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A WOMAN OF DISTINCTION, MRS REMI AKINTERINWA (PHF) CEO, REMOL EVENT MANAGERS TALKS ABOUT THE EVENT INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA. – Elitist Media

Announcing…

Distinguished Nigerian Award(DNA)

A WOMAN OF DISTINCTION, MRS REMI AKINTERINWA (PHF) CEO, REMOL EVENT MANAGERS TALKS ABOUT THE EVENT INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA.

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused efforts. It is a known fact that several parties and events take place in Nigeria every weekend and also on weekdays, and behind the glamour are event practitioners who work very hard to ensure the success of these events. Event planning is time consuming as it involves all aspects of an event from planning to successful execution and more people would rather have an event planner handle their event so they have free time to do other things.
Remol Event Managers is an award winning events company that has been in existence for over 20 years . REMI AKINTERINWA, the CEO of Remol Event Managers, has a passion for transforming spaces to create a memorable memories for your events.

Tell us about yourself
My name is Remi Akinterinwa. I was born 60 years ago in the United Kingdom. I started my education in the United Kingdom. I was brought to Nigeria when I was about 7 years old. I continued my education at Grace Children’s School, then on Ikorodu Road in Palm Grove area in Lagos. after which proceeded to the prestigious Methodist Girls High School Yaba Lagos. After my O’levels I went on to Queens College Yaba Lagos for 1 year A’levels before gaining admission to the University of Lagos where I studied Biochemistry.
My National Youth Service was at the Pathology Department of the University College Hospital Ibadan. After my NYSC, I worked briefly in the United Kingdom. When I returned to Nigeria, I worked as a Standard’s officer with Standard’s Organization of Nigeria (SON). In 1992, I had to resign my appointment with SON due to circumstances beyond my control. I’m a Past President of Rotary Club of Ikoyi . I’m also a member of caring parents a philanthropic organization that provides support to indigent children in Mushin. I’m also a member of the prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938.
I went into various businesses from supplying eggs to eateries, fashion designing ,buying and selling of clothes, I had a gift shop, I ran a cold room where I sold frozen foods, rentals of canopies, chairs and tables. Remol Event Managers & Remol Event Decorators is an off shoot of Remol Rentals . The rest they say , is history. I am happily married and have a daughter and a son.

Who can become an event practitioner?
I would say anyone with a passion for events can become an event planner. However, you will have to go for some form of training whether formal or informal. You have to be hardworking, flexible and have good human relations. You also have to be creative, have an eye for details and have the ability to work under pressure, you have to be able to think outside the box because you will encounter so many unpredictable situations. You also have to be able to manage clients with different temperaments because a lot of clients are under pressure, stress and tension when having their events.
I am a certified member of APPOEMN (Association of Professional Party Organizers and Event Managers of Nigeria) and RPSN (Rentals Professional Society of Nigeria). I have attended numerous trainings both within Nigeria and outside Nigeria, in order to keep abreast with new innovations in the event Industry.
How viable is Nigeria’s event Industry?
Nigeria’s Event Industry is very viable. Nigerians are known all over the world to celebrate and throw lavish parties for all types of celebrations ranging from birthday’s, weddings, burials, graduation, corporate events and so on. Once you are consistently good at what you do and with adequate advertising you will get your own fair share of the events industry in Nigeria. You also have to be extremely creative, diligent, credible, reliable, dependable and trustworthy. You have to constantly update your knowledge about new trends in the event Industry because the event Industry is extremely dynamic.You have to continuously go for trainings and also train your staff.
You have to work with the client’s timing to ensure the event goes well. You also need to have back up plans and be able to proffer solutions when you face unexpected situations as you definitely will sometimes. Another thing that will help you as an event practitioner is liaising with other event Practitioners.

What services do you render at Remol Event Managers and who are your target customers?
We offer luxurious event decoration services to our clients. We are available for both corporate and private parties. We have quite a number of repeat customers and corporate clients who have trusted us with their events for years. We also get a lot of referrals from satisfied customers. Our target customers are clients who appreciate our hard work , effort and creativity. We also rent out decoration props and we sell decoration consumables .
Some of our clients include LSDPC (Lagos State Development and Property Corporation) Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Winsmart Schools Lagos, Rotary Club of Ikoyi, Rotary District 9110, Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Central Bank of Nigeria, Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association, LTV (Lagos Television), Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1FM, Association of Professional Women Bankers , Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi Lagos. to name a few and so many individuals too numerous to mention.

How did you raise the initial capital for the business?
I raised the initial capital from my savings and the support of family mainly my dad of blessed memories and my husband. I started the business very small and ploughed back almost all my profits for a couple of years. Later I secured loans from Banks and other financial institutions.


What are the key challenges facing event Industry?
One of the major challenges in the event Industry is that as a decorator, 95% of decor props are imported. We all know the very high exchange rate of dollar, pounds etc to the naira.
Small and medium businesses are made to pay high and multiple taxes by Lagos State Parastatals and the Local Government Agencies. For instance for our vehicles we pay for loading and offloading hackney permit , road worthiness, Signage Radio & television (these trucks don’t have televisions in them but we are compelled to pay all the same) Environmental levy Drivers badge . These are apart from Insurance etc.
Even though I believe in paying tax (I’m up to date with my tax payments) I strongly believe some of these taxes/levies are totally unnecessary. Another challenge is that a lot of our youth have a wrong orientation, they believe in get rich quick syndrome so many of them are not ready to work, so it can be challenging getting good and reliable staff .

Was there anytime you thought of quitting the event Industry?
The event Industry like any other industry/business has its own challenges. In the early stages of the business it was extremely challenging growing the business due to insufficient funding. Also issue of disloyal and fraudulent staff came up , it was so bad that I had to practically sack almost everyone because they had formed a caucus and they were constantly defrauding the company. I also had a driver who hit a policeman , you know how these type of things work out in Nigeria.
All in all, inspite of the numerous challenges, Remol Event Managers has paid her dues, I’ve learnt what works well for the business, I’ve gained a lot of experience over the years, I have a very reliable, dependable, trustworthy team so the business runs well without me necessarily being physically present. This is because we have structures in place. Remol Event Managers has come of age and has come to stay


How supportive was your family at the initial stage of your business?
My dad and my husband were very supportive even though at that time they didn’t really understand the business. My husband has been extremely supportive every step of the way. As an event practitioner, you work odd hours, late into the night, sometimes overnight, and sometimes you leave home for days especially when you go for work outside Lagos. You work on weekends, public holiday and , festive periods such as Christmas, Easter, New year day and so on. Without a good support system at the home front especially when you have young children, it may be extremely difficult if not impossible to go far in the events industry.

What are your other areas of interest business wise?
I run a cleaning services company where we offer cleaning services to both private individuals and corporate organizations. I used to run a fish farm in Epe, Lagos, but packed it up due to the very high cost of fish feeds. Also it was quite a challenge to get to the farm as the roads were in very bad shape, this caused a lot of traffic gridlock.


Like I said earlier, we have paid our price in the events industry. We have both private and Corporate clients who have become repeat customers, some for as many as 10 years. We have constantly and consistently upgraded our knowledge of the events industry and delivered great service to our clients. We get a whole lot of referrals from satisfied customers. We have also used social media to our advantage.

What is your advice to aspiring event practitioners and those looking up to you ?
My advice to aspiring event practitioners is “be true to yourself”. Ask yourself “is this really what you want to do”?
First and foremost ask yourself, do you have a passion for this job? Truth is I will still offer event decoration services even if I’m not paid for it because I have an absolute passion for transforming spaces. That being said, there are some aspects of the event Industry I’m not too keen about such as catering. You have to be very sure of exactly what service(s) you want to offer in the event space. Money should not be the major motivation. Money will come eventually if you offer great service
In my spare time , I love watching television, I love going to the cinema’s. I love reading although I don’t get to read as much as I used to when I was younger.

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