Essence Festival Recap

Hello, hello, hello. I am Zaakirah Muhammad. I am the brand strategist. I am the woman behind the brand Seeing Life Through a Different Lens, which is based off of me being a childhood eye cancer survivor. At being a childhood eye cancer survivor since— sorry, I'm trying out some new technology in the background. Yes. So I am Zaakirah. I am a brand strategist, an author, a TEDx speaker, and a childhood eye cancer survivor. I have survived retinoblastoma, which is a rare childhood eye cancer. And today I'm talking about my experience attending Essence Festival 2024. If you are a person of color, you have seen that on the social media feeds and know that it was happening. And I was blessed to be there after 12 years of wishing and wanting to be there. And I was finally in the room and it was so amazing to be in the room. And I'll share what it was like. I'll share some tips from the branding and marketing perspective. I'll also be sharing tips from the accessibility perspective. I'm recording this in the month of July, which is accessibility or Disability Pride Month. So just to reintroduce myself again, so I'm a childhood eye cancer survivor. So that means I see in one eye. And I wear hearing aids. So I actually have a hearing loss as a result of the radiation treatment. So that was the hardest part about navigating Essence Fest. But let me rewind a little bit further. I actually, I believe in vision boards and intention setting and manifesting. And so I have had Essence Fest on my vision board essentially really since 20— 2019. 16. And so I was able to check it off once because Essence Festival for about 1 year— it's supposed to be a 5-year partnership, but we ran into the pandemic. But Essence Festival for 1 year did it in Durban, South Africa. So I was able to go to that one and I was able to see how they were able to immerse into culture. But I knew it wasn't the same thing because that was their first, first and technically the only. I don't know if they're ever going to bring that back, but I still wanted to be in the culture of the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Mm-hmm. And so it just so happened to work out that I was able to get both a speaking engagement, not on the stage, but offsite. I think that's what really made the trip, knowing that you don't have to be at the free convention center, which is where everybody's at, which is where they call it the big old family reunion. But you actually can have— be a part of and have your own events. You know, maybe for those who were looking at the headlines, 2023. They have canceled some people who were having like other, you know, book signings and things going on. But I think they did a good job that trying to bring it back into— bring it to the convention center, bring the traffic, um, you know, really through their Essence Fest. And so although this specific brunch panel that I spoke on, it was her 4th time doing it, so she never had any problems with it. And it never really competed anyway. It was still about women empowerment, still about wearing white, because Black people, people of color look good in white, okay? So I spoke on a panel that Saturday, and it just so happened to work out that it was Saturday because one of my other goals that I have been really trying for, for the entire year 2024, is to see Usher perform live. Usher Raymond is my favorite male performer, and I saw him live in 2011, and I was glued to the TV at the Super Bowl watch party that I was at. And, you know, he's just my favorite performer for performer to witness. So I'm so excited I'll get to witness him perform some of my favorite songs, the deep cuts, the songs that most people don't know about from the Essence Fest. So, you know, I had so much fun just singing out loud and having fun. And it was also fun because I was literally in the room with all the people that I— that crossed paths on my feed, on my social media feed, the people that I have chosen to follow. I was in the same space as them. Although I may not have gotten to meet them or take pictures with them or fully introduce myself, it was so amazing to just say, oh, look, it is so-and-so. Now for me, you know, I am bad with names and faces until afterwards, right? I go back to social media and I am like, oh, that was you? Oh, you were there? Oh, wow, I missed that, right? So I am one of those. But I did not take it personally or anything because I feel like for me it was just the right time and the right space because, you know, I consider myself right now a micro-influencer. And so being able to be amongst other micro-influencers, amongst other content creators, amongst other just women of color, it was just amazing. to be in the room. So, I mean, of course, to answer that first question, should I go next year? Yes, you should. Especially for the part about just be in the room. You know, the convention center part is free. You just have to make sure you have an updated smartphone because it is— your ticket is on an app. The only way to get in is on the app on a phone. So make sure you are at the convention center and just take in the environment. Now, from the accessibility side, it was a bit much because, well, one, I had to make sure that I'm walking on the side where I don't bump into people on my right side because I can't see on my right eye. And then I also was making sure that I had my back towards a way that there was not so much loud music so I could actually hear the panels. The downside is that there were like 5, maybe, different DJ stages happening on one floor in the convention center. So there were different kinds of music playing in the background of some panel speaking. And I wish they didn't have to be that loud. It really didn't have to be that loud. But I can understand, um, you're trying to keep the energy going because I truly believe that DJs make or break the Essence Fest. I remember during the concerts, um, you know, technical glitches, like they were trying to get videos ready for the next set, and it was like 5 minutes of just silence. And luckily everybody was just talking to each other, somebody else. A lot of people traveled with their boo, with their girls, with their families, so they had somebody to talk to. But I remember those moments of just, you know, it was just nothing but chatter in the the dome, in the Superdome, because they were trying to get technical issues together. What else? Now, I set intention on who I wanted to meet. That's what I feel is most important for navigating Essence Fest, especially because going into 31 years and this one, I saw some statistics out already from this year that it was about 500,000 people altogether. Saturday was the busiest. It was like pedestrian traffic congested Los Angeles pedestrian-style traffic. So making sure that you know exactly who it is that you want to see, give yourself— I tried to give myself 15 minutes before each panel was slated to start, but sometimes panels ended early and then I ended up missing the panel of who I really wanted to see. So make sure that you just stay glued to the digital streets. I think that's what I had to do. A lot of people were complaining and understandably complaining about the fact that they didn't know so-and-so was going to be here. or so-and-so were going to be promoting their movie or their music or their book. But I think the people who got the most traction was either the word of mouth that went out or they utilized social media to tell people where they're going to be. It was so helpful to give booth numbers for vendors because they didn't update who was all going to be there until like probably that Friday or Saturday. They had TV screens that showed us who was going to be there, but not all of them had the booth numbers yet. So making sure that you follow those vendors that you wanted to either buy from or meet, um, or get free samples from. The hair, the beauty section did a really good job of giving away samples, um, because unfortunately a lot of people are going back for free samples. Now I didn't get any samples because I know that, you know, my life is about to change and I don't need to be acquiring more stuff, um, but for others it's a great way to get a sample product of a brand you've never heard about, of a brand that you love, but you know you need more, but you don't want to, you know, get a big old bottle that you're going to waste. But from the marketing and branding perspective, I feel like we really got to start embracing digital media now. I actually saw a post about a vendor who is in the red after that. festival. Now, I will admit that I feel like, you know, if you're one of those brands who are like, I want to be on this, I want to be there, I want to be representing my brand, make sure you use these next 365 semi-days to build your digital presence. Because I would also, you know, I too, I'm one of those, I'm manifesting it right now, I'm going to be on that stage. But it's because I'm going to take the time to do the work, to continue to network, to follow up with the people that I did meet, to follow up with people that I tried to connect with beforehand, although we didn't meet, I get to, you know, continue to build that relationship, um, and build my digital brand online. I think what I noticed is, you know, there was some brands that I wanted to see, but it was out of sight, out of mind because I didn't see them post about it ever again. Um, the people who either I have a relationship with them already, so I knew they were going to be there, I sent them an email, they told me where they're going to be, what time and everything, so I was able to make it work and see them in person, give them a hug in person, talk to them in person, show my face in person. But if you didn't— if you are a brand that did not do the work beforehand to keep reminding people of where you're going to speak, where you're going to be over and over again, I can understand how people can— it can end up being a bad experience or you end up financially losing than gaining relationship-wise. So you definitely— it's a creator's heaven. It's a branding marketing heaven. It's a music lover's heaven. It's definitely now a heaven for those who— for the diversity, equity, and inclusion. Now they're missing out on the A just a little bit. Now I will talk about that they did have sign language interpreters displayed for everybody on day 1. Day 2, I was looking for it, but day 3 I had to see them. I chose an up high nosebleed seat on purpose because I knew that it's a dome, it's an inside center. No matter where I sit, I'm going to hear, I'm going to enjoy the music. Well, I chose to sit up high, and so I would look down and see the interpreters were down below. Now, I don't know if they opened that up for the virtual stream because they did open it up to stream it on their YouTube and on their website, but I remember walking up to the convention center to ask for like just kind of assistance, like, is there anything that can assist me for captions or something that can get me priority seating in the front, you know? But I really had to advocate for myself, but I'm grateful that on Saturday, there were 2— there were sign language interpreters that were willing to let me sit. You know how they reserve seats for those who are sign language? They let me sit when someone was not signing. But they really got to work on making it more accessible for those who are hard of hearing. They did a good job for those who were deaf having sign language interpreters. They did a good job of having enough, you know, motorized scooters and wheels for those who were not able to move. as quickly or as well as they used to, but they just have a lot more to go with accessibility. And I feel like that can be my mission for the next 365 days. Another part of my mission for the next 365 days is I'm going to talk about the Essen Film Fest. So I like that they have that. I know it wasn't always there, but I appreciate the fact that they have that because I've never gone to the at least not yet, none of these South by Southwest film festivals or the Sundance Film Festival. Um, so the fact that they had one, it was amazing. Um, I forgot how amazing it is to be in the room with someone, uh, watching the film and everybody laughing at the same thing, crying at the same thing, being shocked at the same thing. So I was super excited to see exclusive premieres of movies that are not going to come out until fall or even the next year. One of my favorite ones is the Luther Vandross documentary. We all got to kind of get an exclusive look at that. And from the press release that I Googled, it's not even going to come out until 2025. So if you definitely want to be in the know about future TV shows and movies and documentaries, that's another reason why you should be at SNFest. And then I think I'll kind of take a pause or break to say that I'm super excited about it because I am also myself, I'm working on a documentary myself. I'm launching a documentary series because just alone from just speaking, the speaking engagement that I've been blessed to get for this year, the concerts I've been able to attend this year, and the events that I get to attend, there's still that gap in the accessibility world. Now I understand on a political and broader scale they're cutting down everything, but there's still some work that needs to be done individually. And so I've I'm taking on that role to make it a docuseries. First, to raise awareness about retinoblastoma, which is the childhood eye cancer that I have. It's also the same childhood eye cancer that Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes have. It's also the same eye cancer that Derrick Fisher, NBA player's daughter, Tatum Fisher, has. Yes, they're all women of color, but that's another aspect of the diversity, equity, inclusion that gets excluded. Black women need help too. They need accessibility and accommodations as well. So being able to document a day in the life of and interview them and shine a light, that, that's the goal of the docuseries. But I want people to be involved as well. So I wanted to make it a crowdfunding campaign because I want you to be able to feel like you're listed on the credits, feel like you're listed on IMDb. And also just support by being allies. So if that is something that is interesting to you, definitely go to my website, zaakirahnyar.com/documentary, or search for Seeing Life from a Different Lens on Kickstarter. It's on Kickstarter right now until August 4th, Seeing Life from a Different Lens, or just search for my name. Or you can go to my website, zaakirahnyyar.com/documentary. Z-A-A-K-I-R-A-H-N-A-Y-Y-A-R.com/documentary to learn more, to donate, to share. And that is a part of the story that I feel needs to be told. Okay, what else? So making sure that you How to get there next time, if that's— if this is something you want to do. Um, use— build your personal brand. I think I'm just going to recap now that if this is something you want to do next time, but not just to attend them for fun, not just make it a girls trip, but if you want to, um, be there like on the stages or something— it's the same goal I'm working at too, but here's what I've learned and what I need to do. Um, continue to build my personal brand. Because the people that were there, um, it's a little bit of both. They already have— they've been on— if they're authors, for example, they've been on bestseller lists. If they are behind-the-scenes content creators, they have a podcast that's out there. Um, if they were asked to moderate a panel, um, and they don't work for, you know, the company that's hosting it, which is Essence, They, they have a portfolio that's out there. They're accessible, right? Easy to reach because apparently people have to be invited. You have to be invited unless it's one of those off-topic, off-site events like the one that I attended. I paid to play. I had to get there and, you know, choose that opportunity myself, come out of pocket myself. So make sure that you are continuously building your personal brand, being consistent on social media, continuing tooting your own horn, continuing telling people where you are, especially if you're going to be a vendor, because there's so many spaces there and because there was not— at least this year, there was not an easy-to-look-at map, at least readily available, to know where the people are. Definitely make sure that you are using your social media through any realms of media to tell people how to find you. And then, yeah, I think that's pretty much it. If you have any other questions about SNFest, let me know. I'm happy to, you know, help my Black women get there, right? Because I do feel like that is definitely the next family reunion. And even for me, although I went solo, I got to connect or reconnect with people. I saw someone who I haven't seen since last year at another conference, right? So make sure that you are building your personal brand. And until then, I'm going to keep building accessibility. And I think that's all I can really say about it. Of course, if you have any other questions, you're welcome to DM me. But otherwise, I look forward to seeing you again soon online, especially as I wrap up and prepare for the crowdfund of the documentary. Or if you want to learn more about my personal brand, everything's right there on my website, zaakirahnaiah.com. Z-A-A-K-I-R-A-H-N-A-I-H.com. Why? Why?