How Taiwo Oderinlo is Breaking the Mold in the Events Industry Post-COVID-19

With the increasing vaccination rates, the events sector in Nigeria has seen a bump in activities following the lockdown when Executive Director of Jason Davids Events and Rental, Taiwo Oderinlo adopted a successful logistic strategy for her business. So far, she has continued to utilise innovation to break the mold. 

Recently, she organised a two-day open house exhibition at her office nestled in Ogba, Lagos, to introduce colleagues and aspiring event managers to some of her cutting-edge approaches. Oderinlo’s vision for the project not only focused on aesthetics, but she also used the program as a launchpad for collaboration. 

Oderinlo is a serial innovator. She kicked off her career as an interior decorator before branching off to launch her events company in 2006. Subsequently, she recognised the need for expansion into rentals through the addition of a rental division to further cater to clients from sectors such as banking, telecommunication, real estate, and tech while serving as a conduit to boost other small and medium-scale businesses that lacked capacity. 

Over the years, she has steadily advanced in her career, however, she noted that the events landscape was not where it ought to be, pointing to a need for training. 

“I went for a lot of training and I saw that the Nigerian system is too open, the entry is just too low,” she lamented. “Anybody can wake up today and become an event planner. And to make matters worse, if you have the money, you can start your rental business without even having the basic knowledge of how the business works.”

She currently operates the Jason Davids Academy, where she and other professionals train event managers. 

Aside from being an entrepreneur, Oderinlo is also a culture custodian. She penned ‘The Ultimate Yoruba Wedding’ which details the essential steps to Yoruba weddings. “It is my way of passing on the tradition to younger generations,” she said. 

Currently, Oderinlo is the Chief Whip for the Rental Professionals Society of Nigeria as well as a member of the Association of Professionals Party Organizers and Event Managers of Nigeria (APPOEMN).