Kenya: Competition Stiff As Wedding Industry Booms

Kenya: Competition Stiff As Wedding Industry Booms

Wanjiru Waithaka

12 March 2008

Meeting Hope Mwinzi, soon after she launched her bridal magazine - Raspberry Weddings - the question that instantly came to mind was: Do we really need yet another bridal magazine or Expo in Kenya? Can there be that many people getting married to justify all the people falling over themselves to serve this niche?

The answer is a resounding 'Yes!' Ten thousand marriages were registered two years ago and the figure has grown since. Although guest lists are getting smaller, with an average of 150 to 300 people compared to over 500 a few years ago, the amount spent per weddings is increasing as brides try to outdo friends by having the most exclusive and unique wedding.

"In 2002, I started a wedding planning business, but soon closed it down because people were using committees to organise their weddings.

"Nowadays I get clients who say they want what they saw on a TV show or international magazine and they are willing to pay for it," says Ms Mwinzi.

Ms Esther Njuguna, a wedding planner, says she's booked solid till December - with an average of four weddings a week. In less than a decade, the wedding industry has grown from nothing to mainstream and couples have a wide variety of suppliers to choose from, be it wedding planners, florists, caterers, providers of tents, limousine services, venues, even hotels which now have special wedding packages.

Supermarkets have joined the bandwagon with wedding lists where couples can choose which gifts they want to receive from guests.

But like many older industries, which experienced rapid growth in a short period of time, the wedding industry in Kenya is experiencing growing pains as competition stiffens.

Lack of regulation has resulted in some fraudsters riding on the good name of established brands to fleece clients. "The biggest issue is standards because many people are entering the industry jua kali style, with no training and money is their first priority, not good service," says Sue Muriuki of Divine Weddings.

This has become the biggest headache for established brands because most suppliers get new clients from referrals and a company's reputation is its best asset. "People are taking advantage of brides by passing off as well known suppliers and taking money then failing to supply services on the material day," says Ms Catherine Masitsa, founder of Samantha Bridal magazine.

Greedy managers of wedding venues are known to overbook their premises so that couples promised an exclusive venue get a shock when they arrive for their reception only to find two or three other weddings also taking place, constraining parking space for their guests not to mention the nuisance of noise spilling over from the other celebrations.

To tackle these challenges, 100 players in the industry have come together and formed the Wedding Service Providers Association to strategise on how to regulate the industry.

A bride

Among the actions being considered is registering members who meet a certain minimum level of standards and providing them with a logo to distinguish them from other industry players. It would also be a central place where clients can forward complains to if they get bad service, with the association playing the role of arbitrator.

"Members will be bound by a code of conduct and will know someone is watching them. But more than that, it will help to protect brides from unscrupulous companies because if you're messed up on your wedding day you can never get that day back," says Ms Masitsa, the chairperson of the association.

Ms Muriuki, on the other hand, is on a mission to certify wedding planners in East and Central Africa after they undergo a six-month course. She is a member of Weddings and Beautiful, a 52-year-old American wedding training company.

As the industry grows, segmentation is also becoming more visible in the prices charged by industry players. At the low end are wedding planners who charge Sh25,000 to Sh30,000 while at the top end are planners who charge Sh100,000 and over.

While some players base their fees on a percentage of the total costs of the wedding - anywhere from five to 20 per cent - others base their fees on the amount of work involved in planning an event. "If someone asks for black roses that are very hard to get we charge more for this. It also depends on the number of events we'll have to co-ordinate, for instance, some people have more than one cocktail," says Ms Mwinzi.

The huge disparity in the amount couples are spending on weddings also presents opportunities for new entrants as they can tailor their products and services to serve people with different pocket depths.

For instance, one couple can spend Sh300,000 for their entire wedding while another spends the same amount on flowers alone. High end weddings, with all the trimmings, have been known to cost upwards of Sh3 million.

In one such wedding the bride's dress cost Sh400,000, purchased from a top designer in the United Kingdom. This excluded the cost of travelling to the UK for three to four fittings. "Such spending seems irrational when you consider that we have bridal wear suppliers locally, but it's the perceived value that counts for such brides," says Ms Masitsa.

The need to have a unique wedding that rivals anything their friends have had is driving more brides to hire wedding planners and has put a premium on creativity, with brides ready to pay more for good ideas that will help their weddings stand out.

Competition is quite high and you need to be quite creative to succeed. This means keeping up with the latest wedding trends," says Ms Njuguna who recently started a bridal magazine, which is now in its fourth issue. Last month she also launched a bridal expo (Harusi Yetu) to join the three others already in the market.

Copyright © 2008 Business Daily. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

I am back

Took a short break but I am back, let the blogging begin!

nice bold

something about this image

The possibilities. Very inspiring...

splash of refreshing colors

I couldn't resist...

New York Talk Exchange

and another one from http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc


Year:
2008
URL:
http://www.aaronkoblin.com/work/NYTE/index.html
Project Description:
New York Talk Exchange illustrates the global exchange of information in real time by visualizing volumes of long distance telephone and IP data flowing between New York and cities around the world.

In an information age, telecommunications such as the Internet and the telephone bind people across space by eviscerating the constraints of distance. To reveal the relationships that New Yorkers have with the rest of the world, New York Talk Exchange asks: How does the city of New York connect to other cities? With which cities does New York have the strongest ties and how do these relationships shift with time? How does the rest of the world reach into the neighborhoods of New York? The size of the glow on a particular city location corresponds to the amount of IP traffic flowing between that place and New York City. A greater glow implies a greater IP flow.

The NYTE project has been on display at MoMA The Museum of Modern Art, part of the Design and Elastic Mind exhibition, and the real time data is being provided by AT&T.

Visual Complexity

Then I found more amazing visualizations of data


URL:
http://www.timenetwork.org/
Project Description:
time=net.work was born in order to measure and evaluate transportation network complexity. As the author explains: "After having read the amazing A. L. Barabasi's Linked, I decided to develop some new approaches towards networks dynamics. How Ordered are they? How Small are they? How Robust are they?".

According to Fabio Lamanna, during the last years many physicians have been interested in transportation network analysis, laying the theoretical basis for extending complex network knowledge to real dynamical systems. Time=net.work tries to apply and verify physical theories on real systems, using timetable data of real moving entities under fixed constraints.

The main subject of study for the time=net.work project has been the Berlin urban network, consisting of U-Bahn, S-Bahn and Regional Bahn lines; strongly interconnected with Bus, Strabenbahn and Metrotram vehicles. The complex network approach requires a simple tool to analyse the dynamics of different transportation modes on real infrastructures. The image shown here represents the distribution of travel times and betweenness centrality of the entire Berlin transportation network.

mapping data

I have always been very interested in finding interesting ways to visualize data.
I stumbled upon this very fascinating project.

more from the artist

Description

Email became an integral part of my life in 1998. Like many people, I have archived all of my email with the hope of someday revisiting my past. I am interested in revealing the innumerable relationships between me, my schoolmates, work-mates, friends and family. This could not readily be accomplished by reading each of my 60,000 emails one-by-one. Instead, I created My Map, a relational map and alternative self portrait. My Map is a piece of custom designed software capable of rendering the relationships between myself and individuals in my address book by examining the TO:, FROM:, and CC: fields of every email in my email archive. The intensity of the relationship is determined by the intensity of the line. My Map allows me to explore different relational groupings and periods of time, revealing the temporal ebbs and flows in various relationships. In this way, My Map is a veritable self-portrait, a reflection of my associations and a way to locate myself.
Notes

My Map can be viewed as a large scale static print (40″x40″ archival inkjet) or as an up-to-date dynamic visualization (see Quicktime video above). The interactive program is written in Java and uses the Processsing libraries, MySQL and various other libraries. The software includes a custom IMAP email client and a VCF address book parser that parses contact information and their images. This particular visualization strategy was influenced by similar cicular relational structures such as CAIDA, SCHEMABALL, GNOM, etc. Much of my initial email visualization research was influenced and inspired by the work of Judith Donath’s Sociable Media Group at MIT — particularly the work of Fernanda Viegas.

Africa--Flow and ingenuity

Every once in a while i ran into a great article about Africa.Copied from www.smashingmagazine.com its about getting inspiration from different places.

Kampala Uganda

History. The city grew as the capital of the Buganda kingdom, from which several buildings survive, including the Kasubi Tombs (built in 1881), the Buganda Parliament, the Buganda Court of Justice and the Naggalabi Buddo Coronation Site. If you saw the movie “The Last King of Scotland”, you know everything worst about Uganda. Well, the good news is, that was thirty years ago. Since then Uganda has rebounded to become one of the more stable and progressive regions of East Africa. The economy is healthy, the people are lovely and interesting and the equatorial climate is gorgeous! Careful getting around though, the highest cause of death here is automobile accidents!

Getting there. Getting to the capital of Uganda is tricky. First, there are no direct flights in the U.S. Instead, one must fly through a connecting in Europe, Dubai or another part of Africa and then continue to Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe, Uganda. From there the ride to Kampala is only about thirty minutes via hired taxi. Altogether the entire process can take anywhere from 20 to 48 hours.

Natural inspiration. Africa is the home to many wonders of the natural world and this is no different in the country of Uganda. Safaris, wildlife, camping with chimps, gorilla tracking, skiing (yes you can ski in Africa), whitewater rafting and the incredibly friendly people make it one of the most inviting destinations in the whole continent.

Why it will inspire? Flow and ingenuity. You have never found flow like you’ll find it in Africa. Local farmers get completely immersed in creating things out of limited resources, exemplifying two of the fundamental aspects of good design (focus and resourcefulness).

my favourite companies/website

I am going to compile a list of my favourite companies and what they do.
First and foremost.


http://www.care-international.org



CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Non-political and non-sectarian, we operate each year in more than 65 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, reaching more than 50 million people in poor communities.

CARE helps tackle underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. CARE is often one of the first to deliver emergency aid to survivors of natural disasters and war and, once the immediate crisis is over, we help people rebuild their lives. While CARE is a large international organisation with more than 14,500 employees worldwide, we have a strong local presence: more than 90 % of our staff are nationals of the countries where our programmes are run.

Adobe adds flash to Acrobat

Hmmm flash in pdfs, interesting. see article from...http://www.pcworld.com
Monday, June 02, 2008 10:20 AM PDT

Adobe on Monday is set to unveil the next version of its Adobe Acrobat software, which adds support for the company's Flash multimedia technology. The company also plans to launch a new Web site offering users free hosted services for document creation, sharing and storage.

The move positions Adobe competitively against Microsoft, Google and other companies offering similar services online and signals Adobe's first major move into the hosted-services arena for business documents.

Combined, the two announcements support Adobe's broader strategy to offer rich-media capabilities through Flash and other technologies for both online and offline documents.

Wadawida

Currently looking for Taita boy names. Someone needs to post baby names, very hard to find those on the internet. For those interested in the taita culture from Kenya. This should be a fun project.
check out wadawida.com and http://wadawidatiki.blogspot.com.

thanks dor posting this destiny.
Taita boy names? Most of the names have a pre-fix "MWA" then the meaningful part of the name. Eg KIO=night.....so a Taita boy can be called Mwakio, Dime=day, hence Mwadime, Chia=path, hence Mwachia, or Mwachyia, others do not have prefixes like " Isuwirio"=Hope, Kitatu, Lewella, Maghanga=medicines, Kishau, Lago or Lagho, Mcharo=one born away from home eg during a safari to some place, or the same child Mwachia could be called Msafari, which means the same. Other boy's names include Ndau, Mbela (rhino), Mshimba, shimba=lion, Mwachovu, chovu=elephant, Mshila, Msagha, Righa, Kasera, Kalela, Nyange, Maseghe,

June 9, 2009 12:25 PM

I have no tribe---I am Kenyan

Yes we are tired of leaders using our tribes to separate us.
we declare ourselves tribeless.

Daima mimi mkenya.

I found this poem at

http://www.ihavenotribe.com


Though i have no tribe,
i do have roots
My roots are deep and wide
I have a Luhyia Father and a Kisii Mother
I speak Luo, kikuyu and Luhyia
I have a kalenjin sister
daughter of my father
I have a kikuyu brother
Son of my mother.
I practice Luo customs,
Indeed iam a true Kenyan
I find it hard that people want to categorise me,
For in their pleasure my parents gave me a rich heritage
its a heritage i am proud of,
though some my recoil at it.
I am a kenyan
Yes i am a true Kenyan
I know no tribe
and that is the truth not a cliche
for in our house there are all tribes.
I love my mother and father and siblings
for giving me such a true heritage.
I am a Kenyan
I have no tribe

objects of neccesity

Oumou Sy

Oumou Sy

Oumou Sy fashion

Africa on my mind

I found this very inspiring article on Mshale.com.

Despite what is going on in Africa, we have to keep going. We need to focus on being
problem solvers, thats the only way we will overcome. We cannot dwell on the past.

Here is bits of the article...by Moraa Gitaa , Mshale Correspondent

Fundamental Principles of Wealth Creation

To create wealth is to use one’s own thoughts or imagination to work in order to bring something unique into this world.
The following is the recipe for wealth creation.

To Create Wealth, One Must:

i. Solve somebody’s problem.
ii. Provide solutions that people are ready to pay you for.
iii. Solve problems of as many people as possible.

His other statement was that there is an abundance of problems in this world and that we need to look for these problems and solve them, and that will be wealth creation.

We thus need to:

1) Identify our unique talent:
Talent is a recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behavior that can be productively applied.
Talent is not an action first and foremost, but a way of thinking.
Our uniqueness is our strength. Nobody can ignore you if you are unique.
It is that difference that makes you strong.
2) Acquire relevant Knowledge:
Relevant to your unique talents (Get all the facts and lessons that can be learnt)
3) Develop Skill:
Doctor Otabil defined skill as ‘Formalized steps of an activity. Consistency’
Skill helps you to predict and repeat success.

His conclusion on skill was that once you have it, you can maneuver success under any circumstance.

We declare peace in Kenya

some blogs on whats going on in in Kenya. Everyone has their own views.

http://www.kenyanpundit.com/ very detailed linked to numerous blogs

http://blog.thinkersroom.com/

kumekucha.blogspot.com

At the end of the day, we just want peace. PEACE IN KENYA!

PRAY FOR PEACE IN KENYA

ALL WE WANT IS PEACE IN KENYA. STOP FINGER POINTING, PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING.
http://josephkaroki.wordpress.com/

African influence in the west

Roberto Cavalli’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection called “La Ma Africa” in Milan.

Looks like designers are borrowing from African prints whereas before it was only about the Safari suit and animal prints looks like they are going deeper.

Jamhuri wear

Jeffrey Kimathi - Jamhuri Wear

Interview by Elias Mageto

Jamati: What inspired you to start Jamhuri Wear?
Kimathi: I felt there was a void in the way Africa was being represented in the Fashion industry, The continent was bringing the models, but not dressing them.
So we wanted to add on to the story.

Jamati: Are there any Designers you look to for inspiration?

Kimathi: Yes, cause once one is lifted others are inspired and these are the few that inspire me…Moshood, Oswald Boatang Fundi Frank, Ralph Lauren, Stone Cherry and of course Russell Simmons

Jamati: Now, the main reason I really wanted the world to hear about you is because of how well you’ve managed to place your products. I mean I’ve seen your T-shirts on everyone from Akon to Jay-Z. Who else wears Jamhuri themed shirts and who would you like to see wearing your T-Shirts?

Kimathi: Like you said , Jay– Z, Tom Morello, Akon, K’naan, and Damian Marley. Some one I would love to see wearing one of my pieces is none other than the future president of the free world himself Barack Obama.

Jamati: What’s in store for Jamhuri Wear? Do you have any intentions of
expanding the line?

Kimathi: Absolutely…we will get into the full range of outfits and divesity for our customers.. and just keep putting out that fresh dope stuff we have been known to bring.. It’s just a matter of time We’re also doing other things with the Jamhuri brand,though.

Jamati: Really, When and what can we expect to see next?
Kimathi: We believe that every story needs a soundtrack so we are doubling in Music and visuals as well, We are just as exicted to be able to do this.
Jamati: Besides fashion, what other things interest you?

Kimathi: A lot man; We are into infusing and attaching our heritage to repackaging that African IMAGE and promoting this Safari Lifestyle. We understand this will encompass a lot of facets of life…and we trying to get better at all this and still do it well, that’s the enjoyment of it cause we don’t have any boundaries…Its all about dignity to us.

Jamati: Bwana Kimathi, thanks for your time. Before I let you get back to
your busy schedule, do you have any advice for young entrepreneurial minds
like yourself that want to break into the game?

Kimathi: LIVE IT! LEARN IT! AND LOVE IT! That’s what I do everyday now.
I had a choice to work a safe career, but instead I took a chance. It’s not
easy but if you get joy out of it then go for it!


Jamhuri Wear LLC|New York, NY|Phone: 1 800 9 Jamhuri

Jamhuri@jamhuriwear.com
www.jamhuriwear.com
www.myspace.com/jamhuriwear

SAHARAN VIBE

Found this amazing blog by South Africa designer who I greatly admire here is the blog "Started up in 2001 by Vanya and Thando Mangaliso, Sun Goddess has now flourished into one of South Africa's most sought after labels. Vanya and Thando started the Sun Goddess fashion label selling skirts out of the boot of their car. Four years down the line Sungoddess had employed 30 people. The garments are designed and produced in Johannesburg."

South Africa fashion

The South African designers have a very rich environment to nurture such beautiful talent.

I like these

Tanzania

very pretty colors, incoporated print

Uzuri aaahhh nice

MIMI magazine

the t shirts are about loving who you are. very interesting see

http://www.mimimagazine.com/

African bride

It is my mission to create fresh looking designs inpired by Africa from the north, the south, east and west. Whats in the market right now is heavily influenced by beautiful west African fabrics, and maasai beads. We need a fresh unique look with a personality.

missing

this is nice, the jewelry gives it a lift.
www.tk-designs.com

beautiful!

Distance Nairobi to Sanjose

Distance from Nairobi to San Jose
Distance is 15,460 kilometers or 9606 miles or 8348 nautical miles
The distance is the theoretical air distance (great circle distance). Flying between the two locations's airports can be longer or shorter, depending on airport location and actual route chosen.

Interface Design Quotes

Interface Design Quotes

Bits of inspiration from interface designers, architects, authors...

“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
—Antoine De Saint-Exupery

“Truly elegant design incorporates top-notch functionality into a simple, uncluttered form.”
—David Lewis, 2006

“When you take technology and mix it with art, you always come up with something innovative.”
—Robert Rodriguez, 2006

“An enterprise's most vital assets lie in its design and other creative capabilities.”
—Samsung chairman Kun-Hee Lee, 2006

“Business success is always defined by the quality of the overall customer experience.”
—Forrester Research, 2001

“Websites that are hard to use frustrate customers, forfeit revenue and erode brands.”
—Forrester Research, 1998

“It's all about one thing: creative problem-solving to get the story out.”
—Robert Greenberg, R/GA, 2006

“The challenge is about taking things that are infinitely complex and making them simpler and more understandable.”
—Robert Greenberg, R/GA, 2006

“The product is the brand. You build brand in our industry through the product and the experience.”
—Jim Wicks, Motorola, 2006


“It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”
—Steve Jobs, 1998

nzuri sana

colorful masai beads