Event planners in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday decried low turnout of celebrants willing to engage their services in the Christmas season.
Some of them who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja blamed the harsh economic situation in the country, adding that celebrants would rather engage their relatives and friends to plan events.
Mrs Princess Ajagbe, an event planner residing in Gwarinpa observed that people still held their events but not in the elaborate form.
“Ever since the economic condition in the country got bad, people no longer fancy using event planners for their occasion.
“Most people will rather do their occasion in a low key or engage their friends and relatives who they will not pay for their services.
“Those people that even want the services of an event planner do so to reduce the stress on themselves, but will negotiate down the charges you give them.
“At the end of the bargaining, you either not do the job or you do it without gaining much for your services,” she said.
Ms Cynthia Odeh, who operates a fashion, designing and catering outfit in Bwari, said she had resorted to producing snacks for sale to ensure her business survived.
Odeh added that the business had attracted low patronage, whereas her relatives and friends who had events were not willing to pay.
“We know that during the Christmas season, so many people want to mark their wedding anniversary, birthdays, house warming and so many other things.
“Those events are no longer common like we had them in time past; you only hear about them after the occasion must have held.
“When you even hear about them, you realise that the celebrant just did family and few friends get together.
“For now, we are hoping that things will change for good but for my business not to close, I have to start making cakes and different snacks to sell at my shop for survival,” Odeh said.
She, however, observed that the level of patronage that trickled in were majorly from the elites in the society and organised institutions.
Dorothy Allen, an event planner resident at Lugbe said she had not gotten any contract to plan events in the past four months.
Corroborating the claims of Odeh and Ajagbe, Allen noted that most celebrants in recent times remembered a relative, friend that could render the services of event planning and pay them token.
Allen observed that the harsh economic situation had exposed many young women to learning one form of service required at events, thereby making the business quite competitive.
According to her, engaging the services of event planners is never a common practice among the poor and average class of the society.
Chioma Ejiofor, an event planner operating from Kubwa, said she kept contacting her clients, friends to remind them of her services, especially at the Christmas season.
“Business this period has not really been encouraging even as the Christmas season is here.
“Other years around this period, you will hardly meet me in the shop because I will be at one place negotiating or executing a contract.
“But it is so bad that few days to Christmas, I am not even sure of getting any event to plan talk more of execution.
“I have been reminding my clients and friends on my call list of my services and I am hopeful that things will turn out better this period,” Ejiofor said.
The event planners, however, appealed to the government to alleviate the plight of the masses, adding that everyone benefited from each other through different means. (NAN)