Many Winding Roads

Life takes many winding roads over its course; some roads are obvious, others perhaps less so. Funmi started out studying architecture, but her love for numbers eventually saw her graduating from the University of Lagos with a BA in Mathematics. "Yes, maths is about numbers, but it's also about reasoning, it is about processes and systems, so if you a mathematician you can do anything really," she explains. After distinguishing herself as a mathematician of some note, she decided to channel her restless intellect to Education Management. From 2002 to 2004 she served as Chief Operating Officer of two educational institutions simultaneously; a leading nursery and primary school in Ibadan, the Omolara School, and Well Said Nigeria, a speech therapy and elocution training centre. Funmi then began her transition into entrepreneurship, narrating how she literally stumbled into the event planning industry. "I'd attend events and notice those tiny details out of place and think to myself, why did this not happen? When you go to an event you should take something with you, you should leave with something memorable. I'd attend events and feel a void, and some said it's possible that God was trying to tell me something."

Act I: No Surprises

In 2005 she launched No Surprises Events, the event management firm that would come to define her corporate life. Their work spans a corporate clientele base in industries as diverse as technology, entertainment, banking, government and consumer goods. The firm quickly became an essential touchstone for corporations looking to communicate through events. The company is the vehicle for a concept she coined, defining her vision of the way well-managed events should be designed and run; a methodology she calls "Event Architecture." It combines key elements of project management, brand management and marketing strategies in a creative blend in order to satisfy clients' events goals, all the while exceeding their expectations. No Surprises Events has since etched its name in event management stone, a company renowned for creating and managing world-class events. Funmi elaborates, "We take your concept, add our creativity, experience and attention to detail, build from the ground up and create a flawless event that reflects your personality and style--be it wildly creative, ultra-professional or classic elegance." The Cast She has a job she loves and works with a team she truly enjoys. "Trying to recruit the right people to work for you is harder than you would think; a lot of people are just not qualified for the job. You eventually find them but it takes time." Her team is comprised of some dedicated creative characters, working with the biggest players in the industry and seamlessly integrating their expertise to achieve aesthetic and functional results for the clients. "I'm most proud of my work. It can be really tough being an entrepreneur in this country, to maintain your integrity and excellence, also because people will try to pressure you into doing stuff you know isn't right and I've had to say no to a few projects just to keep my integrity intact." The No Surprises Event Architects team explains further: "Creating a beautiful home doesn't start with buying nice paint and so it is with an event. We start by studying the intricacies of the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects. Then we build the event from the artistic qualities--mass, space, volume, texture, materials--to the practical like costs, construction and technology, to achieve an end result which is both functional and aesthetically-pleasing."

A Natural Glamazon

Funmi draws her inspiration from many things, most of all, her life and God. She has a very distinct look, and is well known for the big hairstyle she sports. "The afro did not come about as a fashion statement. It's very low-maintenance; I don't really like spending a lot of time in front of the mirror." To maintain her voluminous tresses, she simply wakes up and runs her hands through the hair to fluff and primp. "I just stuck to it and it became "the" look. I do other styles too but it's become clear that this is the better look for me. I can have my hair straight and people will just walk past me; they don't recognize me a lot of the time." Funmi's eclectic dress sense emanates from the creative inner being within. She evokes images of a 1960's black power glamazon, and admits to not putting too much thought into her dressing; she just happens to look that good! She is married to Victor Okigbo, whom she calls her "best friend", and has a beautiful four-year-old daughter. She and her husband share a profound love of poetry and are the creators of Anthill, a series of spoken word, open mic-night sessions held at different restaurant locations on Lagos Island.

Act II: Satisfied Clientele

Funmi has been in the business for over four years and has built her company as the requisite for creative proficiency in all areas. "Some people just accept substandard stuff like it's okay, and we are very detail-oriented so when we're making a fuss sometimes you find that people around us are like, ‘chill it doesn't have to be perfect,' but it does need to be perfect and fit the specifications for the client." Funmi admits it hasn't always been easy to get her name out there, "In Nigeria, things are very fashionable. If it is not some big name then you are in trouble. Even if they like you, your brand is not strong enough for them. That was a challenge at the beginning but it made me stronger." "It's all about the experience," proclaims Funmi, and she couldn't be more right.

Believe it or not, her glamorous signature hairstyle isn‘t a fashion statement. ”Some people see me and they think I‘m wearing the hair because I want to make a fashion statement,” she replies, ”Really it is low-maintenance: I wake up in the morning, just run my hands through it and I‘m ready to go. Sometimes when I had to wear straight hair, I found out that I had to thong it every morning and it was really stressful for me. This hair is very easy to manage.”

On any good day, it is very likely that you catch her without any form of make-up. That also has to do with her disaffection with spending time in front of the mirror. ”Most times, I don‘t make up because I don‘t have to start running to the mirror to check myself out,” says Victor-Okigbo.

As she moves around her office, almost with the graceful speed of a gazelle, to confer with one personnel or the other, you instantly notice the obvious: Victor-Okigbo is a restless woman. But would you blame her?

Her work, she declares, requires every little attention she is capable of giving. ”When people place their events in your hands, you have to make sure everything goes right, you have to cover the details,” she says. ”When you call and tell people what to do, you have to check again and again to make sure they are doing it right.”

Having successfully piloted many A-list corporate events, she has made an ineffaceable impression in the industry, though she came on board not too long ago. But she is also not about to regale you with stories of how she is presently living her dream like many people are wont to. ”I wish I could say I‘ve been planning events since I was three years old, but no, I kind of stumbled into it. I saw that when I attended events I always was able to pick out something that I thought I could do a little better. I ended up creating the sort of events that I wanted to attend. I felt that I could add value. The rest as they say is history,” she says.

With a clientele base that contains names like Stanbic IBTC, CitiBank, Standard Chartered Bank, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, talk of a woman who goes only for the very top league members. Though she really has no problem with that label, she also argues that it could be the other way round. ”Maybe they go for us because they know what we have to offer,” she says. What is more, she also hints that though she is pretty young in the industry, those juicy clients don‘t come straight from the blues. ”Most times it is based on referrals and then a lot of them see what we have done and they call us. Sometimes we had to make a pitch and then they call,” she explains. But the most significant for her, she says, remains the fact that her clients always come back.

Running a first class events planning comes with challenges and she had surely had her share of it all. And for her especially, probably because she is quite finicky when it comes to ensuring that clients get value for their money, she confesses that she has experienced problems with hiring what she calls ”good people.” And if her childhood dream wasn‘t to be event planner, what else would she have loved to do? She tells you without even a moment hesitation that ”I would probably be in a rock band or something!”

Though she can be busier than a bee, no thanks to her work and the hectic schedule associated with it, Victor-Okigbo says she is someone who likes being by herself. ”I love to read and occasionally love to watch a movie, I would love to go to the cinema more often though, but I don‘t want to spend six hours in traffic to watch a two-hour movie, so I just watch the movies at home with popcorn and diet soda,” she adds.

At first meeting, you may likely conclude that she is an extrovert, and you won‘t be wrong. But she also adds that she is a bit of an introvert. She says, ”I love my space but then because of the kind of work I do I can‘t afford to be an introvert. So, there is a part of me that socialises with people.” And how will she describe herself. ”Strong, bold, daring, thorough …and can be fun,” she replies. She is also a much focused young woman. ”I just feel once you have a vision, set your eyes on the bow and go for it, there is no harm in trial,” she explains. Though she is not keen on making her age public, she acknowledges that she has had to mature greatly over the years.

She says, ”I‘m the kind of person who feels I owe no man any explanation. But then a time comes when you have to put your family into consideration and realise your life is not totally yours. I‘ve learnt (still in the process) of juggling work and family.” With her stunning looks and much coveted hourglass figure, this woman obviously would have made an instant hit as a model, but she insists that the runway was never for her. ”Growing up, we didn‘t have the Agbani Daregos of this world, and then it wasn‘t as fashionable to be a model. And I never even see myself as pretty because I was constantly teased about my height. Furthermore, my mother was strict and I don‘t think it is something I would have done,” she says. Though she read architecture and mathematics in school, she discloses that paid employment is something she has never considered. ”I‘m a kind of a free spirit so I have always known that I would never be able to work for anyone,” Victor-Okigbo says.

Recalling her childhood, this delectable mother of one can‘t but have good words for her mother whom she says, brought her and siblings up with lots of love. And that, she says, made her death quite painful. ”I thought she would live forever. You know when someone else‘s mom dies you console them and you somehow just feel it can‘t happen to you. When my mom died it was a big blow,” she says. And what does fashion and style mean to her? ”Fashion and style means versatility to me. I am a creative person and my fashion sense is also creative,” she says.

FVO: I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you! Our edge is a methodology we call “Event Architecture” which is the art of designing, specifying, planning and directing an event.

Ultimately, because we view events as a kind of communication between the event owner and the audience, so we spend a lot of time in the design phase; brainstorming and thinking an event through to make sure the objective and client’s personality or corporate identity is not lost.

It’s funny because, every detail is planned and scripted but the audience only sees the free flowing whole. We use these minute-by-minute cue sheets that drive my staff crazy because they’re so difficult to do. The cool thing is that it takes a lot of formal planning to make something look spontaneous and natural! (laughs).

Of course, it also helps to have lots of practice, so in the run up to those two major events you just talked about, we’ve managed to execute dozens of focused corporate events and exquisite little private events. It’s all very design driven and takes a lot of creativity to get from concept to an unforgettable experience.

GM: No surprises? But you are full of surprises as your clients never know what to expect and you seem to always throw in some surprises.

FVO: (laughs) Some people like surprises (as long as they’re pleasant)... but isn’t it odd how the same people like getting exactly what they want even more! No Surprises Ltd is all about the reassurance to the client that things will go exactly as planned. We try to meet and even exceed the expectation of the client and yes, we may have some (pleasant) surprises but we never deviate from the spirit of the brief.

Ask any parent if they were disappointed by the smooth delivery of their eagerly expected baby... of course that’s a ridiculous premise; when it comes to something you have invested time, emotion and effort in, you’d rather everything went as planned.

Maybe we should change our name to “Lots of Surprises” just kidding! Seriously, though, we surprise the audience each time we exceed their expectations.

GM: You handled the Dare Art Alade’s wedding. Why the choice of Black for an occasion like a wedding. I must say the entire ambience was breathtaking. Then Mrs. Betty Irabor’s event was like The Oscars come to town: Red, Gold! Do you believe that every event must have a WOW factor or what?

FVO: We love creative clients! Let me quickly say that for both the Art-Alades and Mrs. Betty Irabor, getting to “Wow” was easy. Now I wish I hadn’t said “easy” but it’s true. These are very creative people and they were daring enough to be different. That makes my job easier.

The thing about the black; I remember, we were at an early planning meeting with Deola Art-Alade and she mentioned black as one of their preferred colours and we all got really excited. Yes it was different or even weird for a wedding, but boy, did we have fun planning that event!

For Mrs. Betty Irabor’s event, the idea of the 50-voice choir really appealed to her; at that point, we got excited! It also helped that Mrs. Irabor has very high standards and I got a clear sense of what really mattered to her. She wanted to bring people she respected and loved together and she wanted them to have fun. We made it our mission to ensure that the sense of playfulness and fun was not lost amidst the Oscar-Night-style glamour. You should have seen them dancing!

So, yes, every event should have the wow factor! It just has to be the right kind of wow! Wow! I think I said the word wow a few too many times there!

GM: What prepared you for this job, Background, passion or a desire to do things differently?

FVO: I guess it’s a little bit of everything; a background in Architecture and Mathematics probably helps me process thoughts, ideas and concepts, you know, turn amorphous things into formal systems. I guess I’m passionate about doing things well. (as opposed to doing things differently).

If you start out wanting to be excellent, and you happen to have a capacity for lateral thinking, then you can end up being excellent and different.

I’ve also been blessed with a great network of friends and associates. My husband (who’s also a mathematician) and I both have “weirdo” creative types as friends and work colleagues. Make no mistake, “wierdos” and “freaks” are good for you! I think the fact that we constantly interact with these types of people keeps us on our toes creatively. GM: Some say there’s an increasing amount of money/extravagance going into events these days. Do you agree? FVO: Yes I do. It’s basically the result of rising standards of excellence (or an events “arms-race” depending on your point of view!). Sometimes, though, people or organizations have priorities for an event that don’t communicate the right values.

If a corporate client decides to spend a quarter of a million dollars on pyrotechnics to wow their audience, but then fails to deliver the key business message, we’ve got to question the judgment of the client’s PR & Events team. We try to move clients like that towards a discussion of the business fundamentals so they don’t lose their way.

GM: What makes an event, THE EVENT?

FVO: Really good planning and even better execution! Events are live, interactive forums. They always have the potential to deviate from what was planned. The question for us is: how clear was the overarching event concept? How resilient are the plans? How effective is the management team at dealing with contingencies?

Look, the mood can range from glamorous to moving & solemn, from cutting edge to traditional... you’ve got to balance the style, the content and the logistics to suit the purpose. Every little element (from the choice of typeface on the invitations to the wattage of the sound system) must suit that purpose or be dropped.

For an event to be THE EVENT something almost magical has to happen where every single aspect of the event is self-supporting and mutually reinforcing to every other aspect.

It’s got to be sort of like going to the cinema to see a brilliant movie. When it all comes together, you are transported... and eventually, leave the place feeling that you’ve learned something and gained something. Except that in a good event you also feel as if you’ve contributed something.

GM: You just returned from an exhibition in Europe are you going to unleash that creativity on the social scene soon?

FVO: Certainly! Although, I think many of the things we picked up are more suited to corporate clients. Still, I think a lot of the ideas will percolate into the social event scene over time.

Some of the things we encountered; like new technologies and display media are really cool but may not make sense to private clients. You know, for example, we can now set up an event web-site complete with registration, booking details and attendee tracking in 24 hours flat. Will someone ever want to use that for a birthday party? Maybe but I don’t think this will happen right away! GM: We heard you are rather selective in your choice of clientele. Why?

FVO: Hmmm. How to put this delicately... If your world revolves around your clients, then you’ve got to be very picky. We’ve learned this the hard way. Yes, we select clients and projects with the utmost care because, the way we operate, our commitment to an assignment is total. Once we’ve said yes to a job, there can be no going back for us. So, it’s important for us (in order to keep our perspective and artistic integrity intact) to reserve the right to decline an assignment from the start. Was that suitably diplomatic?

GM: It will do. So who do you like to work for?

FVO: We’re naturally drawn to clients that are smart, articulate, and purposeful because they can bring a project to life and inspire us to be better than our best. But not every client is like this – at least not at first – so we look for something in the project that captures our imagination. This is the thing, that inspires us, that keeps us going when the heat is on!

Underlying it all is integrity. Life is too short to risk doing damage to your innate values by pulling silly stunts. We just want to do good work for honest people that we can relate to, you know.

GM: What is your fascination with event planning?

FVO: The scripting, the details, the lights...I love it! It’s a collaborative effort that’s both science and art. It’s a little like theatre or film-making... It’s sort of like solving a puzzle. You know, when the last piece clicks into place that you’ve done it. I still get a rush from watching the event unfold (even though I’m usually backstage whispering frantically into my radio!). I think I’m lucky to be able to earn a living from something that gives me satisfaction!

GM: The most challenging aspects of the job?

FVO: There are lots; but let’s talk about a couple: First is; getting excellence out of newer suppliers (or suppliers imposed on us by the client). It takes a long time and a lot of effort to change mindsets from the typical “let’s manage it/no one will notice” cast into a “make it so/can do” frame. It’s very rewarding to see that sort of change happen and it motivates us to keep trying.

Next is the tricky phase of finding the conceptual “golden thread” that runs through every one of the event’s elements and ties the whole event together. That’s the thing that makes the audience feel they’ve had a brilliant time. You know, going beyond drapery and “small-chops”!

If it’s a Charity event, is there a sense of belief in the cause, a sense that money raised will go to the right places? how much money was raised at the end of the day? If it’s a product launch, will it translate into sales afterwards? Does the seminar enlighten? Does the fashion show deliver the designer’s strongest possible statement?

I mean, the point of a birthday party for the Chairman of the board may be: to show what a fun person the chairman (and by association the company) actually is. Alternatively, it could be an emotional family reunion for a busy corporate person who wants to show the family how much they mean.

If the client does not have a clear objective or is a bit confused, the audience will know. So we try to clarify this objective and advice accordingly. This is a lot harder than it sounds! GM: What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

FVO: Knowing that we’ve made our client shine. We’ve managed to find someone’s (or some organisation’s) unique vibe and we’ve parleyed that into an event. Working with outstanding professionals. Some of my suppliers are so brilliant, I learn heaps of stuff each time we work together.

GM: Describe your style personality

FVO: I'm a bit of a diva at home, fairly manic at work, and a lounge lizard when I'm out in the evening. My style is eclectic... A sort of messy mix of ethnic chic and urban glam. Some friends would call it dramatic! (laughing)

GM: What are you comfortable in?

FVO: When God invented jeans he had me in mind! A familiar pair of jeans and a clean tee shirt. If I had my way I'd do everything and go everywhere dressed like that.

GM: Is there a story behind your big Afro?

FVO: The 'fro is (whispers) convenient! My work's fairly hands on and needs me to run around like a crazy person on cue so I keep it because it's one less thing to worry about. It doesn't hurt that my husband thinks it's cool... (this from a guy who wears dreadlocks! Go figure)

“For the bride and groom this usually means they have to put up with my requirements analysis process – basically a really elaborate Q&A session. We use pictures, textures, words, scents, every means possible to help the couple describe their ideal wedding day. Once we’re satisfied that we’ve got the idea, we begin to build the experience.”

“It’s brilliant if the wedding experience can reflect the character and personality of the couple. Do these people want to show off? Play? Make memories? Whatever the case, we balance it all out – you don’t want to rent limo’s, have 50 bridesmaids and leave your guests hungry and thirsty.”

“It’s important to push a little and go beyond the ordinary. We try to go beyond the colours-of-the-day to highlight something funny, quirky, poignant or cool about the couple that will resonate with their guests. The strange thing is people see themselves more clearly after something like that – they come away feeling better about themselves.”

“Planners are an incredibly valuable resource for a couple because the right planner can free the couple to experience the joy (and absolutely none of the hassle) of their wedding day.” “At a No Surprises wedding the bride and groom and guests turn up on the day and absolutely everything surpasses their expectations. There is no panic, no hysteria, no fuss. Just the quiet romantic drama of a couple declaring their love in full view of friends and family. No surprise there.”