Yvonne Akpomedaye is one of the most gifted event planner I have encountered! She sees even the minute details and is able to give every event the wow factor. She is also the author of  the”Event Management the God way” a book that points to her Heavenly Father as the giver of the gift. Lets get up close and personal with the beautiful Yvonne.

 

Yvonne, tell us a little about yourself?

Well, I founded my Event Company Ivy-Lil’Beth Concepts in 2009 after gaining professional experiences from several corporate organizations. I am graduate of Linguistics and African Languages from the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. However, my love and passion for Events made me delve into the Event Management Industry right after graduation . Over the years, I have grown to become not just an Entrepreneur, but a teacher as I have facilitated several trainings for budding Entrepreneurs in the Industry. I am also proud to be called an Author as I recently wrote a book titled “Event Management the God way” .

Why event planning? What in your childhood do you think prepared you for this?

I have always had a knack for Events. And not just Events, but organizing, coordinating and ensuring everything in an Event runs smoothly. Asides that, I could always come up with something really creative and mind-blowing to spice up an Event in terms of design and content. The fact that one can create something so awesome out of nothing and in an organized fashion is absolutely amazing and I see that as the creative ability that God put inside of us seeing as we are made in His (The Creator’s) Image. I could attend an Event, or watch a movie that has events embedded in it with friends and family and get carried away with what should have or shouldn’t have been or get intrigued with how something was created at an event. I’m just a sucker for a very well organised Event and I found myself being involved in Events from my earliest years.

I grew up with a mum who is inherently a planner, even now, she can reel off ideas for an event and how they could be effectively carried out. Growing up was beautiful as my mum ensured we had nature as much as possible around us. We had gardens, farms, poultry and all sorts and these always featured at our meal times and at any event we hosted and so I learnt the beauty of natural flowers being used as gifts, centre pieces or as aesthetic values when we wanted to beautify a space for an event. There’s so much I learnt and a whole lot more I could say about my childhood adding to make me the Event Planner that I am today and its expressed in more depth in my book.

What challenges have you faced and how were you able to overcome them?

Whatever challenges have come, I have seen as a stepping stone or a learning process.  However, I’d like to say this, stepping out to become an Entrepreneur or a Business owner can be the scariest thing to do, especially if you’re thinking capital, or saturated market or client base. But after much Research, Mentoring and Prayers, then I knew I was ready. I went through my preparation process and clearly heard from God before I made my move to step out. I did time as an employee, I followed up mentors, I read and researched, I followed trends and I volunteered, and when I was ready, I knew I was ready. So whatever challenges came, like dry seasons with less clients, no money, no office space, demanding clients, less attentive vendors, or even natural disasters, it was easy to pull through knowing where I’d come from and where I was and am headed.

Advice for brides and other who needs a planner? What are the main things to look out for in their Event planner and whens the best time to start planning?

 Every Event needs a plan and every plan needs a planner. A good Event Planner is the salt of every Event. Never think that you can plan your event without an Event Planner. An Event Planner is always objective with a combination of insight, hindsight and foresight which every event needs. Find a planner that can ‘read your mind’, one who can basically envision your event from a few discussions with you and can throw in light to dark areas with a creative edge, basically expanding and enhancing your own ideas.

It is best to begin planning your event from 6 months to a year before the event. Depending on the event though we can plan at very short notice what is actually advisable is  3 – 6 months.

Advise for upcoming Event planners?

 Take time to discover your purpose and harness your passion. Ensure your creativity is nurtured to create your unique quality that would constantly stand you out. This would help you find your niche in the industry and would ensure growth and great comparative excellence. Always be sure to stay ahead on trends and work with mentors. No knowledge is lost.

Now about your beautiful book, why did you write this book and what do you want people to learn?

I honestly didn’t just decide to write a book, and this may sound cliché but writing this book was absolutely inspired by God. My ultimate message with the Book is to let everyone, not just Event Managers, but everyone who can read or be read to, that God is the source of all that exists. The Book expresses this message in a fun chit-chat way that is absolutely unexpected, using Event Management as its platform hence, making it an A-Z guide for Event Managers and even people in other fields.

Thanks Yvonne all the very best!

Her Book ‘Event Management; The God Way’ is available for purchase around the country. In Abuja, it can be picked up from The Wedding Mall. For further details, connect with Yvonne on Instagram and Facebook pages @eventthegodway or @yvonneakpomedaye or send a WhatsApp message to +234 8027367595 .