Hatch Events
"We want to give Africa a 21st century platform here in the UK," says Yemisi Mokuolu, award-winning entrepreneur and dynamic young MD of one of the capital's fastest growing event management companies.
The 28-year old is the driving force behind East London-based Hatch Events. In just three years, the fledgling company has gone from promoting small African-themed club nights to helping stage some of the city's biggest cultural programmes.
In 2005, Hatch Events was invited to help produce the Out of Africa festival. Watched by more than 30,000 people, Carnaby Street was transformed into an African wonderland with more than 200 performers heading a weeklong cultural celebration. Later that summer, 10,000 Londoners came to see Yemisi's next production, Shoreditch: Africa 05, a colourful festival of African music and culture in Haggerston Park, Hackney.
The initial concept behind Hatch Events was sparked when Yemisi, who was born in Nigeria, travelled back to Africa to see her family in 2002.
"I went to a few club nights and felt upset that I didn't have access to this amazing African hip hop in the UK," she recalls. "I knew there was an African club night in New York, and thought it could really work here too."
Using her background experience in corporate event management, Yemisi began to promote a series of club nights in London. "I wanted to give people a chance to celebrate being African," she explains. Her events also helped to break down barriers for many first-and second-generation Africans in the capital, who rarely met other Africans outside of their home country.
In 2003, Yemisi set her sights higher. She decided to set up a management company to bring together all aspects of event promotion: from merchandising, PR and event management to advertising and sponsorship. She wanted to create her own Hatch Events "brands"; managing entire African-themed projects from start to finish.
With little business experience, Yemisi faced a steep learning curve. But after hearing about CIDA from a friend, she approached them for practical guidance and support.
"CIDA were fantastic," she says. "I was hugely impressed with their workshops, which seemed really relevant to me and what I wanted to achieve." Yemisi was especially keen to learn more about sponsorship. She also used their library facilities and began promoting her events in the weekly newsletter.
"CIDA have been instrumental in building my confidence and accelerating our fundraising and sponsorship potential," she says. One tangible result of this support has been to secure a future pilot commission with Emerge London, a visual arts-focused partnership between five north London boroughs.
"CIDA have enabled me as a small business to have a safety net to start relationships with higher education institutions. As long as I'm in business and they're around, I'll definitely be looking to keep using CIDA," she adds. "They're an invaluable resource."
Today, she is looking forward to another action-packed year. The monthly club nights are going strong, but Hatch Events is geared up for considerably bigger programmes. Projects for 2006 include a fortnightly African film series on Sky TV, three "Out of Africa" concerts at The Spitz, East London, and the Shoreditch: Africa 06 Festival. Yemisi, who was runner-up for the Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2005 Hackney Mayor's Awards, is already excited about these and other future challenges.
"My dream is to put a major African festival on the calendar," she says. "When the 2012 Olympics come along, I want people to know there's an inclusive African event in London that rivals the Mela and Chinese New Year. That's my ultimate ambition."
Contact:
Yemisi Mokuolu
Hatch
Events
07967 362 551
Photography by:
Anna Schori
anna@photo-booth.net
07968 211 087
