, is there great quality content coming out of Ghana to be shown on a channel on MultiChoice? Can you name any?