Experiential Marketers’ Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) AGM held last week in Lagos,. Pitch fee-this was obviously the issue that consumed the highest attention at this year's edition. At the end of the meeting, the association declared that organisations inviting experiential marketing agencies for pitch must be prepared to pay N500, 000 as rejection fee to each agency not picked.

EXMAN said it arrived at this resolution considering the level of research, creativity and funding that goes into the ideas presented to clients. Some members alleged that some organisations use some of the ideas presented at a pitch without giving them credit or paying for it.

EXMAN President, Tade Adekunle said “When you invite 17 or 18 agencies to come and pitch for a business they will only take one or two agencies and thereafter you will start seeing some of the ideas that some of the rejected agencies have given. Also, when agencies go for pitch they incur cost on research, creatives and others.

“So, our association has decided that clients can ask for the profile of the various agencies, and then they can say this agency is good enough to work for us instead of calling 20 agencies to come and pitch.”

Tade stated further that the association has come up with the resolution that “If you are inviting any EXMAN member to come and pitch be ready to pay rejection fee of N500, 000 for those not picked”

He explained further that if organisations write back that they can’t pay rejection fee, no EXMAN member would partake in such pitch, stating that “If corporate organisations champion corporate governance, then it will be unethical to ask agencies to wave rejection fee.”

He added that it is mandatory for members to inform the association secretariat that they are invited for a pitch, then EXMAN secretariat would write the client who must have agreed to pay the fee before the pitch process can be cleared.

However, he stated that members a not permitted to say they don’t want the rejection fee from client, if such happens they would have to face disciplinary committee. “For our members, the resolution taken here today, you can’t push that right and say I would not collect rejection fee. The association is saying you cannot wave that right. If you don’t collect it you will face the disciplinary committee of EXMAN,” he revealed.

In another vein, during the AGM, EXMAN inducted some new agencies into its association. The new agencies are Bloow48 Invents Limited, Lilvera Group, Boomerang, Ipanache and Ziing Marketing. Also, Rosemary Akpo, MD, EXP Nigeria was elected the Publicity Secretary of the association because the position was vacant while Tade and the incumbent executives were applauded and members moved a motion that to extend their tenure for another term.