The other day a client of mine was looking for a band for her wedding so I gave her a few options to go and look at and one of them was Alexio, a Zimbabwean artist who is doing very well in the entertainment circles.
{dropcap}T{/dropcap}he other day a client of mine was looking for a band for her wedding so I gave her a few options to go and look at and one of them was Alexio, a Zimbabwean artist who is doing very well in the entertainment circles.
I must confess sometimes I worry about our local artists because SOME bands do not take to heart issues like presentation, punctuality, etiquette you know, certain things that are supposed to be second nature but are not, apparently. So I was a bit skeptical about taking the rounds with my client lest I expose some of our faults as artists, but hey zvido zvake kunyanya (her needs first).
So here we are, walking into the club and to my surprise, the artists on stage are all dressed in white, well-coordinated dance moves and the lighting also added to the effect as it just made them “shaina”! (If you know what I mean). The musical content was amazing and got us dancing in no time. He even had an amazing sound engineer who really impressed me with some of the effects that he put in to add colour to the vocals.
Left: Talented Urban Groove and Jazz artist, Alexio Kawara (Image: greedysouth.blogspot.com)
So, me being me, I looked at the budget that my client had and then the quality of entertainment that I was watching and things did not add up. It’s amazing how the budget for entertainment for a wedding is sometimes so little and yet that is what makes or breaks a wedding, let alone any event. Have you ever had a function that you attend that is so boring, but the highlight is the entertainment. I mean imagine a wedding with no steps, no music, no band, no dancers, singers or whatever other forms of entertainment you can think off. That’s no wedding for me, because those are the sorts of things we look for because they entertain us! THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE, and like I always say, people value experiences more than anything else.
So why are we allocating small budgets to entertainment? Do we even realize the costs that get into being an entertainer? Rehearsal space, instruments, transport, sound and lighting, engineers, wardrobe, you name it. So my client made her decision, and after liaising with the manager of the band of her choice I presented the bill. Now the case is the client will always complain, but you have to know your product well enough to justify that cost to them. Its not that she did not have the money, but it’s just that people just devalue the entertainment industry and we get less than what we deserve. It is the responsibility of the event planner to educate so that your event is as glamorous as you wish it to be. If you want quality you have to be ready to pay for it. So for you to get the best returns for your event suppliers know your product and justify to the client how that service will Ignite your event from being just an event to being an experience.
– Tariro Ruzvidzo For Zimbo Jam
Tariro runs an event management company called Wildfire Events.For views, comments and suggestions email [email protected]
