A Computer Science graduate turned Event Planner and Decorator, Oluwaseun Ajakaiye inspired by his mother to form Seanclefty Events. He says investment in data and human resources promises top-notch services. He spoke to ITREALMS correspondent, GBEMI OMOTOSO.
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| Oluwaseun Ajakaiye of Seanclefty |
I'm a male event planner and decorator, married to a beautiful damsel and a caring father to cute children.
My vision is providing top-notch quality service delivery
without breaking the bank.
We offer services in event planning and decorations, we
trained over 500 students in event planning and decorations last year
Do you have an
academy or how were you able to train that number of youths?
Yes, we had 3 training spaces; one at Akoka one at Ibadan
another at Ikorodu. Ibadan didn't work out as planned, Akoka was shut down and
we are left with Ikorodu branch at the moment.
A little view into your world as
an Event Personality
I'm just a focused person, always busy either learning one
new thing or dishing out values... my world.
Before now, there is little or no desire by the youths to learn a
skill! What do you think can push the youths into learning now?
Entrepreneurial skills bill signed by the government in
schools and beautiful events decors could have also trigger them as well.
Your educational background?
I'm a graduate of computer science with some certifications
from Yaba Tech and Lagos State University respectively.
What inspired you
into event industry?
I love being witty and working creatively with my hands. However,
after graduating from the University I worked at about two Financial
Institutions but I really wasn't fulfilled with the stress associated with it.
As fate would have it, one of my pastors in the church wanted to get married
and my mum hinted me to plan and decorate his wedding which I haven't done
before; she knew I had the passion already and she encouraged me that those in
the industry didn’t bring it from heaven, they learnt the craft and they are
now professional.
So, I took it up from there, without any prior formal
training, went for site inspection and all.
We had a good setup for the traditional marriage everyone loved it. This
was the catalyst I needed, I then fired on. But along the line, jobs weren't
coming, I got another offer few friends
knew what I do, a childhood friend was getting married at Magodo then, so she
asked me to plan and design, there was divided attention between the banking
job and the wedding I had to plan and execute so I stopped working and started Seanclefty Events officially.
How did you come about the name ‘Seanclefty’?
My real name is Oluwaseun Ajakaiye; so back in school I was
called ‘SEAN’. I prayed to get the name and I got a name from rock of ages
CLEFT for me😁😁.
So, Seanclefty Events to the Zenith!
How many years have you been in the event industry?
It has been seven (7) years of creativity and still
counting....
What do you like most about event planning and decors?
I love my stage because a good stage makes a very good focal
point; flowers make the focal point of any event pretty, that's if it's
well-arranged.
Do you specialise in any specific kind of event?
I do all kinds of event from wedding, funeral receptions, birthday,
corporate events, etc.
What events do you enjoy planning most and why?
Wedding! (Smiles) Weddings are beautiful and it takes
creativity to do something nice. I also love jobs that challenge me to do more.
Describe a time that an event did not go as planned? What did you
learn? What would you have done differently?
I got a job at Magodo, purple and lilac was the theme. I
went with white table and chair covers while the fabric was the colors. After
setting up a day before, the bride said she wanted a purple and lilac chair
covers at 12am but there was no way I could go and rent colored fabric around Magodo.
Thank God for my crew.
I had to start cutting fabric to cover the chair. That was
when direct fabrics were used as chair covers. It really turned out well at the
end of the day.
Have you ever planned multiple events at a time? Were they successful?
All the time and most times I get multiple jobs for a
weekend by God’s Grace, once I have capable hands to work with and I also treat
them very well, and supervise them accordingly.
How do you stay focused when things do not go as planned during event
planning?
I try as much as possible to go with the best hands, even if
there are issues. We organize ourselves.
How do you keep up with latest trends in events industry?
Like I said earlier, I didn't learn event planning from the
four walls of any company! But I invest more on data, checking designs, follow
trends. It’s actually expensive to keep up with trends but it’s worth it.
What personality traits, skills,
training and education do you think all events planners must have?
They have to be humble, outspoken. They also have to treat
staff well, partner with good hands (no man is an island) lastly upgrading oneself
is also important.
What are the challenges and risks associated with event decorations?
Uhmm! It's highly competitive; you have to keep yourself
abreast of what is obtainable such as logistics. You have to focus on movement of
goods and accessories to aid your decorations.
Also, human resource is paramount. You need team work to make an event perfect.
Good info
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