With COVID-19 hitting us hard, the event planning industry has not been spared. Since the President’s directive on the ban on mass gatherings, event planners have seen a drop in business. myghanadaily took the opportunity to visit one of the emerging ushering firms in Ghana to hear their story –especially, how they are surviving in these times. While other events and protocols planners are folding up, this is not the case for Protocols Africa Ushering Limited. Speaking in an interview with its CEO, Portia Kwarteng, she shares with us some steps that have kept them in business till date. According to her, every event planning organization must first stay focused and find the most suitable way to serve the market. Secondly, she strongly admonishes industry players to make paramount the health of their staff and find out the best measures in keeping them safe. She says, ‘Take the safety of your staff into consideration and identify the needful measures to keep them protected within this period.’ Next, is to keep marketing your services like never before but smartly: ‘However, take note of the sensitive situation trending at the moment and market right to avoid being tagged as insensitive.’ While things seem to slow down, players are advised to take advantage of this moment for reflections. Familiarize yourself with the strengths and weaknesses of your business and fix all loopholes, says Portia. Finally, though she stressed focusing on your core services, she says ‘it’s okay to have a side hustle to support your financial needs.’ Well, that’s it. So if you want to survive as a business, be careful to follow these steps! Thanks, Portia.
