Balogun Omolola is the CEO and Founder of Dreams and Visions Events, Lagos, Nigeria. She hails from Ekiti State. She had her secondary school education at the Federal Government Girls College, Akure, and she has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. She worked at a telecommunications company for a short while before launching fully into what she is passionate about- creating beautiful event ambience. She discovered this during her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). She is a trained Event Designer and Florist with 15 years of industry experience.

PDC: Tell us about your journey. How was the transition into entrepreneurship like for you?

OB – In the early years of my life, I had always had a passion for building, which my parents thought I was going to be an architect. As I grew a little more, I realised I had always wanted to beautify my surroundings and put things in order.

During my NYSC in Lagos in 2005, I was introduced to event design and craft training, which helped spark my interest. I was posted to serve at a telecommunications company and was retained after my NYSC, but because my desire had already been sparked during my training, I always had the urge to forge ahead in my Event Design business; thus, by 2007, I resigned to fully pursue my Event Design career.

PDC: How did you raise the capital to start?

OB – Raising capital for my business was in phases. In 2007, when I started the Event Design business, it didn’t require a lot of capital. I was gradually building from the small profits earned from completed Jobs. This sustained me for a few years till as every entrepreneur there was an urge to do better and achieve more, thus other sources of raising capital had to be explored. Other sources, ranging from obtaining loans and Credit facilities to scale up.

PDC: Being a business owner can be tough. What are some challenges you have faced?

OB- Some of the challenges faced include-

Sourcing for funds

The Event Design business is one where you need to have invested heavily in advance, in preparation for opportunities. An intending client wants to see what you have done before being convinced to pay you to do likewise for them, thus the onus is on us to source funds to get all necessary props ahead of getting the business.

Staff management.

Manpower entails 80% of the success of any Event design business because it’s strictly a hands-on job. We need to construct and tear down all our setups at each event. For each event, a minimum of 20 workers is needed, even for the average scaled event designer. The challenge here is bringing everyone together to achieve a common goal while also considering that some of them are contract staff and haven’t received the training you must have provided to your full staff.

PDC: In your opinion, what are some of the key issues startups face, especially in Nigeria?

OB-  In my opinion, startups in Nigeria face the major issues of building their customer base. Most Customers, the Nigerian Customers likewise want to deal with a business that have been in existence hence its always a challenge for a startup to get its first few opportunities.

PDC: Many people trust renowned brands, and now Nigerian brands like yours are emerging. How are you changing the mindset of people to patronise brands like yours?

OB- Due to the dedicated nature of Nigerian brands in being their best, we have gotten to a stage where we are able to compete side by side with the international brands. For instance, in the Event design field, we attend numerous trainings both in Nigeria and abroad. With the right enabling environment, we can deliver the same quality as renowned brands.

PDC: What makes your Events design business stand out in today’s competitive world?

OB – What makes my Events design business stand out is my ability to create new designs at every opportunity. Our society is competitive, and everyone desires to stand out from others. This same mindset also applies to our clients, who are always looking for Event designers who can offer something unique.

PDC: Tell us something that has influenced your life and career positively today?

OB – Perseverance – Life sometimes takes a turn, but I have decided to keep the focus no matter the challenges life throws at me.

Passion – The Event Design business is no doubt a tough one, evident in many months of planning running to about 3 to 6 months.

Customer Management – getting them on board, convincing them to part with their funds, managing their Anxiety; Team Management, Sleepless nights, all these make you want to quit, but my passion for creating beautiful spaces is what has kept me going.

PDC: What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the Event Design business?

OB- The Event Industry is one of the major Industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Events all over the world have been cancelled, thus there is no way to Design Events. The event industry is on a partial lockdown because even the Virtual Parties we are embracing during this period do not require any major designing.

PDC: Do you think event management will be the same after COVID-19?

OB- In Nigeria, there is hope that the Event Industry will bounce back after this pandemic. This is because our culture is that of celebration and not just celebrations, but large celebrations. We Nigerians are happy people, and in fact, I see we are throwing a post-COVID-19 party to celebrate the final declaration of a COVID-19-free nation. Also, for weddings and burials, our large family and our communal way of living will help us to bounce back to normalcy.

PDC: Event design has evolved over the years. What are the things that you see about the future of the business?

OB- Rightly said, Event design is always evolving; the new concepts we will see in the near future of Event Design include 3D design features.

PDC: What are your future plans? What can we look forward to seeing from you?

OB- Future plans include continued expansion of the business, and also to expand my horizons internationally.