{
  "id": 16923799,
  "title": "Stop inflating event attendance figures to massage egos – Ruddy Kwakye urges accurate data for sustainable planning",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/stop-inflating-event-attendance-figures-to-massage-egos-ruddy-kwakye",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T15:55:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/stop-inflating-event-attendance-figures-to-massage-egos-ruddy-kwakye-urges-accurate-data-for-sustainable-planning/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ghanaian media personality and creative entrepreneur Ruddy Kwakye has called for event organizers in the creative industry to stop inflating attendance figures. He cautioned that inaccurate data could hinder policy planning, particularly concerning climate change and waste management. Accurate attendance figures are essential for responsible event planning and for policymakers to develop measures to limit environmental impacts of large gatherings, Kwakye said during the inaugural Climate x Culture Summit in Accra on Thursday, October 22.\n\nExaggerating numbers of attendees is purely ego-stroking, Kwakye stated. While it feels good to inflate numbers, it undermines the ability to create effective policies. Reliable, accurate data is crucial for formulating policies across the events and creative industries, especially in addressing climate change concerns. He emphasized that precise figures are fundamental for planning and implementing measures that can be effectively executed in the industry.\n\nKwakye explained that true attendance data could guide organizers on essential aspects such as the number of waste bins, toilets, cleaning staff, and waste collection points needed at venues. It could also assist in estimating the amount of waste generated, enabling organizers to plan for its collection, recycling, and disposal. Inflated numbers could compromise these planning efforts and make it challenging for regulators and industry stakeholders to accurately assess the environmental footprint of events.\n\nThe media figure also highlighted the environmental initiatives by the Afro Nation team at Laboma Beach, where many of their festivals occur. The team has been actively cleaning up the beach to improve its condition and make it more environmentally friendly for attendees, local residents, and fisherfolk who rely on the shoreline for their livelihoods. According to Kwakye, the team has removed waste from sections of the beach and installed a net beneath the bridge where water from the lagoon empties into the sea.",
  "summary": "Ghanaian media personality and creative entrepreneur Ruddy Kwakye has urged event organisers and players in the creative industry to stop exaggerating attendance figures. He warned that inaccurate data could undermine policy planning, particularly on climate change and waste management. He said reliable attendance figures were necessary to help organisers plan events responsibly and enable…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}