President of TMD Brand, Marvellous Dada
The 3rd edition of the Hospitality & Business Summit (HBS 2025), Nigeria’s largest gathering of hospitality, transportation and tourism students takes place from 10:00am on Friday, 4th July 2025, under the theme: “Wonders of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow: Positioning for Global Impact – The Role of Youth in the Industrial Revolution” at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
HBS 2025 is expected to host over 2,000 students physically from about 30 tertiary institutions and engage an additional over 10,000 virtual participants across Nigeria and Africa.
The summit organised by TMD Brand continues to be the leading platform for empowering young people across the service and travel economy.
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by Mr. Danny Kioupouroglou, General Manager of Eko Hotels & Suites. He will speak on: “From Aspiration to Achievement: How Young Leaders Can Rise and Stay on Top.”
Also lined up are two powerful panel sessions centred around youth leadership, employment, and sector transformation:
The topic for the Panel 1 session is “The Future: Harnessing Youth Talent Across Hospitality, Transportation, Tourism, Culinary and Ecotourism as Catalysts for Growth”.
The distinguished panelists are: Mr. Olufemi Falebita – Chairman, Institute of Hospitality UK–Nigeria; Chef Gibbs – Founder, Nigeria Food Summit; Prof. Tunji Azeez – Dean of Tourism, Lagos State University; Prof. Gbenga Ojo – HOD, Wildlife & Ecotourism, University of Ibadan and Lydia Akume – Lecturer, Hotel & Hospitality Management, Moi University, Kenya.
The topic for the Panel 2 session is “Deployment & Employment: Equipping Today’s Youth for Industry Impact” while the panelists are: Rita Opiah – GM, Park Inn by Radisson Victoria Island; Yvonne Joseph – Founder, Girls in Tourism; Dr Iyadunni Gbadebo – Director of Sales & Marketing, Eko Hotels & Suites; Ghassan Faddoul – Managing Director, Eko Hotels & Suites and Susan Akporiaye – CEO, Topaz Travel & Tours; Immediate Past President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA).
The President of TMD Brand, Marvellous Dada describes the summit as a game-changer for student empowerment.
Dad stated further that “HBS 2025 is more than a conference. It’s the largest convergence of Nigeria’s next-generation professionals in hospitality, tourism, and transportation. We’re building a bridge between the classroom and the boardroom—equipping young people to take on the world.”
“With Nigeria positioning itself as a key player in Africa’s service economy, HBS 2025 serves as a strategic launchpad for youth-driven innovation and global relevance”, Dada concluded.
