Are you planning to have a big party soon and you need someone to handle the party for you? If yes, contact PARTY NEED Rentals & Event Management. Party Need is a big company name in events mangement business in Lagos. It is also one of the biggest names in party rentals, as it supplies very many items to other event people who need them. That is why the name of the company is big among other party/event organisers who depend on Part Need for decorative materials that you can use to transform an events venue.
Party Need has a warehouse full of chair and table covers, decorations of all forms fabrics of very many colours. Behind this big name is the founder called Mrs. Kikelomo Barakat Alliu Animashaun. She is a Lagos society woman who started the business over 10 years ago. Call her The Party Queen and you won’t be wrong because once she takes charge of your party you can go to sleep. Apart from supplying other event people props and the decorative materials they need, she herself handles the decoration for events and parties. And she has a formidable team that knows how to transform any venue.
So big is Party Need that it can supply over 50 party planners, table and clothes and chair covers of different colours, all at the same time. She has invented so heavily in all these materials. She has trucks and lorries that usally take off in different directions to deliver Party Need products to different people. Though she has outlets in Ikorodu and Ibadan, her headoffice is at Alagomeji Bus-Stop at Yaba and so popular has she become that all you need to tell anyone in the Alagomeji area to be able to locate her is to ask for the party woman in that neighbourhood and you will be told to go to Moleye Street, by the popular Hughes Streets, Yaba, Lagos. Over the last 10 years, she has been expanding her business.
How did she do it? How did she single-handedly build this business? Last week, she told City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE her success story.
Party Need is a big name in the rental and event management business, can you tell us about all you do, that stands you out from the pack?
We are into rental business like you said. We are also into events. Where we are now at Alagomeji Bus-Stop, Yaba, Lagos is our headquarters. It is from here that we cater to all the event planners who need our services. Party Needs is a rental place, an events place. If you have corporate events, weddings, meetings, coronation you can contact us. We will come to the venue. We would decorate the venue. We would make the place marvelous. We will put a touch of class to your events.
We are big also in Rentals. We supply what caterers need like cups, plates, cutleries, dishing bowls. We help caterers get all the stuff they need for their events. Many caterers don’t have plates, cups, cutleries for about 1,000 to 2,000 guests. We can provide them. They can come here and rent it. Any caterer or decorator who needs us can contact us on our Instagram page . All they need to do is to tell us, Party Need, I have an event at so, so, place, I need 500 plates, cups and cutleries and we would deliver it there for the event.
We would then collect our things back after use. We have delivery trucks. We supply to those in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano. We would send them our items, when they finish they will return it back. Just today I sent some things to a client in Port Harcourt.
How did you start? How many years ago?
Let us say 10 to 11 years ago. I noticed then that if I want to do my own party, like when I was younger and I had my children and I want to do any party, I will go to the market and buy the things I need because I don’t borrow from anybody.
So, I kept buying the things I needed and I kept having a lot of things I need for parties in my store in the house and there was one lady who used to come to my place to borrow my things and she will go and use it for her own job. She will collect money from her clients and will take it from me free of charge and she will return it after use. Somebody came to me to say instead of giving this thing out for free why don’t I rent it out and be collecting little change from it.
Then, I was selling Jewelry and Clothes. So, I told the lady when she came one day that I want to start renting my things out because I learnt that you people collect money on it. Because, really I was losing. Whenever she collects from me, when she is bringing it back, 2 to 3 plates would be missing or broken. She said okay. From that point, I started collecting money and she introduced me to other women who are into events and they began to come to me to rent plates, glass cups, napkins. From that point, I now opened one small shop. The shop is at Moleye Street here. After that, I took another shop and I expanded and I took another one, making 3 shops. Now, I have a whole building along with the 3 shops. I am planning to get another one. They are about to finish it.
Please tell us a bit about your growing up years. Where were you born?
I was born in Lagos. I am a Lagosian. I hail from Ikorodu. My mother is a core Lagosian from Orogiri family, Isale Eko. My father was born in Ikorodu. So, I am a Lagosian, both sides. I grew up in Isale Eko. I went to Ansar-U-Deen Primary School, Alakoro, Marina, Lagos. When I left Ansar-U-Deen, I went to Ibadan, to Christ High School. From there, I started doing business with my grandmother. She was into buying and selling. She will give me some items to hawk for them. I will hawk. I will go around and sell things.
So, when I grew up, I had the intention of doing business. I didn’t want to further any more. So, when I finished my school certificate, my daddy said he wanted me to be a Customs Officer. I said okay. No problem. I went to Teacher Training College at Ikorodu. From there, I started going to Cotonou, buying small, small things like Ankara and Jewelry. I started selling it within the school. That is how I started my business, selling Ankara fabrics.
But at a point I saw that people are owing me a lot of money. So, I decided to leave the job for ever. And I took up event business. I am happy that today, I have become the rallying point for other event people. They usually come to me, They will say Party Needs, I have an event and I don’t have what I will use, can you please give me materials for 1,000 guests or 300 people? I will give them. Many young ones come to me to rent cups, glasses, plates, cutleries. They will tell me they don’t have all these things and they need to rent because they can’t buy them from the little amount they have been paid. So, I help them. I help them take all they need to the venue.
When they finish, my lorry or bus, will go there to collect it back. If there is shortage or any loss they will pay for it. My advice to young people who are into events management is that they should take the social media serious. I get a lot of jobs through the social media. I get a lot of calls from people who see that we rent party things out. I get patronage from my Instagram page, Facebook, Messenger. From all these platforms, people get to know and call us for jobs. I do work for people. I have another shop in Ibadan at 41, Yemetu Road, opposite Mobil Filling Station in Ibadan. People also call us on 08023127843, 08051777787 or 07030676272.
So what is the success secrets of party needs?
It is God. Not me. I put in a lot of efforts though. Then, I have passion for the job. I have a policy: to be able to give everybody that comes here or contact me what they need. I want to be a one stop shop for party rentals. When people come to my place to look for something, I want them to get it. Part of my success secret is that I plough back into the business, whatever I make.
I always buy more and more things. I have invested heavily in my business. I travel to places like China to buy new products to rent out to my clients. I am always updating my stock. I am constantly buying. I bring in a lot of things.
How big is Party Need?
Party Need is big. We thank God for that. Whether there is a party in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja and Port Harcourt at the same time, we can cater. I have warehouses full to the brim with party materials for rent.
We also decorate events venue. We can transform any event venue. We have a lot of materials. I have warehouses where I keep my chalvary chairs, my round tables, my rectangular tables, my rugs. I have stores where I keep napkins, table clothes and event props.
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