Adefamo Taiwo Adekunle of Joemassy events : the steady climb of an astute interior designer/decorator.
Event planning and decoration business has taken a new shape in Nigeria in the past few years and event management is no longer a turf for learners or the ‘wanna be’ event planners with mediocre abilities.
The interior designer and decorator dexterity of Adefamo Taiwo Adekunle was not a skill he acquired by a sudden flight of fancy and that he remains one of the big names in the event planning industry in Nigeria today took him a painstaking effort at learning the planning affairs professionally under the tutelage of EventsbyXto, another house hold name in the industry. Speaking with thepolity.net in an exclusive interview, the Ibadan based Chief Executive of the rave of the moment in event management by his brand name, Joemassy said his journey in the events industry began with freelance projects after he had completed his training between 2014 and 2015. He said he learnt a lot under his boss and his years of skill acquisition in this genre of event management prepared him for the journey ahead. ” By year 2015, I had fully established my event management outfit ‘Joemassy Events.’
The Poly Bida ( Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger State) trained graduate of Agricultural Engineering is no doubt a personality of many parts, who said he has been deploying his Engineering knowledge to buoy his interior decorator career and his entrepreneurial passion, planning parties and managing party affairs.
Asked if he had always planned to be an interior decorator and planner, Joemassy Cheif Executive said, “initially, I explored various creative fields but event planning resonated most deeply with me due to its dynamic nature and the opportunity it offered to express my creativity in more practical ways that made me add the touch of excellence to every event we undertake.”
In a lighter mood, Adefamo Taiwo Adekunle, describing the reaction of his parents to his choice of vocation noted that his parents showed concern at the initial stage , expressing preference for a more conventional career paths. ” Understandably , at the blossoming stage of the event planning business in Nigeria, practitioners were hardly taken seriously because eyes were not really on event planning but with the passion I added to the jobs I got and as my parents witnessed my dedication and the gradual success streak in the climb to leadership position in event planning, I eventually won them over and I can assure you they have been incredibly supportive of my career growth over time,” Adefamo enthused.
Talking about initial challenges encountered on his way to becoming a super expert interior designerand decorator, Adefamo said, ” Like many entrepreneurs , initial challenges included establishing trust with clients and building a reliable network of vendors. Fact is managing logistics in the early days of my journey into event management required a steep learning curve and I thank God those experiences strengthened my capabilities significantly.”
Going further in the interview, Adefamo noted that early in his career, he had the opportunity to manage several culturally rich events and functions , stressing that Joemassy Events has handled high profile events and corporate functions across Nigeria and each event taught him valuable lessons and boosted his confidence in handling bigger projects.
On his training and how the training had shaped his approach to event management, the Chief Executive Officer of Joemassy Events has this to say:” training under EventsbyXto equipped me with essential industry insights, practical skills in event execution and the confidence required to handle events independently. Mentorship played a crucial role in my journey so far as it afforded me the opportunity to learn in details making it possible for me to have grown professionally and creatively.”
On the turning point in his career, he noted that positive feedbacks after each successfully managed events became his strong brand points as he continued to get referrals from satisfied clients and this boosted his confidence , granting him more visibility within the industry.
” My motivation comes from seeking new inspirations and trends in event planning and I get to be more motivated when I see that reflection of satisfaction in the reaction of my clients after each event that is successfully managed; this fuels my passion to improve on my game,”he said. While advising young aspiring event planners, he charged them to believe in their creative vision ,noting that they must always remain flexible and willing to adapt. “Everyone must learn to build reliable relationship based on mutual trust between the event planner and the client and one must maintain integrity on the job,” Adefamo advised.
He indicated with stronger conviction that his focus is on expanding Joemassy events and exploring innovative event management concepts so as to continue to showcase creativity and the perfect touch in all his subsequent event and party affairs management.
