Serena & Venus Williams set to hit Lagos

Serena & Venus Willams

As part of a planned African Tour, International Tennis champions, Serena

and Venus Williams are scheduled to visit Lagos from Tuesday 30 October
to Friday 2, November 2012 as part of the first leg of the recently
launched ‘Breaking the Mould’ (BTM) campaign, a women’s empowerment
initiative that has already garnered international support.

While in Lagos, Nigeria, the dynamic duo will inspire, motivate and mentor
a broad range of audiences through a series of supporting initiatives
which include a gala dinner, a tennis clinic and an exhibition match which
will also be the first time the sisters will pit their strengths against
one another on the tennis court anywhere in Africa.  This will underpin
BTM’s mission to recognise and acknowledge the role that women play in
shifting perceptions and encouraging development on all levels across the
African continent.
Connect Marketing Services, Octagon SA’s West African affiliate (the
architects of BTM), is coordinating the Nigerian element of the Williams
Sisters’ tour of Africa. Tunji Adeyinka, Managing Director of Connect
MarketingServices, says that ‘‘Breaking The Mould is an inspiring
mechanism to help women at various life stages of their lives - embark on
a journey of self-belief so that they can know they can achieve anything.
The message of the African Tour by the Williams sisters will resonate
with African women as a whole, who are often the champions of change and
encourage more women to do the same. Indeed, we are proud to implement
Breaking The Mould in Nigeria.”

Venus and Serena’s story serves to boost the morale of athletes and
business people alike.  Theirs is a tale of passion, determination, hard
work and self-belief that has triumphed over many obstacles and
circumstances to be champions on and off the tennis court.  This makes
them ideal ambassadors for the inaugural edition of the BTM initiative.

Israel Jaiye Opayemi, Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Nigeria
couldn’t agree more. According to him, ”The Williams sisters’ visit to
Nigeria will help boost the reputation ofLagos State as a destination for
global sports tourism. This visit will more than anything else validate
the destination proposition of Lagos as a premium destination for
business and leisure. Sports tourism is no doubt a significant traction
of the leisure pillar that Lagos is known for. We are excited to be
involved in this campaign as we feel strongly that motivating women to
break their own personal, gender and economic moulds, will have
exceptional benefits for the future growth of Nigeria.”

  The significance of hosting the Williams’ sisters in Lagos is a positive
bonus for the Lagos State Government especially at a time when the state
is planning to host a major sporting festival. It re-affirms Lagos
State’s visitor-loving personality. Opayemi adds that the upcoming visit
of the tennis champions will rub off positively on corporate brands that
will be part of the events and also on Lagos as a destination brand.