Event planners trained in building structures for sustainable businesses

Event planners across Africa have been urged to prioritise passion, consistency and strong business structures to ensure their businesses remain sustainable beyond their founders.

Speaking on the recently held Event Summit Africa Virtual Conference, themed “Building to Last: The Africa Experience”, a Kwara-born professional event planner, Oluwaseun Adewoye, said the conference, with over 200 participants, centred on importance of building a strong business structure from the beginning.

“Money should not be the driving force. Your passion for the job should be the driving force,” he said.

Adewoye said that passion, consistency and excellent service delivery would help event professionals build a reputation, attract clients and eventually create businesses capable of operating without depending solely on their founders.

“If you don’t build good structure, the company dies with you,” he said.

Speaking on challenges facing event planners in Africa, Adewoye identified acceptance and funding as some of the major issues confronting practitioners.

He said some people still believed event planning could be handled by family members or friends, rather than engaging professionals, adding that “although there is growing recognition of the importance of professional event planners”.

Adewoye also called for increased government support for event planners, urging state governments to involve professionals in organising their activities and programmes.

He said event planners contribute to the economy and should be given opportunities to showcase their skills rather than relying heavily on professionals from outside the country.

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Adewoye, who has over 15 years of experience in event planning and has received professional training in Nigeria and Dubai, said the conference was organised to connect event professionals in Nigeria and other African countries, including those in the diaspora.

He said the summit followed the physical edition held in Kwara in March 2026, adding that some professionals in the diaspora had expressed concerns about being left out of previous editions.

According to him, the virtual conference, held in August, attracted over 200 participants through Zoom and YouTube, with participants joining from different African countries, the United Kingdom and the United States.

He added that the programme featured facilitators from Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia who trained participants on strategies for growing and sustaining their event businesses.

Also speaking, a participant, Ogunniran Kehinde, described the summit as impactful, insightful, and a learning experience, while he appreciated the opportunity to connect, learn, and gain valuable insights from accomplished professionals.

Also, Tochukwu Aderibigbe said the Masterclass featured reputable speakers with inspiring experiences, adding that part of the lessons was that business owners should prioritise quality service delivery.