A few years after they started making their presence felt, it has become increasingly difficult to imagine Bulawayo without lifestyle events.
Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city was dominated by high-profile gigs usually headlined by superstar performers from South Africa.
The formula for such events was predictable: the visiting act would arrive around midnight, do a whirlwind meet-and-greet, then only take to the stage well after the hour of Cinderella. Promoters insisted on the late kick-off with the hope of maximising bar sales as fans drank their way through the long wait.
Sometimes this was a recipe for disaster, as it alienated revellers who did not fancy waiting for a performer long into the night. It also invited riots as crowds became rowdy the more they got intoxicated.
When Covid-19 hit, this picture suddenly changed.
Lifestyle events, themed around food, drinks, or even clothing, became increasingly popular. Due to the curfews imposed at the time, these events took place during the day. They ended before 10pm, making them a perfect getaway for “mature” revellers who had always insisted that events that started and ended late were disadvantageous to them.
The purchasing power of the maligned demographic then came to the fore, proving the folly of the city’s erstwhile promoters and elevating lifestyle events to top billing on the city’s entertainment calendar. Munch & Sip, Garden of House, Sneaker Expo, Matobo Gin Fest, and Hinde are some of the events that have become must-attend events in a relatively short space of time.
In the few years of their existence, these events have also created an ecosystem that is kinder to smaller businesses, bringing on board vendors, new transport owners, fledgling clothing brands, and even sneaker cleaners to their events.
Unlike old-school promoters who usually outsourced services to the city’s most prominent bars and sometimes did not provide food outlets, lifestyle events have seemingly become a serious source of business for the city’s ever-swelling ranks of entrepreneurs.
According to Mlamuli Moyo, one of the brains behind the Sneaker Expo, stalls, which are made available for vendors ahead of events, are as much of a business for event organisers as people that walk through the turnstiles.
“Sneaker Expo food stalls are usually the most expensive and they go for around US$80,” he told Sunday Life.
“However, for clothing merchandise, be it simple apparel or sneakers, the stalls go for US$40. Those selling snacks get charged US$30 and those doing sneaker cleaning can usually conduct their business for free. This usually also goes for Picnic and Chill, even though food stalls dominate at that event. Part of the package that we offer is that we give them three tickets for free but they get to bring their own tables and advertising material. All the profit is theirs and on your part as the event organise, all you have to do is make the conditions great for them.”
While there was usually a scramble for food stalls, Moyo said that it was not a free-for-all all, as organisers had made sure that the right products were sold. If they just accepted anyone, he said, it might ultimately dilute the intent of the event and damage their brand.
“For food stalls we try to keep the number low so they all get customers. No one has a license to just do as they please, and we do have some law that they have to adhere to. For example, for food stalls we try and get them to sell different things. So stick to your menu if you said you’re selling pap and meat, stick to that and let the one selling hotdogs also do the same. We do this because it is easier for all of them to make money if they are selling different products.
“For the Expo, on apparel we encourage local brands to come through because it’s original and fresh. It helps to let people know about the local brands available in Bulawayo, and usually it’s young people, young startups so the exposure that they get goes a long way. For sneakers, also insist on original sneakers, and we try and find people who sell those only. The whole idea of the Expo is to expose Bulawayo people to original sneakers and local brands in the City. So the law for those moving merchandise is that they need it to be original and local brands are our priority.”
Three years ago, Munch & Sip announced a groundbreaking partnership with transport operator Tuverl, which saw them provide shuttle services to revellers coming to and from the event.
That particular arrangement highlighted the growth of the event and its effect on businesses downstream.
Prince Dube, a taxi operator, said lifestyle events provided relief for transport operators struggling to make ends meet at a time when competition for e-hailing services was squeezing them.
“We now keep a calendar of these events because for us they represent big business. You can make in one day what you may make in a week or two. With the presence of some of these new services, those are now the rare days when we are also in high demand,” he said.
Yet the lifestyle events boom is not without its challenges.
Mollet Ndebele of Moe’s Deli, who once pitched at Munch & Sip, says the glamour can hide back-breaking labour and tight margins.
“I can’t speak for everyone because some people might be benefiting, but I did do this once for Munch & Sip the year before last year, and I felt that it was too much work for little return. I did make the money that I had invested, but when all was said and done, I felt that the returns were not worth the hustle.
You have to factor in a lot of things, including transport to the venue, the labour, and many other things. The encouraging thing is that I got back the money I had invested into the venture. We had invested $500 and we managed to make almost double that, but the amount of work that would have gone into that makes you wonder if it’s worth it,” she said.
Ndebele said the events could benefit from stricter enforcement of laws on which types of foods could be sold from specific stalls.
“I think we could benefit from a restriction of the kind of stalls that can be at a single event. For example, if they said only two stalls would be selling burgers, it would help those that are moving burgers to make even more substantial profits. However, if there’s a lot of competition, with too many people selling the same things, it dilutes the business on hand.
“The aim is to sell out all the things that you would have brought, but if you all and all your neighbours are selling the same thing, inevitably, you will all not make the same from that event. I think they have to think for their clients as well instead of just collecting as much as they can from them,” she said. – SundayNews
