Mrs. Adejumoke Ifoegbuna is the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos based Spring of Surprises Events, an events planning firm. She speaks in this interview with JOHN SILAS, on events planning sector and factors that determine business success in Nigeria
What is your background?
I started the business while in school after my first training with the National Institute of Professional Skills and Acquisitions (NIPSA) in event management and wedding planning for two months.
What influenced your choice or profession?
I have always had a knack for organizing and planning. And when the opportunity arose, the NIPSA training, I grabbed it and ventured into it.
How did you start the journey of becoming a chief executive officer?
After school, it is imperative that I get a job in the nursing field. But I instead went on to get more training, and registered the business, and voila, that was how we started professionally.
What were the challenges you had initially and how were you able to surmount them?
Yes, there were challenges and I will mention a few. I had issues with market entry but after a while, I decided to intern for a bit, and it worked out well for me. I also had issues with getting clients, who could pay for our services, but I kept on giving visibility to the brand and little by little, we are getting recognized and we’re able to get clients who can pay for the services we offer.
How has the company faired in meeting its set out objectives?
We are not there yet, but I could say we have achieved about 60 per cent of our objectives. We did this by being extraordinarily consistent because the event industry is highly saturated.
What programme is your company presently involved in?
We are currently training serious students, or just graduated students for free at the company.
What is the company’s competitive advantage?
We at Spring of Surprises Events take the delight in getting to know our clients and the needs for their event one-on-one. We see to it that instructions are carried out to the last letter. We pay attention to details; we listen to you and give you what you want. We also offer professional suggestions when the need arises. And when it comes to managing vendors, we have been known to take that burden completely off clients, if given the chance.
What do you consider as the critical factors for business success in Nigeria?
There are many factors that could contribute to the success of a business in Nigeria, and they include stable economy, access to grants and low-interest loans, access to trainings and availability of basic amenities.
What are your sources of inspiration and your role models?
The common everyday man inspires me to keep going and keep being at my best. The passion to have a well-organized, flow of event, even at a common man’s event, inspires me. I’ll consider Mrs. Funke Bucknor of Zapphire Events and Mrs. Adesunmbo Adeoye of Esob Events, my role models in the industry.
How do you handle difficult and challenging moments, issues or situation?
I handle difficult situations by first telling myself that there has to be a solution for everything. I calmly think outside the box, improvise as much as possible, consult with fellow colleagues and before you know it, we’re out of that situation.
