‘Power remains our challenge in hospitality industry’
By Vivian Onyebukwa
The hospitality industry is believed to be one of the great sources of income for the country. But that is if the resources are well harnessed.
These are the views of Bose Abisagboola, Founder/CEO 2A’S Events Ltd.
In this interview with Saturday Sun, Abisagboola highlighted some of the impediments hindering the progress of the hospitality industry in the country, even as she urged the government to improve on them.
Abisagboola who has been in the industry for over two decades, also emphasized the need for professional trainings for practitioners, members and intending ones so as to enable professionalism in the industry, and not make it an all-comers affair.
How has the journey been for you in the hospitality industry?
I have been in the hospitality industry for quite a while. It’s been years of experiential journey. We have been able to develop a lot of leadership skill, entrepreneurial expertise, trained in event management programme here in Nigeria, and also internationally with the Events School, London. I have also been able to do other certification programmes to develop my leadership, management and other leadership skills and also some other soft skills that will enable me to deliver excellent services on my job. I am a member of Profession Association of Events Planning Management in Nigeria, and also Meetings Professional International (MPI). It enables me to be able to leverage globally, understand what the event is in the event space both locally and internationally. I am a sticker for learning because when you stop learning you literally start dying. You should be able to put into your business to make it better in terms of service, expertise, trend.
Everything evolves and changes every year because of the creatives. It has also impacted on the economy of our country and also globally, because if you look at the hospitality industry, it comprises tourism, events, and different aspects of hospitality such as hotels, venue, destinations, etc. One of the things I have been able to hold dear and strong is the impact that my organisation has had in the events space by coordinating delegation of experts, other event CEOs, and experts to attend other intensive travel programmes in the US, particularly IMX America. IMXAmerica is where we go to attend and also be able meet more people and other organisations who are proffering solutions in event, hospitality space to be able to do business across nations. That has been quite interesting for delegates who we have attended together. For me it speaks to our core value, which is to inject professionalism into the event space. When everybody knows the same thing, everybody is going to apply the same knowledge on how they do their businesses, and that means that the bar will be raised.
Once the bar is raised, we will have a fair playing field for everyone. Some people who are just coming into the industry would not be doing things anyhow, because we will be able to show them the things that they are supposed to know and do. Once all of us are on the same page, it enables us to operate at the optimal level. That is why I evangelise that people should join associations and other professionals so that they can all be on the same page and learn how to do the best in our country.
That has been very good because it has been an eye opener for colleagues and people who have just come into the industry. Attending trainings, seminars, conferences, things that can develop human professional skills has been a drive for me. It’s one of the things that has also motivated me to write a book titled, “Stimulating Your Business”, a post COVID-19 strategy for growth and recovery, because after COVID -19, my industry was the most hit. Events were not held. A lot of people, who didn’t have insurance and different things in place, felt the brunt. Some businesses haven’t even recovered. Some died naturally, while some people are still recovering from it. That is what has inspired me to put together a series that is now a book. It is to help entrepreneurs and CEOs to be able to gain expert insight on how to recover or how to thrive even in the midst of difficult economic climate as entrepreneurs.
Why do people find it necessary to engage an event planner?
Everything in the event space has evolved and because of the professionalism that has made it a business of its own, it has become very obvious that everyone who wants to have a great event, needs an event planner. Often times, if you want to juxtapose it with the cost, it is just like saying, why do you need a professional tailor to make for you a beautiful outfit to attend that event where you want to have a statement? Your appearance at that event is because you want to make a statement. So you need a professional designer to make that outfit that would suit you and your personality. Every event is not the same, so in order for you to depict an excellent event that depicts the purpose for which you are hosting that event, you need an event planner to plan along with you, or to help you execute that kind of event that you want to host. It is an event planner that understands the rudiments and what is required, what is at stake in order to host that kind of event. Doing it yourself or by a family who thinks that they know or have the passion, has created different scenarios that I have seen in my usual journey, and has been hilarious in some instances. It requires expertise, skills, technical knowhow on what it takes and what are involved in putting together an excellent event. With an event planner, there are a lot of benefits. You save yourself the stress, trial and error, recommendation that has not been proven or tested by anyone, and you save your money. That is the best thing any smart person should do.
Do you think the government has really tapped into the tourism industry?
Yes. The government is picking up to tap into the resources in the creative, hospitality and tourism sectors. Those ministers on those jobs are doing their bit, but it is a good thing they know that more can be done and they have identified that it is the sector that is producing, and can produce more in terms of economic wealth for the nation. They are picking up on doing some things. Some of them is what you saw happen with Lagos State in particular, with what they did with Lagos tourism space where they are also bringing awareness. I saw a billboard recently about a proposed entrepreneurial programme by Lagos State and other private organisations. Our association has actually engaged them on several levels, bringing them to the awareness of these opportunities once they can better leverage on them.
What can the government do to improve the sector?
The government can create power because a lot of us are putting together businesses in form of office space because it requires a lot of intellectual job, and creative designs. So when there is power you are going to pay less for work time. Then, people can be more productive. Again, inflation rate is killing businesses. People can no longer invest like that in their businesses. We are in a sector that is trendy- everything is changing every now and then. That means you need different things for the job. Doing all of that is quite expensive. You cannot do that when inflation rate is high. The rate of importation has dropped. If you look in locally, the quality of job that can be done is based on power. So that then people can begin to invest in machines and infrastructure that can produce those different creative items that can be used to do the job better. So in order for the government to build this sector, they must be thinking of a big land space where we can have manufacturing items, just like a village for creatives where they can begin to produce items that are used in the sector, so that we are buying Nigeria because the quality of the machineries that are producing is the same thing with what you are going to import internationally.
How lucrative is the business and what does it take to be in the job?
You can see that it is why everybody and anybody who just finished school and doesn’t have a job, would tell you that she is an event planner. The entrance into the event business is almost zero. One of the things we are trying to do as professionals in event industry is to build standardisation. Our association, Association of Event Professionals, Party Planners and Event Management of Nigeria (APPOEMN), does a lot of training for the members, get them informed in different forms so that everybody would be on the same page in terms of expertise as expected from you as an event professional. We encourage many people who want to go into the profession to do that properly by joining an association so as to be equipped and know how things can be done to be able to thrive.