Ladies, if you knew about SLAY Festival and still didn’t make out time to attend, then we need to have a deep conversation. See, this event was not your everyday type. As we walked in, we felt the energy of a female-dominated gathering that had everything in store for its guests. The question was, what to do next? Get your hair done, sit at a panel and learn at the feet of the no-holds-barred speakers or catch up with friends while you nibble on candy floss?

This was the promise: SLAY Festival is a one-day celebration of all things incredible, magical, innovative, and entrepreneurial about us and we aren’t afraid to show it.

Did the organizers deliver? Well, you would know if you attended.

Okay yes, they did. She Leads Africa knows what a festival should be and they brought it on with brilliance.

The event held at the Running Shed, National Railway Corporation in Ebute Metta, a location with rich history and definitely not the usual place we’ll head to for that sort of gathering. On that Saturday morning, the weather was on check – not hot, not cold – so the choice of outfit for was easier to make, and you could tell from what the ladies wore.

Asides the weather, the organisers of SLAY Festival already advised attendees to stick with “fresh, comfortable and fun” fashion and avoid heels. No one was going to be responsible for a broken ankle and you know what? Almost everyone got the memo. The few who came “cacked up” had genuine reasons, they were mostly the TV ladies who had to run on-screen interviews so we get it.

The ambience at the festival was friendly and fun, smiling faces littered the place, celebrities and regular people mingled like it was a movie, candy floss was a favourite accessory (even for those who just thought it was cool to hold), small business owners displayed their products as potential customers stopped at the stands to inquire. There were no losers.

All the special features at the event ran concurrently. One of the sessions that particularly caught attention was the one that had four men on the panel with Red Media Africa managing partner, Adebola Williams as moderator. He had to deal with rapper, MI Abaga who made a point of chipping in at every opportunity that he’s single (at a ladies event? You do well, brother), Chocolate City boss Audu Maikori who sat “pretty” in his casual outfit and beards and Pastor Idris Belo-Osagie of LifePointe Church. They discussed gender roles in the society and how men fit in this very advanced world. They had all the beautifully crafted words that got the ladies roaring but for the wise, it was a great opportunity to learn.

At events like this where conversations are long and stretched-out, you get home and realise most of the key information given away by speakers didn’t stick. And no, it doesn’t mean you’re dull, you just got caught in the buzz. We knew this would happen so we spoke to some of the men on that panel in private *winks (LOL, not really). We caught up with them off the stage and here’s what some of them had to say about SLAY Festival.

Audu Maikori said his presence and those of the other men on the panel helped the women to see themselves from the men’s perspective. He believes that the SLAY Festival is the start of many crucial conversations and the women are getting so empowered that the man may not be able to catch up in years, which is a good thing.

For Adebola Williams, he could hardly contain his excitement about the festival. He described it as a gathering where there was depth, wisdom and good vibes. He also pointed out that women possess the power to build the society that they want and even the kind of men that would suit them.

Hope you’re sufficiently caught up?

Before this begins to bore you, we’ll quickly let you know that there was an extraordinary music presentation. Lol! Presentation though? Yes because attendance was by choice. So there was this stage somewhere in the centre or behind depending on your knowledge of the compass. We were told to converge at the spot where the stage was set up and look who was waiting to melt our hearts. FUNBI! Yeah, you probably have no idea who that is but you should look him up. He started his performance with a cover of Mr. Eazi’s SkinTight then moved on to serenade us with other original tracks. Girl, it was gooood!

Then came Falana! As we lack the perfect words to describe her performance, we’ll just say to you “never miss a Falana outing again, never!”

At this time, the crowd had dispersed, most of the businesses were packing up to leave too but we had spoken with some of them. Trust us on this. The young lady who sold ice cream, popcorn, slush and candy floss to us said she had been in business only about six months but she already had staff who even wore uniforms. She was confident and her products were so good. As she sold her final cup of ice cream to the lucky customer, we could tell she was pleased at how the day had gone for her business and this was confirmed by the leftover copies of her complimentary card splayed on her worktable.

We also met Nkemdilim of Always Me by Anne Li, a baby fashion and lifestyle brand. At SLAY, you say? Yes, you should have seen how women flooded their stand checking out and actually buying baby onesies, playmats and baby wears, all locally sourced and produced. What was most impressive about Nkemdilim was her refusal to acknowledge the lack of electricity supply as a challenge. She said “I don’t see not having power as an issue, it has always been the norm in Nigeria so you make sure to make provisions for an alternative“. New lesson learnt, this one!

And there also was a stand for naturalistas, Natural Nigerian is the brand name. Shampoos, hair cream, and all the likes, all made in Nigeria. The company founder told us they will be expanding in 2017 and at the next edition of SLAY Festival, they will be appearing bigger and better.

All these and more at SLAY! We’d love to tell you more but this story has to end. Anyway, Tara and Fela Durotoye closed the show with a powerful panel session. There was no better way to end the night than with a conversation on relationship that had all of us ladies calling our boyfriends to ask questions. It was super necessary.

SLAY Festival had so much to offer (this I think was already said at the beginning of this article) and it lived up to its title.