06/08/2026
INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE GREEN TOURISM CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION 2026
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD
STORY TIME – PART 1
One day, I was at home scrolling through my phone when a message appeared in one of the job groups I had joined. It read:
"If you are interested in doing social media management, DM."
I sent a message and was referred to another lady, who then referred me to Oscar Alweru Athanasio.
I introduced myself:
"Hello, my name is Florah Anabaka. I am a graduate of Moi University with a Bachelor's Degree in Literature, and I am interested in working as a Social Media Manager at your company."
He called me almost immediately and asked me to come to the office. At first, I was hesitant because I expected there would be an interview. I even called one of my friends because I feared it could be a scam.
She asked where the office was located, and I told her it was at Embassy House, Room 511, near Parliament. She searched for the location online and assured me it was a legitimate place, so I decided to go.
I wore my white dress, black high-heeled shoes, and my maroon water-curly wig. My friend advised me to use a boda boda instead of a bus to save time. I agreed. The ride cost me KSh 600.
When I reached the C*D, the rider dropped me some distance away, so I had to take another motorcycle that took me directly to Embassy House.
At the entrance, a security officer asked for my national ID before allowing me in. After registering, I climbed the stairs to the fifth floor. I was sweating by the time I entered the office, but I thanked God that I had arrived on time.
Before Oscar left, he handed me several documents from the Ministry of Tourism and other organizations, together with Omojoy Magazine. He asked me to read through them, understand the project, and begin posting about it on social media.
I went home excited, believing I had finally found a job. I was instructed to report back the following day at noon.
The next day was Friday.
I travelled to town. When I reached the office, I found only one young man. We talked as we waited for Oscar. Later, Oscar called and informed me that he was attending a meeting and would not be coming to the office. He asked me to return on Monday instead.
On Monday, I officially started working.
I was given access to all the social media accounts. At that time, each platform had only about ten followers and ten following.
I dedicated myself to growing the pages.
Today, the Instagram page has over 1,300 followers, LinkedIn has 381 connections, and Facebook has 112 followers. The social media platforms operated under the name In The Wild Conference.
I was given content to post, but with time I also began designing my own posters and writing original captions every day. I continued doing this until the official launch of the event at PrideInn Azure.
Before the launch, I was given invitation cards and assigned the responsibility of sending invitation emails to guests. We intentionally avoided advertising the launch publicly on social media because we did not want uninvited people attending.
On the evening before the launch, every member of staff received KSh 1,000 for transport.
The following morning, we arrived early to prepare for the event.
I was stationed at the help desk, where guests signed the visitors' book as they arrived.
The launch began with breakfast. There was a generous buffet that included smokies, sausages, chicken, sautéed vegetables, arrowroots, watermelon, cassava, yams, pancakes, tea, and many other dishes.
Everyone ate to their satisfaction before the programme officially began with an opening prayer led by a bishop.
After the launch, our team held a brief meeting to discuss the day's activities before everyone went home.
The following day, we returned to the office excited and optimistic. The main conference was only two weeks away.
We resumed work immediately by sending emails to potential clients and contacting organizations directly, encouraging them to register and make payments.
A few days before the conference, we visited Nairobi National Park, where the event was supposed to be held. We inspected the grounds to determine where exhibition booths and food vendors would be located.
As the Social Media Manager, I accompanied the event organizer so that I could capture photos and videos for promotion.
Unfortunately, my phone did not produce clear enough pictures, and the company had neither photographers, videographers, cameras, nor even a company laptop.
As a result, I was forced to rely entirely on my own personal phone to carry out all my work.
PART 2 COMING SOON.
