In this interview with NIKE POPOOLA, Director/Co-Founder, Cruise Events Limited, Oreoluwa Adeleke, 30, speaks on her passion for event management
What is your educational background?
I have a degree in international law and diplomacy from Babcock University. After graduating, I decided to follow my passion for event management by taking up some event management courses in Oxford and Las Vegas. Thereafter I decided to start my event management company in 2008.
Why did you decide to start an event management business instead of going for paid employment?
It is natural with me to plan things properly and that is exactly what led to the business. Back in the days, I would plan birthdays for friends regardless of their budget. Whenever they complain of budget, I would plan with as little money as we could raise and at the end of the day, it would seem we spent so much.
When the same friends were getting married, I planned the events for free. Because I love to organise and it comes naturally, I do it effortlessly and it does not even seem like a task to me. Due to the outcome of the events, I started getting recommendations from friends. Then I decided to go for training and in 2008, I set up Cruise Events Limited.
How has the business been faring?
The business is fairing very well; event management is a result driven business. You plann an event well; someone at the event is impressed and gives you another job or recommends you to someone else.
This is due to the fact that we have not relented on the core values of the business which is to always ensure the new assignment is better than the old one. We must always create something new about every event we plan. And because this is about passion, we always deliver beyond the client’s expectation.
What major achievements have you recorded since you started this business?
Our key achievements have been the ability to attract A list of events and to have delivered to the client’s satisfaction. We have worked for and still work for high net worth individuals, multinationals, oil and gas companies, government agencies and state governments. By the virtue of our creativity, we have been able to handle events that have ranked us among the leading events management companies in Nigeria.
What challenges do you encounter in this business?
The major challenges we had at the beginning had to do with people management as regards supplies. We found it quite hectic managing disappointments from suppliers who had promised heavens and earth and were unable to deliver.
You can imagine what would happen to you as an event manager who has commissioned projects for different suppliers only for some of the key suppliers to create excuse out of nowhere and fail to deliver.
It was a serious challenge but we have overcome that now. Now we know the capability of every vendors we deal with which makes it easier for us to eliminate such disappointments.
What is your vision for your firm?
We have the vision to rank among the top five events management companies in Africa. We want to be renowned for excellence in our service delivery. And to achieve this, we know we have to continually evolve, going the extra mile to deliver, and using cutting edge events planning experience to satisfy clients beyond expectations.
What counsel do you have for young intending entrepreneurs?
I advise them to remain focused and committed to their dreams. I advise them to allow their passion to be the driving force and to always improve themselves on whatever they do. They should start now even if it means they will offer their services for free to some people.
If I didn’t plan weddings for free for my friends, the opportunities I got through them and the events may never have come.
They also must be up to date in their service delivery and must be enduring. It may be somehow tough to get ahead in business sometimes but if they increase their capacities, they will attract opportunities in no time.
What do you think is the solution to the problem of youth unemployment in Nigeria?
The way forward is for us to make our passion a money making venture. God has blessed every one of us with one talent or the other, that if refined will generate huge income. It is high time an average Nigerian youth looked inward and identified what he or she has been endowed with, develop it and turn it into business.
The mentality of getting a good job after school should be wiped off our thinking; it kills creativity and frustrates personal development.
If every student in higher institutions is thinking of what to do after school rather than where to work, the scenario would have been different. The students would have been more dedicated in school because they know that what they take away from school will shape their business ideas and the challenges we have with unemployment may not have been this scary.
How can Nigerian youths become more useful to themselves and the country?
Nigerian youths must take it upon themselves to solve problems. It is by solving problems that their own dreams are realised and opportunities are attracted. It should no longer be fashionable for young people to rely on government to provide jobs for them. Government may never provide enough but we must take our destinies in our hands. Some people have done it and they are successful. This implies that every youth can also succeed in whatever they choose to do if they are determined.
What is the relevance of event management to parties?
Event planning is relevant to make your party a huge success and memorable one. When you have an event planner, it takes a lot of responsibilities associated with planning your party from you because you are placing it in the hands of professionals. Events are relevant for different parties such as marriages, birthday, funeral, weddings and other corporate parties among others. You need event planners for anniversaries, fashion shows, product launches, and conferences. You need to have experience in organizing and managing events. There are career courses that would boost your skills. People from different educational backgrounds also pursue career in event planning. Event managers are responsible for planning, coordinating and evaluating a wide range of events all year round. You have to always remember that first impressions last, so the services rendered must be good. When managing any event, you need to take the correct approach and use the right techniques to ensure that your event is successful.
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