A letter to event organizers in Kumasi: You are disappointing sponsors too much!

Having been involved organized and planned events and promotions in the country for over a decade, I feel I the need to write on a few issue affecting this sector. It is regrettable that lately some event organizers are disappointing patrons of events as well as sponsors especially in Kumasi.

I recently witnessed in Kumasi the following events; The Go TV Max launch at the Kumasi City Mall, The Mamba Bash Concert and The Kumkum Baghyia Showdown both at the at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

These events failed simply because of the failure of the events managers to do a research on the venues, demography and targeted audience to be enable them ascertain the marketing and promotion strategies, logistics and planning that would have been effective for the events, although these aforementioned elements are some of the basics of putting up an event.

Let’s note that events management (organization) is a profession that requires a lot skills such that persons without the know-how may not consider basics such as marketing and promotion strategies, logistics and planning that are key requirements to organizing an event.

Although as professionals we me may sometimes make mistakes putting together these key elements, it is worrying such mistakes are on the ascendency. Now persons with connection to companies take advantage of the marketing strategies of these companies to organize events for the companies but end up failing and indenting the image of these companies in the process.

I witnessed the Go TV Max launch concert which had low patronage despite its great lineup of artists who were to perform. From my observation it was due to lack of a well-planned promotions and marketing structure. The organizers thought doing a free event at the Mall with such big artists would pull the needed crowd, they paid little attention to promotions. Proper research wasn’t done.

The Mamba Bash concert at had low patronage as well. The research was not properly done, they used wrong marketing strategies, placing adverts on the wrong platforms, high ticket pricing and a poor events plan that lead to a low patronage and complains from the audience. Proper research and by the right people could have averted this.

Lastly a review of the Kumkum Baghyia Showdown, this telenovela has won the hearts of many Ghanaians most especially the women including the first lady of the nation. My mother didn’t talk to me for a week because I did not get her a new decoder so she could ‘her’ Kumkum Baghyia.

Who could have thought bringing the cast of Kumkum Baghyia to Kumasi for a showdown would concert would flop, sadly it did. Poor marketing strategy and promotions, poor planning and failure to identify the true fans of the telenovela and how to attract them were the elements the organizers failed to critically look at.

This was the first show I paid to attend in my many years of being event’s organizer. I got seated only to realize that VIP tickets holders were seated at the same area where regular tickets holders were seated. That was wrong.

Organizing a high priced event with target audience, mostly women at the stadium was a bad idea. Most of the viewers of this telenovela are middle and low income earners, the price for the tickets was too much. Perhaps Adom TV wanted to prove to their sponsors and other stakeholders they have large number of viewers across the country which I do not doubt, but that was a risky to bet when the event was not free. I’m sorry multimedia, you failed. I could see the frustration on the faces of the sponsors of these events as they tried many strategies to make up for their losses. I felt embarrassed as an event organizer.

I pray my colleagues will take my advice of taking the basic requirements of organizing events seriously, if we do not, we will create a lack of interest in attending events and sponsors will not be willing to invest in our events especially in Kumasi.