(NAN)Shop and Play, a quarterly event designed to increase client base and access to credit for Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) says it will support 70 SMEs in the next edition.
On the sideline of the event in Abuja, the lead organiser, Mrs Fayi Adurogbangba told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the event first gave support to 26 SMEs and expanded to 40.
She said that the aim of the event was to give visibility and increase client base for SMEs and to also support orphanages and the destitute.
According to Adurogbangba, the event also promotes arts in form of music, painting, craft, poem and creates an environment for family and friends hangout.
She said that a bounce house and board games like ludo, chess, snooker, monopoly, snakes and ladders among other games were provided to entertain fun seekers.
Adurogbangba said that the event was being supported by Polaris, Airtel, Domino, Agricos among other sponsors.
Mrs Serah Akogwu, the CEO of Rishas Concept, an enterprise that deals majorly in baby wears said that the event created opportunity for SMEs to meet new customers.
Akogwu said that she attended the last edition as a fun seeker and decided to bring her business to the event to benefit from the opportunity.
She recommended more publicity and support for the event to enable it reach more SMEs that would grow the economy.
Akagwu said that compared to the last edition, there were more vendors and fun seekers at the event and that patronage of SMEs increased.
One of the fun seekers at the event, Mercy Ofana told NAN that the event was important because it kept idle minds busy and gainfully engaged.
She said that it was better than staying at home idle as it gave her opportunity to meet people with fresh ideas.
According to her, I am challenged, I need to think of a business I can do and be a CEO on my own too.
SMEs at event included food vendors, makeup art, cloth and shoe dealers, sellers of women accessories among others.