We are creating employment, educating graduates – Imazenobe

By MOSES NOSIKE

Cynthia Omozabieh Imazenobe is Chief Operating officer, Amadea Pandora Limited, a Lagos-based indigenous corporate event coordinating, packaging and management company. It specialises in bridging the gap between the gift needs of celebrants and their guests. Excerpts:
 

How did it all start?

I have always had passion for owning a business but the whole idea of Amadea Pandora Limited came up while discussing with friends while on holiday in the United Kingdom. You know how we ladies talk and gossip as people would call it.

It was during such talks that some of my friends expressed fears about coming to Nigeria for their weddings and their main concern was based on the fear that people bewitch gifts given to couples during such celebrations and this got me thinking, that it will actually make sense having a business concern that bridges this gap.

Knowing full well that ours is a different culture and people always like to come to events armed with their gifts. I spent close to a year studying and strategising on how best to enter the Nigerian market.

Then in August 2012 I finally decided to take the bull by the horn and got the business duly registered. Even then I still could not get myself to get it off the ground because of pressures and fear of uncertainties.

My parents initially were not supportive not because they did not want me to get busy, but for fear that it might affect my settling down in the near future.

But when they saw it was a passion and I was not ready to let go, they had no choice but to back me up. I would therefore say that we officially commenced business in October 2013. It has not been easy but the future looks very bright.

What services does your company render?

We offer quite a number of services just like any other event company, drawing road map for intending couples, and those planning one celebration or the other.

Over time, we have found out that the major problem especially with intending couples is making out the time to actually kick-start the planning of their weddings.

So we come in, work out the road map and after which they are free to ask us to continue or disengage. We also provide a gift registry service.

It’s new and unique. Basically what we do is to sit with the couples and come up with a list of what they would want their guests to give them as gifts and we open a page for them on our website with all the items uploaded, then the link is given to them which they in turn send to their friends and guests who log on and make purchases, at the end of the day, the goods so purchased are delivered to them with the list showing who bought what. We are partnering with Park n Shop and SPAR on this.

Is the Nigerian environment a good place for this new innovation?

Nigeria is a lovely country with diverse culture as well as imported cultures, this is why we strongly believe that this business will thrive. Every new concept and idea takes time to gain acceptability, but in the long run, people will come to appreciate the nature of our services.

The gift registry I tell you is meant to ensure that celebrants are actually presented with only those gifts they need. At the same time, we are taking the stress off the guests from having to carry gifts to the event venue and thirdly we are re-orienting the mind frame of people believing in voodoo or witchcraft which has always been the case.

What is your company doing to promote the economic activity in Nigeria?

I would rather you say what is the company doing rather than my company. Between when the idea was conceived and now some other people have come on board and they too are contributing to the growth of the business.

One of such persons is our Executive Director, Corporate Communications, Mr. Francis Chilaka, my sister Sandra Imazenobe, etc. We are creating employment opportunities as well as educating and encouraging young graduates on the need to pursue their passions and equally become employers of labour rather than waiting for white collar jobs that are not even there.

How far have you gone in creating awareness?

Publicity as you know is quite expensive, but we are doing our best. For now we are concentrating and taking advantage of the social media, referrals and reaching out to couples who are getting married especially, through churches. But with time and as the business grows, we will take advantage of other avenues for publicizing the business.


- Culled from: http://www.vanguardngr.com