How events organiser perfected art of outsourcing to grow firm

Ms Pooja Doshi, PJevents founder, speaks at a past event. Courtesy 

By JAMES KARIUKI

In Summary

• “IT was not in me, I did not enjoy sitting quietly infront of a computer doing stuff as I like being with people, handling their plans and making their brands known,” she adds.

I first met her at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi where she had organised a press conference for Australia-based education placement service firm Navitas.

Ms Pooja Doshi was the ‘mistress’ of ceremony and invited Navitas’ regional manager for Middle East and Africa Andy Burfitt and his counterpart Omid Honari, the regional director to the event organised by UNIPASS which was rebranding after operating for 18 years as Hill Education Services during which it helped place 3,000 students in foreign universities.

“I enjoy my work and actually I did pursue public relations studies at undergraduate level and added a Master’s degree in marketing to my cap during my studies sojourn in Australia,” she said as she handed out press kits to journalists from various media houses.

But her decision irked her parents who had hoped she would return home and help them upgrade information systems as well as digital processes within their manufacturing enterprise.

“I preferred to follow my heart and do what I loved most. Being with people excites me but sitting quietly infront of a computer keying in instructions is not my best bet,” she added before quietly adding that in a good month she makes up to Sh 250,000 from her event hosting job.

Ms Pooja, 32 left for Australia intend on studying a degree in Information technology at Deakins University, but changed her mind two years into IT and did a Bachelor of Arts(Public Relations).

“IT was not in me, I did not enjoy sitting quietly infront of a computer doing stuff as I like being with people, handling their plans and making their brands known,” she adds.

During her internship at a local hospital and at a hotel receptions’ desk, Ms Pooja realised she had a knack for listening and providing solutions either on phone or on a one-on-one engagement.

She was born in Nairobi and studied at Braeside School before she eventually left for Australia for her university studies where she also worked part time.

In 2008 she returned to Kenya saying she suffered from homesickness and wanted to be among her family and friends.

“There is no place like home, you know people, understand their ways of life and you fit in their cultural fabric like you are an essential component of the whole. There is no place like Kenya,” she added.

One-girl- affair

Upon her return she was employed as head of corporate communications at the Serena Group but after a year felt the urge to start her own firm, generate her own income and help several others gain meaningful employment.

She founded PJevents targeting corporate clients planning to hold brand launch events over breakfast, lunch or dinner and later delved into hosting international Asian musical artistes during their local performances and she has never looked back.

“There is nothing like being your own boss. Employing yourself means taking charge of your destiny during the day and at night.Mine is a unique enterprise since it is a one-girl-affair and only gets crowded when I hire models to help me handle an event,” she said.

To help keep costs low, Ms Doshi says she has perfected outsourcing for all accompaniments when she gets a job that requires handouts, gift hampers, press kits as well as public address systems.

She also chooses venues for various events depending on the planned niche a company is targeting.

Ms Pooja said she prefers a freehand reign- from determining choice of venue to ensuring customers invited are comfortable enough to understand and take home the intended message- on all functions she handles.

Array of talent

“But the small events organising career is growing fast with many unprofessional players coming in to offer services at very low cost and substandard services. We have no organisation to oversee standards and this means clients hardly get what they deserve,” she said.

She added that companies should seek to establish the ability of a firm to handle their activity starting from a firms capacity, array of talent and their career history.

“Radio and television personalities have come out as MCs but some are just good at what they do within their stations not on the events platform,” she said.

Ms Pooja also organises photography and video services as well as social media coverage to promote a company’s online presence. “My education comes in handy since I understand local and international expectations of clients,” she added.

jkariuki@ke.nationmedia.com