A leading event planner in Nigeria and Chief Executive Officer of Zapphaire Events, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, has revealed that when she started out as far back as 2002, she didn’t have a name for the service she was offering.

Bucknor-Obruthe made this known during a live chat with the Nigerian foremost standup comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka 1st GON, on LaffMattaz Legend Series.

The daughter of the late multi-talented musical legend, Segun Bucknor, stated that after her youth service, she approached the managing director at Tie Communications, an advertising agency where she worked and resigned.

“It was very tough at the time because the idea was new; there was probably only one person into event planning professionally at the time and he was not popular.

“When we started out at the beginning, we also made mistakes in some events we were able to get but we learned going forward. Especially because there was no precedence, so we learn to perfect our acts as we persevere,” Bucknor-Obruthe said.

The lawyer cum celebrity event planner also told Adeyinka, as monitored by Freelanews reporter, that getting people to use and pay for the service was a Herculean task.

“The parents of celebrants were more difficult to convince back then than their kids, especially those abroad returnees. When you asked them to engage you, they would start mentioning their family members that can cook and all that. So it was difficult for people to give us a chance and trusted us.

“But over the years, this has changed and now, you see so many people into the business of what is now known as event planning.” she said.

Bucknor-Obruthe, who revealed that she thought about the precious gemstone, Sapphire, to name her company back then, said the ‘S’ was changed to ‘Z’ and ‘A’ to make the name unique.

“At the beginning, I didnt know it was called event planning. I only spoke to photographer on behalf of a friend, likewise videographer and sign their contracts for them free of charge. Then there was another who I helped organised her wedding.

“It was my cousin that told me, ‘Funke, why don’t you start charging for it?'” There and then, a career was born.

After practising law briefly, Bucknor-Obruthe was employed at the advertisement agency, where she worked for a short period. In 2003, her love for event planning made her start Zapphaire Events, an independent event planning enterprise.

She has since gone on to plan and organise several high-profile events within and outside Nigeria and has won awards and recognition including being featured in CNN’s Inside Africa for planning a Nigerian royal wedding.

Others were the Future Award for “Entrepreneur of the Year” (2006), the Wedding Planner Magazine Award for “Wedding Planner of the Year” (2007), Go2girl Life Achievement Awards (2011), Nigerian Events Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Events Industry (2012).