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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Nigerian Event Managers Push for Waiter Recognition and Professional Growth

From ThisDay · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The Association of Professional Party Organisers and Event Managers of Nigeria (APPOEMN) is advocating for better recognition and professional growth for waiters and service personnel in the hospitality industry.
  • APPOEMN held a training session themed ‘Beyond the Tray: The Power Behind the Service’ to mark International Waiters Day, aiming to shift the perception of waiting as a mere job to a viable career path.
  • The association is committed to reorienting practitioners, eliminating mediocrity, and promoting professionalism to ensure event personnel are taken seriously as vital stakeholders in the industry.

In Nigeria, the Association of Professional Party Organisers and Event Managers of Nigeria (APPOEMN) is taking a stand to elevate the status of waiters and service staff within the bustling hospitality and event industry. At a recent training and empowerment session in Lagos, APPOEMN Vice President Babatunde Olawuyi emphasized that these individuals are far more than just servers; they are critical stakeholders whose roles are indispensable to the success of any event.

It is beyond serving. They are a vital part of every event and they must be taken very seriously. Without waiters, there cannot be an event.

· Babatunde OlawuyiExplaining the crucial role of waiters in the event industry during a training session.

The association's initiative, themed ‘Beyond the Tray: The Power Behind the Service,’ was timed to coincide with International Waiters Day. Its core mission is to dismantle the misconception that waiting and hospitality services are dead-end jobs. APPOEMN aims to foster a mindset shift, encouraging practitioners to view their roles as careers with significant potential for growth and leadership.

Through reorganisation and reorientation, APPOEMN is actively working to eradicate mediocrity and champion professionalism. Olawuyi stressed that without dedicated waiters, an event simply cannot happen. The training is designed to build confidence, help individuals discover their purpose, and illustrate that their current position is not a permanent ceiling but a stepping stone. The ultimate goal is to empower waiters to see themselves as future business owners, supervisors, or leaders in the industry through continuous learning and self-development.

The impact is to change their mindset, help them build confidence, and make them realise they are an important part of any business they find themselves in.

· Babatunde OlawuyiDescribing the intended outcome of the training and empowerment session for service personnel.

APPOEMN's Education Director, Adeola Sessi-Traore, further highlighted the association's dedication to global standards. By intensifying professional training and forging industry collaborations, APPOEMN ensures Nigerian event practitioners are equipped with the knowledge and competence to compete on an international level. This focus on education, standardization, and continuous learning is crucial for strengthening professionalism and adhering to internationally recognized best practices, a point of pride for the Nigerian event sector aiming for global recognition.

For us, we are very big on standards and ensuring that we have international laws and everything to guide us.

· Adeola Sessi-TraoreHighlighting the association's commitment to adhering to international best practices and standards in event management.
About this summary

Originally published by ThisDay in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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