Funke Bucknor-Obruthe is the MD/CEO of Zapphaire Events, an award-winning, Lagos-based luxury wedding planners, and creative events producers who plan, style and manage weddings, parties, and events for premium clients. Whether tying the knot or a celebration of life, they mix flair and style to create events and weddings that feel personal, unique and above all are fun and memorable.
Bucknor is a Luxury Wedding Planner for savvy, sophisticated couples who demand first class service and a world-class event. From weddings in Lagos, and locations in Nigeria to destination weddings in Europe and beyond, Zapphaire Events strive to be the best at what they do!
Here are some excerpts from the interview with Funke Bucknor!
1) The challenges you saw in 2017 in the wedding industry and how do you see things changing in 2018 & 2019?
One of the major challenges in 2017 was a lot of clients were very social media focused and all they wanted was to just replicate what they saw without the requisite budget for it. In 2018 and 2019 I see a lot more originality with brides and couples, and I see clients that want to be unique and want to personalize their events.
2) According to you, what is the key to grow in the wedding planning business and what do you look to bring to this event (EWPC) from your region?
The key factors for growth in the wedding planning business are the thirst for knowledge and continuous learning, secondly, being authentic to your brand is the key as this is what would help any business. Reinventing yourself and your business is another element required for growth. I’m looking to bring my wealth of experience of over 15years of event and wedding planning and pioneering an industry in Nigeria and Africa to the conference by teaching people the power of consistency, excellence, innovation, and building a strong team.
3)How or on what basis do you choose to work with vendors?
We choose to work with vendors based on the professionalism, customer service, service delivery, crisis management skills and timely delivery of service. We also love vendors that are flexible and have very strong and good interpersonal skills.
4) What key points do you think the attendees of EWPC in Dubai will take back after the event?
- The power of collaboration
- The need to empower themselves and keep on learning
- Great networking opportunities
- Jump-starting more ideas
- Creativity
- Business Structure