In a
bid to align the Nigerian events industry with global professional safety
standards, the Coalition of events professionals in the country held its
inaugural Safety Summit on Tuesday June 21, 2021 at the Harbour Point Event
Center, Victoria Island Lagos.
The
Events Safety Summit with the theme ‘MAKING SAFETY OUR PRIORITY’ was segmented
into sessions of speeches and lectures by different stakeholders in the
industry as well as a panelist of speakers who all spoke on the salient issues
bordering the Events industry as well as the importance and need for safety
during events which cut through different sectors of the industry including, event venue owners,
caterers, food handlers, decorators, planners, managers, etc.
Speaking
on the need for event venue owners to always be safety conscious, Director
General and CEO of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola in his
goodwill message said, “This event you may agree with me is long overdue in the
event industry and it is with every sense of responsibility that I congratulate
the organizers of the initiative which is geared towards curbing incidents,
accidents, diseases and fatalities in the event industry and by extension Lagos
State.”
The
Governor of Lagos State speaking through the Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and
Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile Yussuf, delivered by the permanent Secretary of
the ministry, Mrs Princess Adenike Adedoyin-Ajayi congratulated everyone who
was part of the team that put the event together, saying it couldn’t be more
apt to have a summit as that, in the face of our new reality.
“The
event shows the determination of relevant stakeholders here to take the issue
of safety seriously and to prioritize the well-being of their masses. The theme
of the event being a collaborative effort between event professionals speaks
volumes to the fact that the professionals in this sector are not solely after
profit making but also care for their clients who are also members of the body.
The Lagos State Government is always keen about safety by the users of our
event centers and those patronizing our hotels and other tourism and
hospitality outlets. “
We will
continue to partner with such organizations and professionals that help promote
the safety culture in any of our public spaces, which is very key to tourists
and investors alike; and we will continue to address this holistically. In our effort to attract more tourists and
investors to our dear state.”
It is
my hope that the objective of this event which is to educate professionals in
the event industry on safety protocols of operating during the pandemic and
even after that, to also enable event industry professionals to network with
one another and foster healthy relations
through education, while promoting ethical conduct will be achieved by
the summit.”
“We are
aware of the multiplier effect that a single event can bring to our citizens
who are service providers, artisans, technicians, etc., and the entire economic
and value chain in the state.”
There
were various topics of discussion by the panelists which comprised high worth
stakeholders in the industry and touched the entire gamut of event planning and
management with safety at the core of it all.
Food is
at the very core of events and the safety of food cannot be overemphasized as
it could either crown any event if properly and professionally handled or mar
it otherwise. To buttress on this point, a specialist in food Mrs. Nike posited
thus;
“It is
important to always ensure food safety at events whether a big or small event,
food is a major component. Food safety refers to the protection of consumentals
and well-being by safeguarding the food that we want to eat from anything that
can cause harm.”
Given
the fact that planning and managing events can be quite overwhelming for every
stakeholder in the entire events value chain, the importance of mental health
also cannot be overlooked. Health and Wellness coach, and CEO of Refreshed
Healthy Living, Duntan West who is a graduate of economics with a master’s
degree in energy engineering as well as a certified events and destination
management professional from George Washington University in the US, spoke
extensively on the importance of physical exercises, sleep, food, spirituality,
socializing, connection with self, finances etc to a good mental state.
Fielding
questions from reporters after the event, on some of the issues raised such as
the need for event venue owners to have kitchens at event centers and other
accessories that would ensure safety and conservation of food at their
appropriate temperatures, as well as with other issues bordering safety,
president of Association of Professional Party Organizers and Event Managers of
Nigeria (APPOEMN), Mrs. Adefunke Kuyoro said;
“First
of all, we now have an association for food handlers who are newly inaugurated
and are part of the coalition. This goes beyond APPOEMN. You know when one man
sings, the voice is not loud but when many people sing it becomes louder. This
is the beginning of a good page in the industry. When we had the vendor’s
meeting for this event, the safety people gave us the criteria that were used
today in distributing food. The food handlers association came on the heels of
Covid-19. When we were all in lockdown, they started training themselves,
getting HCS certificates in food handling. A lot of people have to be
innovative and that is the problem we are proffering solutions to. We have
event centres that have no good kitchenettes for instance. How do we do it? We
are now going to look at new ways of doing things to keep ourselves safe, our
guests safe and to keep the environments that the work is being done safe.”
Adding
her voice to the various issues of inadequacy with respect to facilities at
event centres, president of the Association of Event Venue Owners, Lagos
Nigeria, Mrs. Omolara Adwelusi averred thus:
“A lot
of issues were raised but I’d like to take us a bit back. A lot of these venues
got approval from Lagos State and we believe that at that point, there would
have been some set of guidelines with respect to the facilities that should
have been put in place. A lot of our venues, I must be sincere are marquees;
they don’t come with so many other add-ons. However, I believe that what we
have learnt from this summit, going forward, we will go back to the drawing
board as venue owners and see the kind of adjustments we can make in our
venues. Secondly, I believe this will also help us to talk to the planners
especially and our clients that, look this is my capacity, this is what my venue
can provide, so if you want something more, then you may need to look for
somewhere else. It’s an avenue to enlighten the public as well as the venue
owners to give what we have and not over-promise but stick to what we actually
have to provide to our clients.”
The
summit came to a close with a vote of thanks by the President, Venue Owners
Association, Lagos State, Mrs. Adelusi who thanked all the coalition partners
which included and also everyone who labored one way or another to make the
event a success, as everyone looked ahead to a more improved Events industry in
the country at the time of the second summit next year.
0 Comments