36 February 2022 The Birthday Journal in event planning. As time went on, I realised that I made more money from the side hustles than I did at my regular job. Moreover, I felt free to explore my creativity when I did my side jobs. It was this zeal to explore and express myself in what I call the “big world” that led me to establish “WHITECHALK Events Management Company.” The task was herculean. The industry was competitive. It was very easy to give up on it. One not only had to be ambitious, creative, and innovative, but passion is also a necessary ingredient in the event planning space. 1. 2. 3. 4. Secondly, one cannot thrive in this industry if they are not conscientious and pay attention to details. In view of this, we always ensure that we have clearly understood the client’s request. We always have our ears open to our clients by listening and communicating in a language they understand, even if we have to pay an interpreter to achieve this. And when there are limited resources or limited funds on the part of the customer to get a job done, we still find ways to communicate alternative options in order to get the job done. “At the end of the day, we need to get the work done.” In trying to put myself back in the industry, the first thing I learnt was that indeed, “the customer is always right.” In view of this, right from conceptualization to the execution of their events, WHITECHALK never underestimates or takes its clients for granted, whether they are big or small. We work with the client’s consent. If there is a need to add some touches to what they want in order to make their event more beautiful, we don’t hesitate to inform them. In fact, effective communication drives our business here at WHITECHALK; we are constantly updating clients with what we want to do and achieve to ensure it falls in line with their expectations. Another thing we have done is stay courageous in the face of our competitors, especially with regard to building our brand. Brand identity is one of the things that has driven us to the top. Brand identity includes your style and creativity. This gives you an identity. From the beginning, be sure of what you seek to achieve and where you want to be, then brand yourself as such. This is how I incorporate our brand’s identity into my event styling. Yet another tip for staying relevant in this industry is flexibility. Be willing to adapt to changes. Learn and practise new things constantly. Event planning takes a lot of time and creativity, so there must be constant learning and practising of the talent. There must be a constant search for inspiration and a quest to outdo ourselves every day.
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