Book launch: Event industry entrepreneurs draw lessons from Metamorphosis

Rising from the experience of COVID-19, that stalled businesses, entrepreneurs and stakeholders in Nigeria’s event planning industry gathered to unveil, Metamorphosis, a book written by Onyinye Ejike, the founder and creative director of The Velvet Expression, in Lagos, recently.

The event, which recalled memories of the pandemic allowed the guests to draw lessons that bother on being proactive and creating several sources of income.

Speaking on her new book – ‘The Metamorphosis’, the author, Ejike said: “What, I’ve experienced during and after the pandemic inspired me to pen down the pages of this book. The Metamorphosis delves into the heart of my struggles, the lessons learned, and the evolution of my business post-COVID.”

“The book is a narrative that mirrors the transformation process in biology — from the immature larva to the maturity of a butterfly.”

“The experiences etched in these pages have made me wiser, stronger, and more adaptable. Like most people globally, I faced unprecedented challenges and the bustling engagement in the event space plummeted to zero.”

According to her, to stay afloat, she ventured into several ventures such as logistics, agriculture, and consulting fields which she never imagined exploring.

“COVID, in its humbling force, became the catalyst for introspection and reinvention. The challenges became the ink, and the lessons became the building blocks for my journey.”

Also, sharing his experience during COVID-19, popular music artist and “Iyawo Me crooner,” Timi Dakolo, said: “I had the opportunity to write several songs during the lockdown but one thing the period taught me was that what people see as normal can change in a flash. Everyone is now careful of how they are spending their resources.”

“People need to diversify and have multiple streams of income. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Have different things you can do to earn in case one closes down or begins to crumble, that for me is the summary of the author’s work,” he noted.

Commending the author of the book, Olufunbi Akinyosoye, president of the Association of Professional Party Organisers and Event Managers of Nigeria (APPOEMN) said, “I am so proud of Onyinye. People go through things but don’t document them. For her to go through that and do this laudable thing I think is commendable.”

“Most of the people who will come after us will not know what exactly we went through unless it was penned down. Like I said, so that people will know what we went through, how we were shut down, some people went to their knees, and yet we had the resilience to stand again, I think it is worthy of note.”